Brian Nestor, a proud Norton, Ohio native, has had an impressive legacy from his Navy service to his new coaching role at St. Thomas Aquinas High School. Nestor's wrestling journey started in Norton, where he began his endeavors within the local youth wrestling program. Progressing through middle school and two years of high school wrestling in Norton, he concluded his high school career in Canal Fulton with the Northwest Indians.
As a US Navy Veteran, Nestor's global travels exposed him to diverse cultures in Japan, Korea, and Malaysia, stationed across bases in California, North Carolina, Jacksonville, and Pensacola, Florida. The call to return home to Ohio, where his family resides in Hartville, Perry, and Rootstown, led him back alongside his wife, Jody, and their three sons, Logan, Andrew, and Corbin.
Nestor's coaching journey began as an assistant youth coach for Glenoak wrestling, later progressing to Head Coach and a pivotal role at the middle school level. His coaching tenure at Louisville Wrestling had remarkable success, the team's triumph as Ohio Youth Wrestling Association Section District and State Champions. Dedicated to fostering talent at the youth level and engaging middle and high school wrestlers, St. Thomas Aquinas, under Nestor's guidance, has already made great strides within the wrestling community with Nestor’s few short weeks as the new Head Coach. Balancing his role as a heavy equipment operator at Stark Aeration and Excavation in Hartville, Nestor dedicates his evenings to coaching at St. Thomas Aquinas and running classes at the Donaue Wrestling Academy in North Canton.
Nestor says, “My goal is easy. I want to help wrestlers be better than they were the day before. Winning and losing happen, but if they continue to battle themselves and be better every day, wins will come. They will also better themselves, not only in the sport but in life! I am blessed to be able to help these young people and I never thought I would be a wrestling coach in the past, but this is something that deep in my soul feels right! I want to thank my wrestling families for letting me do what I do!”
We are thrilled to welcome Coach Nestor to the St. Thomas Aquinas family and look forward to the future of STA's Wrestling Program.