EVANSTON, Ill. --  As one of his first official moves as head coach at Northwestern, Drew Pariano has added Jake Herbert, arguably the most accomplished wrestler in Wildcat history and a current member of the U.S. World Team, to the NU staff as a volunteer assistant coach. Herbert will be present in the NU wrestling room in September following his bid for a gold medal at the 2010 World Championships in Moscow.

In his first trip to the World Championships as a member of the World Team in 2009, Herbert was the only American to reach the finals and compete for the gold, ultimately winning silver at the 84-kg weight class.

"Jake Herbert is one of the most dominating wrestlers in the United States right now and has trained at the most elite levels for several years," Pariano said. "Having him in our room on a daily basis immediately elevates the competitiveness of our training. When it comes to mastering technique and thorough preparation for a match, Jake is one of the best mentors a college wrestler could have."

"I'm thankful to Drew and Tim Cysewski for asking me back to be part of their team on a full-time basis," Herbert said. "I love Northwestern Wrestling and I never would have been so successful in college or on the international level without their assistance. We have a great team coming back this year so I'm excited to give back and do what I can to keep Northwestern among the best programs in the country."

While at Northwestern, Herbert compiled a varsity record of 135-4 on his way to two NCAA championships at 184 pounds and becoming the second four-time All-American in school history. The native of Wexford, Pa., capped his career in 2009 by completing an undefeated 34-0 season and being named the recipient of the Hodge Trophy, the Heisman of college wrestling.
 
Herbert has gained previous coaching experience as a featured clinician at Northwestern Wrestling camps and clinics and last season served as an analyst during the Big Ten Network's broadcast of the 2009 Midlands Championships.