Emanuel Named Assistant Track Coach

Nebraska Head Coach Gary Pepin has announced the addition of Brenton Emanuel as the new Track Assistant Coach working with sprints and hurdles. 

Emanuel comes from Eastern Illinois where he has served the Panthers as the Director of Track and Field since June 2018. He was named the Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Track Coach of the Year in 2019 and 2021, and the Indoor Track Coach of the Year in 2020. Emanuel coached two OVC Male Track Athlete of the Year honorees and 28 All-OVC first-team performers. 

“Brenton has been instrumental in revitalizing the Eastern Illinois track and field program and we are excited to have him at Nebraska,” Pepin said. “He has developed and coached some terrific athletes at Eastern Illinois. Brenton has a magnetic personality and is an excellent recruiter and I look forward to working with him.” 

Prior to serving as the Director of Track and Field, Emanuel was an assistant coach from 2009 to 2014 at Eastern Illinois. He helped the Panthers to nine Ohio Valley Conference Championships and 44 OVC Individual Event Champions. Emanuel also served as an assistant track coach at Illinois State from 2015 to 2018 where he was named the USTFCCCA Midwest Regional Assistant Coach of the Year in 2018. 

“I would like to thank Coach Pepin and the Nebraska Athletic Department for this amazing opportunity,” Emanuel said. “The University of Nebraska is a top-notch university academically and athletically. I look forward to adding to the astounding tradition of success. I would also like to thank my EIU family for all of their support these past three years. I will forever be grateful for all my relationships with the staff and especially the student-athletes.” 

Emanuel is a 2008 graduate of Eastern Illinois where he competed for the men’s track team for four years. He served as a team captain and earned second-team All-Ohio Valley Conference honors. A native of Plainfield, Illinois, Emanuel will be joined by his wife Jessica and their daughter in Lincoln.

Career Honors & Awards

• Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Track Coach of the Year (2019, 2021)
• Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Track Coach of the Year (2020)
• USTFCCCA Midwest Regional Assistant Coach of the Year (2018)