Head coach Chris Bono was hired as the 16th head coach in UW history on March 24, 2018.

Bono spent the last six seasons prior to being hired at Wisconsin as the head coach at South Dakota State, establishing the Jackrabbits as a national contender and a powerhouse in the Big 12, coaching three conference champions in the program’s three years in the league.

The Jackrabbits had their best season in the final year under Bono. Two-time All-American Seth Gross won the program’s first national title at 133 pounds while the team placed 12th in the NCAA tournament, the highest finish of any Big 12 team.

A four-time NCAA qualifier and three-time All-American for Iowa State, Bono ranks fifth in ISU history with 130 career wins and was the 150-pound NCAA champion as a junior. He went on to coach as an assistant at his alma mater for nine years and was named the National Wrestling Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year in 2002.

In national and international competition, Bono is a two-time United States National Champion, took first at the World Cup in both 2002 and 2003 and is a three-time World Team member.