When Western Maryland coach John Lowe first heard news of a wrestler who barely spoke a word of English but had competed internationally, he and an assistant went after him.

"We literally left the phone swinging and went out the door," Lowe recalled. "Here was an opportunity We wanted to learn from him."

That was in 1995, when Lowe was in his third season at Western Maryland but still a competitive wrestler. He wanted someone to train with him. Little did he imagine that the athlete he sought as a partner would one day become his best hope for an NCAA title.

Now Andrey Brener, at 24, is a Western Maryland sophomore who has become the top 165-pound wrestler in NCAA Division III, with a 31-1 record and 15 pins, including seven wins over wrestlers at the Division I level.

Heading into the NCAA championships this weekend, Brener is one of three Western Maryland wrestlers competing at the meet, beginning today and continuing tomorrow at the College of New Jersey in Ewing Township, Pa. Scott Taylor and Charlie Conaway also will be wrestling for the Green Terror, which finished second to Ursinus in the Centennial Conference meet two weeks ago.

Last season, hampered by injuries, Brener made the NCAAs, but lost in the first round.

"I'm in better shape with a better chance to perform well," Brener said. "It's always exciting to be in such a big tournament. Now, you'll see people that you never see. There are no easy matches. Everyone here deserves it."

Lowe heard about Brener from Sam Case, former wrestling coach at Western Maryland, whose daughter, Sarah, was counseling the athlete and his family adjust to life in the United States and find jobs.

By emigrating in search of increased opportunity, they were forfeiting whatever status they had in Ukraine.

Brener's father, Edward, was a physics professor at a Ukrainian university, with several patents in his name, but spent time as a security guard at one point. His mother, Lyudmila, the vice president of a company before the move, ended up working at a shoe warehouse. Brener, a four-time Ukrainian national champion and college student back home, earned money at a pawn shop and on construction sites.

The lucky ones were Stacy, now a junior at Woodlawn High School, and Brener, who hadn't wrestled in two years when Sarah Case asked him what his skills were during an interview at the Jewish Vocational Services center in Pikesville. At a loss for words, Brener said he was a good wrestler.

"I think he thought that I would think of Hulk Hogan," said Sarah Case, whose father coached "real" wrestling for 30 years. "But I had to assure him that I knew exactly what he meant."

She called her father, who called Lowe, with the idea of getting Brener to Western Maryland to meet some students. Brener started to work out with the team as a volunteer coach.

"It was a good step," Brener said. "It wasn't a paying job, it was to come practice with the team. I was a good workout partner, and because of communication with friends, my English got better."

At the same time, he developed a friendship with Lowe, and the pair traveled to area wrestling meets.

After his mastery of English improved, Brener -- who said he didn't have much interest in education while at the Olympic Reserve school in Kherson -- decided that he wanted to go back to school. He is majoring in exercise science.

"After two years, he says, 'I want to go to Western Maryland,' " Lowe said. "We got his transcripts and found he was very intelligent."

Last season, Brener helped the Green Terror to a Centennial Conference title with a 22-3 record, though he was hampered by an ankle injury and arthroscopic surgery on his knee that kept him out of 20 matches.

When he returned in January, he was well out of shape. Brener ended up falling short of a national championship in his freshman season, partially from bad conditioning, but also because he hadn't wrestled in four years.

"I had quite a break," Brener said. "I hadn't competed seriously since I was 18, when I came here, it was for fun."

Still, over the summer, Brener returned to his training regimen that included jogging, soccer and tennis, which helped him get his speed back. He also worked at wrestling camps held by the U.S. Naval Academy and at the Bullis School in Washington.

The work paid off. His only losses have come in the finals of tournaments, two against Division I wrestlers.

"I feel that I can beat these guys," Brener said of his chances at a national championship. "I've wrestled tougher people before."

Pub Date: 3/05/99