NCAA and US Nationals Champ, Univ. of TN- Chattanooga Head Coach
2001, 2002, and 2005 Freestyle World Team Member
Articles & Radio/TV Interviews
Articles & Radio/TV Interviews
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ARTICLE INDEX
03/03/2008 Bono Brings Home Bronze Medal from Pan Am Games
RADIO/TV INTERVIEWS INDEX
06/04/2007 Pre-2007 Team Trials Interview
Bono Brings Home Bronze Medal from Pan Am Games COLORADO SPRINGS --- Head wrestling coach Chris Bono captured a bronze medal Sunday at the 2008 Pan American Games in Colorado Springs, Colo. Wrestling freestyle in the 145.5 pound division (66 kg), Bono fell to the eventual Gold Medalist, Geandry Garzon of Cuba, in the second round, 4-1, 2-2, 2-1. He did not allow a point in the third-place match, defeating Peru's Pool Ambrocio, 5-0, 7-0. Bono, Garzon and Mexico's Ghandi Marquez each received first-round byes. Canada's Haislan Garcia claimed the silver medal. “I wrestled the best in the world, and I could have won,” Bono said. “I'm pleased with my training, and it was great to get back on the mat. I will make a few adjustments to make sure I am ready for the next competition and train with the goal of making the Olympic Team.” The bronze medal is the second for Bono at the Pan Am Games, also winning one in 2002. The second-year Chattanooga coach will continue to train and will compete for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. Bono has already qualified for the Olympic Trails. He will compete again in April at the U.S. Open, and with a title there, would need two wins at the Trials to become a U.S. Olympian. The 2008 Olympic Games will be held in August in Beijing, China. ©2008, GoMocs.com
Bono Gets Bronze at Pan Am Games by a Staff Writer COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Chris Bono earned a bronze medal in Pan-Am Games freestyle wrestling Sunday evening. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga coach rebounded from an opening loss to Cuba’s Geandry Garzon to defeat Peru’s Pool Ambrocio 5-0, 7-0. He lost to Garzon 4-1, 2-2, 2-1. While he went with the idea of a gold medal, Bono also wanted to see where he stood in relation to world competition. Garzon, Bono said, would be the favorite in the Olympic Games in Bejing. “He’s the best kid in the world. He finished second last year and he’s been third twice, and I should have won,” the Mocs coach said. “I was behind him with five seconds left, and all I had to do was get his knee to the mat. I didn’t get it done, but I’m right there with the best in the world. It was good to get out here and wrestle him before the Olympics.” He believes he is a few minor adjustments away. “Nobody likes to lose, but every time you train you wonder where you are. I did the right things training. I felt good. A few minor adjustments and I’ll be right there,” he said. This was Bono’s fourth Pan-Am games trip and he earned his second bronze medal. “I had to go get a medal. I promised my girls,” he said. Bono will be back in UTC’s practice room this afternoon. He is scheduled to arrive back in Chattanooga at 2 and will start practice at 3:30. “We’ll have a couple of tough practices and then start tapering off,” he said. The Mocs will host the Southern Conference wrestling tournament Saturday at McKenzie Arena. ©2008, Chattanooga Times Free Press
Quotes from U.S. freestyle wrestlers and National Coach at Pan American Championships by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling 55 kg/121 lbs. – Henry Cejudo, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids), gold medal “I had to turn it up. I knew this was my home. After that first period, I had to pick up the pace. I live here and I had to do it.” “My number one concern was to qualify the weight class. For me, qualifying the weight class was winning the tournament. It was a hard weight cut for me. This was a good awakening.”
(about the possibility of going to the Olympics) 60 kg/132 lbs. – Mike Zadick, Solon, Iowa (Gator WC), bronze medal “It is frustrating. You go overseas and you have to beat the politics. You train to expect that and to dominate. Being here in my country and to have the officials do that. It comes down to it being in my own hands. You feel in the match he is dying. You are pouring it on. I knew he was so tired, he wasn’t going to finish it. The odds are 90% in his favor. Let it wrestle. He has my leg. Let him finish on me. The official makes a mistake. They demote him. But to me, it’s an Olympic spot for my country. I get a bronze medal, something I don’t need and don’t collect.”
(about his win over Cuba’s Maykel Gonzalez)
(about upcoming qualifying events) 66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Chris Bono, Ringgold, Ga. (Sunkist Kids), bronze medal
(On the strategy for the final match)
(On his attitude after the first loss)
74 kg/163 lbs. – Casey Cunningham, Mt. Pleasant, Mich. (Sunkist Kids), silver medal “My goal is to win every match. I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t think I could win the Olympics. It shows me the areas I have to work on. It shows me where I need to go. I have time to make these improvements.” 84 kg/185 lbs. – Joe Williams, Belvidere, Ill. (Sunkist Kids), gold medal
(On the strategy in the second period)
(On this tournament’s significance)
96 kg/211.5 lbs. – Damion Hahn, Ithaca, N.Y. (New York AC), silver medal “This is a good competition. It is great to be here with the National Coaches, and to work out with the guys out here. This is all preparation for the big show, the Olympic Trials. Every competition adds up. The next couple months I will focus on my skills, concentrate on my leg attacks, and make the 2008 team. That is the plan.” 120 kg/264.5 lbs. – Tommy Rowlands, Columbus, Ohio (Sunkist Kids), gold medal
(On the win against the Cuban)
(On working towards the Olympics) National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson “We are excited for our champions. Everybody medaled. Cuba had a strong team, the same team that they took to the World Cup and they were second there. I am excited about the way most of the guys wrestled. There were some great individual efforts. Henry Cejudo pinning the World bronze medalist was big. Tommy Rowlands pinning the World champion, and getting his offense going. Tommy has taken the step to putting himself in the hat for an Olympic gold medal. Joe Williams was consistent as he has always been, winning another Pan American Championships. He looks ready for our nationals.” “I am disappointed, too. Our number one goal was to qualify both weights. Mike Zadick could not get his offense going when he needed it. It is unfortunate about the officials call in the clinch. Ever since you are young, we are trained not to let the officials determine the match. We will now have to reload and get someone ready for the qualifier in Switzerland.” “I am happy with the Pan Am performance. Last year, at the Pan Am Games, we had only one champion, and Cuba had five. This shows some of our guys are doing the right things in their daily training.” ©2008, The Mat.com
Wrestling Coach Bono to Compete in Pan Am Games Head wrestling coach Chris Bono is no stranger to top-level international competition. The former NCAA wrestling champion has traveled around the world three times to compete in his chosen sport, and he has many medals and trophies as proof of his many successes. Bono will wrestle in the Pan Am Games Sunday with a potential U.S. Olympic Team berth on the line. The 2008 Pan Am Games, held in Colorado Springs, Colo., will serve as a qualifier for the 2008 Olympic Games, held in August in Beijing, China. Bono will represent the United States in the 145.5 pound freestyle class (66 kg) and is set to face one of Cuba's top wrestlers in his opening match. A four-time U.S. National champion, Bono competed in the 2002 Pan Am Games, bringing home a bronze medal. He placed third at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials and served as a team alternate. “It is truly an honor to represent and compete for your country,” Bono says. “But I will not be satisfied unless I win an Olympic Gold Medal. That is my goal. Making the team would be great, but I am going through this process with the Gold Medal as my goal.” Bono has already qualified for the Olympic Trails. He will compete again in April at the U.S. Open, and with a title there, he would need two wins at the Trials to become a U.S. Olympian. Former Mocs head coach Terry Brands was an Olympic Gold Medalist, and is now a coach at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. In just his second year as a head coach, Bono has had nearly as much success, relatively speaking, with the Chattanooga program. Just last week, his Mocs won the Southern Conference regular-season title for the second time under Bono. His team will be heavily favored to win the SoCon Championships on March 8, held on the UTC campus. Last year, Bono qualified nine Mocs wrestlers to compete at the NCAA Championships, tying Minnesota with the most of any school in the nation. He coached one All-America, Matt Keller, who also earned the honor in 2006. The Iowa State graduate is adamant when he says that his competition will never get in the way of his coaching. The Pan Am Games just happened to fall on the weekend between Chattanooga's final regular-season dual and the SoCon Championships. He also says this his active wrestling training regimen stimulates his recruiting efforts and opens doors for the program to some of the nation's top prep wrestlers. “A lot of these kids want to wrestle for their country and wrestling internationally,” he says. “They see that I can do it, and they see that my assistant (Nate Gallick) is doing it. And we are successful. It is certainly a positive that we take advantage of in our recruiting efforts.” The wrestling portion of the Pan Am Games began Friday and concludes Sunday. The Games also include Greco-Roman and Women's Freestyle. ©2008, GoMocs.com
Bono Could Bring Home Olympic Gold by Mark Wiedmer Each time she brings home another sports trophy, seven-year-old Josie Bono tells her father, “Daddy, I’m catching up to you.” And there may well come a day when either Josie or her four-year-old sister Ellie surpass the dozens of wrestling trophies and medals that Chris Bono has claimed as one of the nation’s finest freestyle wrestlers. But if Bono — who has been similarly successful as a coach in his second winter running the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga program — has his way this weekend in the Pan American Championships, Josie could temporarily lose ground in the Bono family hardware race. “Anytime you’re asked to represent your country it’s special,” said the 34-year-old Bono, who will wrestle in the 145.5-pound weight class in the freestyle division. “This is a one-day tournament. You wrestle every 20 minutes. It’s a good test.” Bono has made the Mat Mocs a better-than-good story. They’re currently ranked 18th nationally. Should they qualify enough wrestlers for the NCAA Tournament during next week’s Southern Conference Championship, they could finish much higher than that in the final national rankings. But Bono’s coaching could easily take a back seat to his wrestling before the summer ends. His goal is to win an Olympic gold medal at the Beijing Games this August. “The gold medal is the goal,” he said on Wednesday. “I’m not doing this just to make the (Olympic) team.” The Pan Am event serves as an Olympic qualifier, but not for Bono. He’s already qualified for the Olympic Trials and the United States has already qualified at the 145.5 weight class. In many ways, this is just for pride and practice. His biggest challenge until the Trials will come at the U.S. Open in April. A win there would leave him needing just two wins against a single opponent at the Trials to make the Olympic team. “If I lose at the Open, I would need to win three to five matches at the Trials to make the team.” Bono has won at every level of his sport. An NCAA title during his time at Iowa State. An Olympic alternate in 2004. A gold medal at the 2003 World Cup Wrestling Championships. A title in the 2005 World Team Trials. “I’ve probably wrestled more matches than anybody in the country the last 12 years,” said Bono, who has been in training for the Pan Am championship since the first day of January. “When this is all over, I’m going to miss competing. I’ll miss traveling overseas with the guys. I’ll miss the process. I’ve learned and grown so much through wrestling.” The process is an arduous one. He sets a treadmill on its fastest speed then runs six sets of two-minute runs. He lifts weights. He wrestles his UTC wrestlers. When he’s not in training, Bono weighs roughly 168 pounds. Three days from Saturday’s weigh-in, he was still 10 pounds over his wrestling weight. “Water weight,” shrugged Bono. “The hard work’s done. Now you just break a sweat, sit in the sauna for awhile. We do it all the time.” But most college wrestling greats are driving their kids to soccer practice when they’re 34. The best Russian wrestlers are in their early 20s. Even the U.S.’s best are in their late 20s. So how does Bono do it? “Coach is physical,” said UTC freshman Ben Johnson, the 141-pounder who won three state championships at the Baylor School. “He’s always in position. He’s real slick, real strong. He’s just very hard to wrestle.” Rival coaches have tried to make it very hard on recruiting by using his wrestling against the program. “But I’ve always said the team will never suffer,” he said. “If we hadn’t been off this weekend I would never have wrestled in the Pan Am Championships.” He says he intends to never wrestle competitively again after the Olympics. “I think my wife (Niki) is ready for me to give it up if I accomplish my goals,” he said. “I think she’s ready for me to be a normal person. I’m ready to try and become the best coach in the country.” But just in case Josie and Ellie dramatically close the gap on their dad’s medals and trophies, Bono is reserving his right to wrestle on. “I always have the option,” he grinned, “of not retiring.” ©2008, Chattanooga Times Free Press
U.S. lineups set in all three styles for Pan American Championships by Craig Sesker, USA Wrestling COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Pan American Championships are held every year, but this year’s wrestling event takes on much more significance as it serves as a qualifier for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. This year’s Pan American Championships are set for Feb. 29-March 2 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. The Pan American Championships is sponsored by the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation. The U.S. qualified 12 of 18 overall weight classes for the Olympics at the 2007 World Championships by virtue of finishing in the top eight in 12 weight classes in Baku, Azerbaijan. Only Russia, with 13 qualifiers, has more weight classes qualified for the Olympics at this time. In all three styles at the Pan American Championships, the top athlete in each weight class from a nation which has not already qualified for the Olympics will qualify that nation to compete in the Beijing Games. Only nations that competed at the 2007 World Championships in each weight class are eligible to qualify through the Pan American Championships. The U.S. still needs to qualify three weights in Greco-Roman (60 kg/132 lbs., 74 kg/163 lbs. and 96 kg/211.5 lbs.), two in freestyle (55 kg/121 lbs. and 60 kg/132 lbs.) and one in women’s freestyle (55 kg/121 lbs.). The Greco-Roman competition is set for Feb. 29, followed by women’s freestyle on March 1 and freestyle on March 2. The Pan American Championships include athletes from North, South and Central America. The U.S. will enter 2007 World Team members Joe Betterman (60 kg/132 lbs.), T.C. Dantzler (74 kg/163 lbs.) and Justin Ruiz (96 kg/211.5 lbs.) in the Greco-Roman weights it needs to qualify. Dantzler placed fifth in the World in 2006 and Ruiz won a World bronze medal in 2005. “The Pan American Championships play a huge role in our quest for Olympic excellence,” U.S. National Greco-Roman Coach Steve Fraser said. “Our 60 kg, 74 kg and 96 kg weight classes obviously will be our main focus in this tournament, with the goal to win the championship and qualify our entire Greco squad for Beijing. We are very confident that we can accomplish this goal and feel very good about our chances in shocking the world again by winning a record number of medals in Beijing this August.” In freestyle, the U.S. will enter 2007 World Team member Henry Cejudo (55 kg/121 lbs.) and 2006 World silver medalist Mike Zadick (60 kg/132 lbs.) in hopes of qualifying the final two weights in freestyle for the Olympics. Cejudo won the Pan American Championships and Pan American Games in 2007. Zadick placed second in the 2007 Pan American Games. “This is our most important event of the new year so far for 55 kg and 60 kg,” U.S. National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson said. “This is the best scenario to get those weights qualified for the Olympics. With berths to the Olympics at stake, the matches will be intense. We must win at 55 kg and 60 kg. “All of our athletes will compete for gold medals. Cuba will challenge us in all the weight classes and Canada will field one of their best teams.” 2007 World Team member Marcie Van Dusen will try to qualify the fourth and final Olympic weight class for the women at 55 kg/121 lbs. Van Dusen is coming off a win over five-time World champion and Olympic gold medalist Saori Yoshida of Japan at the World Cup. The Pan American Championships are the first of three remaining qualifiers in each style for the U.S. to qualify its remaining weight classes for the Olympics. Nations expected to compete in the Pan American Championships include Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, the United States, Uruguay and Venezuela.
U.S. ROSTERS FOR PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS, GRECO-ROMAN
55 kg/121 lbs. – Josh Habeck, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) Coaches – Steve Fraser (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Momir Petkovic (Colorado Springs, Colo.); Ike Anderson (Colorado Springs, Colo.); Dan Chandler (Minneapolis, Minn.); Rob Hermann (Pensacola, Fla.), Jay Antonelli (Chesapeake, Va.), Rich Estrella (Colorado Springs, Colo.) WOMEN’S FREESTYLE
48 kg/105.5 lbs. – Mary Kelly, Gaffney, S.C. (New York AC) Coaches – Terry Steiner (Colorado Springs, Colo.); Vladislav Izboinikov (Colorado Springs, Colo.) FREESTYLE
55 kg/121 lbs. – Henry Cejudo, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) Coaches – Kevin Jackson (Colorado Springs, Colo.); Terry Brands (Colorado Springs, Colo.); Lee Kemp (Alpharetta, Ga.) ©2008, The Mat.com
Chris Bono is in the Chattanooga Olympic Zone by Joel Jacobi My friend and Olympic Gold Medal swimmer, John Naber, often says, “Olympians are ordinary people who do extraordinary things.” On the road to the Olympics in Beijing this summer, “extraordinary” – as in “extra” and “ordinary” – could not be better defined than by Chattanooga’s Chris Bono. On the “ordinary” side of the word, Chris is a family man – husband, father of two of young children, and a proud son who admires his parents. He understands the value of a job in his life – he shares knowledge, experience, and his passion for teaching collegiate athletes as the Head Coach of the wrestling program at University of Tennessee Chattanooga (UTC.) He’s a “regular” at his kids’ activities – soccer and softball games on most weekends. On the “ordinary” side, Chris Bono is like most of us. On the “extra” side of the word, Chris begins to separate himself from an ordinary Chattanoogan. Chris’ wrestling program represents a school that lives in the sports shadow of Knoxville but is arguably the shining beacon of Chattanooga’s collegiate sports scene. Chris has built a perennial powerhouse consistently ranked in the Top 20 and attracts top wrestling recruits from around the country. And then there’s that “Gold Medal thing…” Olympic wrestling is a unique sport in that it’s possible to coach collegiate athletes while pursuing your own Olympic dreams. And Chris carries a big dream. I meet many Olympic hopefuls in my travels and work – most want to qualify for the Olympic Games. For Chris, the goal is a bit higher – to win Olympic Gold. Of course, as an athlete, he wants to win for himself. But in our conversations, he glows when he speaks about how reaching this goal would honor his family and their support of his pursuit as well as Chattanooga and the opportunities a Gold Medal would mean of our city such as hosting world class wrestling events and attracting the “best of the best” student athletes to UTC. As I have come to know Chris in recent weeks, I’m buying what he’s selling – a big dream mixed in with a “normal” family and professional life. It just fits. In an extraordinary way. ©2008, WRCB TV-3
Esposito, Hrovat win silver medals in Medved International in Belarus by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling Two U.S. freestyle wrestlers won silver medals on the second day of competition at the Alexander Medved International in Minsk, Belarus, October 20. Placing second in their weight classes were Zack Esposito (Stillwater, Okla./Gator WC) at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. and Andy Hrovat (Ann Arbor, Mich./New York AC) at 84 kg/185 lbs. Esposito was defeated in the championship finals by Albert Batirov of Belarus, 0-3, 1-0, 0-3. Batirov hit a chest lock for three points from the clinch in the first period. Esposito won the second period on a takedown with 15 seconds left. In the deciding third period, Batirov scored another counter chestlock to win the period. Esposito opened the tournament with three straight wins. He stopped Z. Kambarov of Azerbaijan, 6-0, 6-0. His next two wins went the full three period, stopping A. Anhmatomedov of Russia, 1-1, 5-3, 4-0, then Z. Usuhov of Russia, 1-1, 3-0, 5-0. “Zack has great potential,” said National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson. “He can consistently win at this level.” Hrovat was beaten in the gold-medal match by R. Koulov of Russia, 1-3, 1-0, 0-2. Hrovat dropped the first period when he went out of bounds attempting a chest lock throw. In the second period, he won the clinch for the win. Hrovat lost the final period when he attempted a double-overhook throw with 15 seconds left and landed on his back. He won two matches to qualify for the finals, defeating Chibko of Belarus, 2-0, 2-0, then pinning H. Magomed of Russia in 1:30 in the semifinals. Hrovat was a member of the 2006 U.S. World Team and currently holds a No. 2 national ranking in the United States. Placing fifth at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. was Jared Frayer (Colorado Springs, Colo./Gator WC) with a 3-2 record. Frayer opened the tournament with a three-period win over three-time U.S. World Team member Chris Bono of the United States, 1-1, 3-2, 7-0. He followed with a second period pin of A. Studvmajok of Belarus. He was defeated in the third round by eventual champion Albert Batirov of Belarus, 0-1, 0-2. After a win over O. Rossoh of Ukraine in the wrestleback rounds, Frayer lost in the bronze-medal match to R. Adhmov of Russia, 0-2, 0-1. Adhmov scored two takedowns in the first period, then won the second period on the clinch from the defensive position. The competition concludes on Sunday, with action at 96 kg/211.5 pounds and 120 kg/264.5 lbs. The United States has won four medals during the first two days of competition.
ALEXANDER MEDVED INTERNATIONAL Freestyle medalists
66 kg/145.5 lbs.
74 kg/163 lbs.
84 kg/185 lbs. U.S. performances
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Jared Frayer, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC), 5th
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Chris Bono, Ringgold, Ga. (Sunkist Kids), dnp
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Zach Esposito, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC), 2nd
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Eric Larkin, Tempe, Ariz. (Sunkist Kids), dnp
74 kg/163 lbs. - Casey Cunningham, Mt. Pleasant, Mich. (Sunkist Kids), dnp
74 kg/163 lbs. - Donny Pritzlaff, Madison, Wis. (New York AC), dnp
84 kg/185 lbs. - Andy Hrovat, Ann Arbor, Mich. (New York AC), 2nd
84 kg/185 lbs. - Clint Wattenberg, Ithaca, N.Y. (New York AC), dnp
84 kg/185 lbs. - Lee Fullhart, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC), dnp ©2007, TheMat.com
US Freestyle Team to Compete in Medved International, Minsk, Belarus, October 19-21 by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling A team of talented U.S. freestyle wrestlers will compete in a very competitive early season international competition, the Alexander Medved International in Minsk, Belarus, Oct. 19-21. The U.S. team will be loaded with athletes who are expected to be challengers in their weight classes for the upcoming 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials process. Although none of the athletes are currently top ranked in their division on Team USA, all of competitors have high national rankings and are considered Olympic hopefuls. USA Wrestling’s National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson will be coaching the team. Among the top athletes on the roster is 2006 World bronze medalist Donny Pritzlaff (Madison, Wis./New York AC) at 74 kg/163 lbs. Three other team members have competed on past U.S. World Teams, Chris Bono (Ringgold, Ga./Sunkist Kids) at 66 kg/145.5 lbs., Andy Hrovat (Ann Arbor, Mich./New York AC) at 84 kg/185 lbs. and Mo Lawal (Colorado Springs, Colo./Gator WC) at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. Bono has made three U.S. World Teams. Lawal competed at the 2005 World Championships and Hrovat competed in the 2006 World meet. Six of the team members are currently ranked No. 2 in the nation at their division. They include Bono, Hrovat and Lawal, plus Matt Azevedo (Pismo Beach, Calif./Sunkist Kids) at 55 kg/121 lbs., Casey Cunningham (Mt. Pleasant, Mich./Sunkist Kids) at 74 kg/163 lbs. and Steve Mocco (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC) at 120 kg/264.5 lbs.
U.S TEAM FOR ALEXANDER MEDVED INTERNATIONAL ©2007, TheMat.com
UTC's Bono takes aim at U.S. wrestling team by Ward Gossett, Chattanooga Times Free Press He won state championships in high school and an NCAA title in college, and Chris Bono quickly added a Southern Conference championship this past March as a first-year head coach at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He's still a wrestler, though, and he will compete Sunday in Las Vegas in a one-match shot for his fourth U.S. World team berth. Also wrestling this weekend will be former UTC wrestlers Israel Silva, who served last year as the team's assistant coach, and Josh Keefe. Bono, who earned a bye to the finals by winning in Las Vegas earlier this year, will wrestle at 66 kilograms (145.5 pounds), while Silva will be at 96 kilograms (211 pounds) and Keefe will be at 60 (132 pounds). Silva and Keefe have to win qualifying rounds Saturday to reach Sunday's championships. At 34, Bono can become the oldest member of the U.S. world team with a win. "I quit looking at records -- wins and losses -- after high school," he said. "Records are just numbers. All I count these days are titles, and I know I have no world titles." Bono has been on three U.S. teams that won world titles, but he came up short in his individual quests. Being a head coach has helped his perspective but hasn't changed his philosophy. "I'm the same and my approach has stayed the same. I outwork everybody, but I'm working smarter," he said. "I no longer butt heads for two hours straight each day. I have stayed rested and my body hasn't broken down. I've made weight once instead of 10 or 12 times. My mind is fresh." Being at UTC has relieved some turmoil, even though Bono endured some heat in his year as an assistant to Joe Seay before taking over as head coach. He had left behind a mental pressure-cooker as assistant head coach at Iowa State. "For the first time in three or four years there is no turmoil, no worries or concerns in my life. I'm happy," Bono said. "This last year has been a whole lot of fun for me. I'm relaxed, focused and ready to go." The job has helped. He had a reputation for being well-organized before he came to Chattanooga, and his wrestling skills were well-documented. His personality enhanced his coaching skills, and he was able to convert Mocs wrestlers to his style and philosophy in time for them to storm through the Southern Conference tournament and gain nine NCAA tournament qualifiers. "I don't know that I am any more mature, but I think I have taken my organizational skills to a new level, and not just in my job but in my life," he said. "My day is planned out to the minute. If I let myself, I'd work or work out 24 hours a day, but I have made sure I don't sacrifice family time by doing what I'm doing. If my little girl has a softball game, I'm going to be there." UTC officials and boosters view his competition as a plus. "We're very proud of Chris," athletic director Rick Hart said. "We're glad to have him representing us. He did everything we hoped he would and could do for our athletes and the program, and right now it's time for him to shine personally. "It's another opportunity for UTC to be mentioned in national circles. As long as it isn't interfering with his job here, and it isn't, we're supportive and glad to do it." Bono hasn't been resting on his championship laurels. He works daily with the Chattanooga Wrestling Club, and he just completed a four-DVD instructional video for Championship Productions that should be on the market by mid-July. That is in addition to planning the Bono-fide wrestling camp, which is scheduled June 24-July 23. Former Mocs coach Terry Brands, now director of the U.S. wrestling facility at Colorado Springs, will be among the guest clinicians. Bono hopes more travel will be on his agenda. If he wins Sunday, he'll compete in the Pan American Games in July and then at the world championships in September in Baku, Azerbaijan. "It is one of the goals I'm out to attain," he said. ©2007, Times Free Press
Veterans Bono, Vering, Miranda use new methods to seek World Team Trials victory by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling All three of the 2007 U.S. Nationals champion wrestlers who participated on a USOC media teleconference are veterans. All have competed on past World Teams. All have learned a thing or two about what it takes to win. Training smart and managing the challenges of age and life was a consistent theme in the press conference, which featured 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Patricia Miranda of the Sunkist Kids in women’s wrestling, 2004 Olympic Brad Vering of the New York AC in Greco-Roman and three-time World Team member Chris Bono of the Sunkist Kids in men’s freestyle. All three are top-seeded in their weight classes heading into the U.S. World Team Trials at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev., June 9-10. Bono, 33, has an additional challenge in his quest to be a world class wrestler. He serves as the head wrestling coach at the Univ. of Tennessee-Chattanooga. “It is extremely challenging,” said Bono. “I really had to sit back and map a schedule for myself. It’s almost every second of every day, and that also includes family time. If I don’t set the schedule and abide by it, it is my family that winds up suffering, because I am either working or working out. So I’ve had to set a schedule and I stick to it. As long as I stick to it, I am good to go.” Bono looks back to 2003, a year he won the U.S. Nationals but did not make the World Team, and sees a difference in his approach. “In 2003, I was No. 1 man coming out of the nationals and lost two straight matches at the Trials and did not make the team. When I look at that I can say I was afraid to lose. Now with a career and a family, I’m the most carefree guy in the world with my wrestling. I am not afraid to lose now. I have a career. I am ready to win this time. I am not sure I was ready to win back then. I am excited. I am a 33 year old man now. You never know when it’s my last time, my last day, when my body will give out. I enjoy this process so much more. It feels like I have been reborn because my energies and priorities have been refocused.” Vering, 29, made four straight U.S. team, starting in 2002 and running through 2005, but fell to No. 3 at his weight class during the 2006 season. He made a number of changes in his training and his philosophies, and it has paid off big time with success this year. “As you grow older, as you mature as a wrestler, you have to make some changes. I kind of got into a little bit of a rut in my training. I have been doing the same thing for four years. With the rule changes for Greco-Roman, it has been extremely challenging to convert over. Now I feel like I am starting to come into my own. I feel more confident with my wrestling. I changed the way I am training. I am training smarter, rather than harder all the time. I am still training very hard, just trying to do it so it works out better for how I compete. I am staying stronger and I am trying to stay healthy now.” Vering was well known for out-training and outworking everybody and anybody in the sport. He still trains hard, but the recovery time has become more important. “I am approaching my 30’s now. I going to turn 30 in August,” continued Vering. “I can’t train like I did in college. You are doing school. Your body can take so much. What has been happening with me is I’ve been still been training at the same level. Your body can’t respond as fast as it could, or recover as fast as it could when you are younger. It’s wearing on you mentally sometimes. What I am doing is recovering harder, and taking a day off every now and then and focusing on staying healthy mentally. When I do that, it has been great for me. I feel much more confident in my style. I’ve had a great spring.” Miranda, 27, just finished the challenge of earning a degree from Yale Law School. She is also doing different things from earlier in her career, some methods she has learned by trying to juggle college and training. “I do believe it has helped in the ways that wrestling transfers over to the greater fields of work and life,” said Miranda. “You get out what you put in. Outcome is not always the most effectual thing to focus on. The process, pushing yourself to learn something or to understand something harder than you thought you could. The principles are less physically tiring, but have helped on the mat as well. Miranda can compare her preparation for this Olympic Games to when she was preparing to earn a spot on the 2004 Olympic Team. She sees a different attitude and approach, something she thinks will help her to excel. “I chose to do what I am doing a little bit more than I did the last time. The retirement year I took after ‘04 during my first year of law school was very important. I am getting more out of my competition, my experience, my training. That break made me think and really realize why I am doing what I am doing. It has really helped me deemphasized the outcome. I’m trying to push my wrestling to this next level, and wrestle completely without fear. By focusing on that, it will give me a much more outcome-friendly outcome this time around. I feel the experience in Athens will help me.” ©2007, The Mat
Former World Team members training for Trials, eyeing Beijing by Jason Bryant As you might expect, Chris Bono, Brad Vering and Patricia Miranda all come from completely different backgrounds. Of course, the three former U.S. World Team members wrestle three different styles, but all those backgrounds come into play as the trio prepares for this weekend’s U.S. World Team Trials in Las Vegas. “It’s extremely challenging,” said Florida native Bono, trying to balance his goals of winning a world-level medal and coaching at the Division I level. “I really had to sit back and map out a schedule for myself. If I don’t set my schedule and abide by it, it’s my family that suffers.” Bono led the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga to a Southern Conference title in his first season as the head coach and had six wrestlers in the Round of 12 at the NCAA championships, but now Bono has a different mindset heading into a chance at representing the U.S. in the final world championship year before the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. “In 2003, I was the #1 man coming out and I lost two straight matches,” said Bono. “When I look back on that, I think I was afraid to lose. Now I’ve got a career and a family, I’m the most care free guy wrestling right now.” “I’ve got a career, I’m ready to win this time, I don’t know if I was ready to win last time,” said Bono. Stability has also entered Bono’s life, after a long coaching tenure under Bobby Douglas at Iowa State, Bono uprooted and headed to Tennessee for one season as an assistant under Joe Seay and then assumed the role of head coach shortly after Seay resigned from the UTC post after one season. “I feel better than I have in the last three years, just because my mind is free,” Bono said. “I’m not in a transition of moving jobs, moving houses, paying two mortgages. It was a tough 2-3 years there.” “I’m in a great situation here,” said Bono. Vering, a former Olympian and three-time World Team member says things have also changed from when he was a younger man, and it’s a simple reason. He’s training smarter, not harder. “I’m approaching my 30’s now, so I can’t train like I did when I was in college,” said the former Nebraska standout. “What’s been happening with me is I was still training at that same level and your body can’t recover as fast as you could when you were younger. I’ve been recovering harder and taking a day off every now and then and staying healthy.” “When I do that, it’s been great for me. I’m having a great spring, I’m still working very very hard, it’s just helped me mentally and it such a big part of the sport.” Vering explained that while he’s still got the thinking that he can go as hard as he could as a newly-anointed post-collegian. With age, comes wisdom, right? “When you give yourself more time to recover, you can train even harder on those days,” he said. “If you have more recovery time, your body has more time to recover and get stronger. I’m more technically sound and better in those situations.” Miranda, a 2004 bronze medalist on the U.S. inaugural women’s Olympic freestyle team in Athens, had other reasons to change up her training – a very well-documented tenure as a law student at Yale after getting her undergraduate degree at Stanford. “The biggest difference heading into the Olympic year is that I sort of chose to do what I’m doing a little bit more than what I was doing last time,” explained Miranda, who stepped away from competition after her bronze to concentrate on school. “The retirement year was important in the way that I feel I’m getting so much more out of my competitions and training,” she said. “I’m trying to push my wrestling to the next level and without fear. By focusing on that, it’s going to give me much more an outcome-friendly outcome. The experience in Athens is going to help.” If the trio doesn’t represent the U.S. on this year’s World Team, it doesn’t make it any easier for those that compete at the respective weights, as the World Championships in Azerbaijan in September are crucial for qualifying the weight class for the 2008 Olympics. It’s a process Vering knows well from his experience in 2003 when France hosted the 2003 Greco-Roman World Championships. The Olympic Games competitions are restrictive in the fact there’s a limit of approximately 20 wrestlers per weight and the first qualifier is the previous year’s World Championships. If a country places in the Top 10 at 2007 Worlds, the weight is qualified for the Olympics and would prevent heavy world travel and extraneous training for the athletes representing the non-qualified weight just to get the U.S. into the 2008 games. “This is such a humungous year for the U.S,” said Vering. “I had 45 guys in my weight, after the tournament was over, the most one team had was four qualifiers of weights, there was only two full teams – Russia and Greece.” “Right now, the competition is tougher than ever. It’s going to be a heavy year with a lot of pressure and we have to get those weight classes qualified.” While Miranda’s eyeing redemption with a hopeful match with nemesis Hitomi Sakamoto of Japan up at 51 kilos, Bono could see one of his long-time rivals this weekend in Vegas – 2006 World Champion Bill Zadick. Zadick, who hasn’t competed since winning world gold last year, will have to navigate through the one-day challenge tournament to get a shot at Bono in a two-out-of-three finals series. “I know I’m going to be there,” said Bono. “Whether he gets there or not, it’s up to him. I don’t have a preference.” “I like wrestling him, plus he’s the world champion. I’d love to beat the world champion to go to the worlds. He’s the champ, that’s something I’m going after.” And then there’s the history. “We’re old school Iowa-Iowa State. That tradition, that rivalry runs deep,” said Bono. “Even though I’m not at Iowa State anymore, if it comes down to it, it’s in the back of our minds. Just getting on the team and winning a gold medal is all I’m thinking about.” “I’m a 33-year old man right now and I never know when it’s going to be my last time, my last day,” said Bono. “I’ve enjoyed this process so much more, I haven’t retired, but I feel reborn. I feel re-energized and re-focused.” The 2007 U.S. World Team Trials will be hosted by the Las Vegas Convention Center. ©2007, InterMat
Strong field expected for Sunkist Kids/ASU International Open by Craig Sesker, USA Wrestling Reigning U.S. Nationals champions Henry Cejudo, Zach Roberson, Chris Bono and Clarissa Chun are among the wrestlers expected to take part in next weekend’s Sunkist Kids/Arizona State University International Open The first major international meet of the season is scheduled for Oct. 12-14 at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, Ariz. The Sunkist Open is the longest standing International Open Wrestling Tournament in the United States and is the premier event that kicks off each USA Wrestling season. Cejudo (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) will compete in freestyle at 55 kg/121 pounds as will Roberson (Ames, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) at 60 kg/132 pounds and Bono (Ringgold, Ga./Sunkist Kids) at 66 kg/145.5 pounds. Chun (Colorado Springs, Colo./ will compete in women’s freestyle at 48 kg/105.5 pounds. Cejudo was a Junior World Silver Medalist this year while Bono is now the head coach at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Close to 50 athletes from Canada are expected to take part in the event, along with a handful of wrestlers from both India and Mexico. 2003 World Bronze Medalist Jenny Wong (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) is on the list of entrants at 51 kg/112.25 pounds. The Greco-Roman competition will be held Oct. 13 with the men’s freestyle and women’s freestyle competitions set for Oct. 14. Registration and weigh-in for Greco-Roman will be Oct. 12 with men’s and women’s freestyle registration and weigh-in the next day. This tournament serves as a selection tool for choosing winter touring teams. This is the 22nd year for this annual event. Elite wrestlers from around the world have competed in this tournament. Tickets for fans are $10 per person for each day of the event. An all-session pass for both days of the event is $20. Contact event director Tim Gressley at 480-205-3015 or executive director Kimberly Martori Wickey at 480-596-1936 for more information. 2006 SUNKIST KIDS/ASU INTERNATIONAL OPEN SCHEDULE
Thursday, Oct. 12
Friday, Oct. 13
Saturday, Oct. 14 ©2006, The Mat
Q&A: Catching Up With Chris Bono by Matt Krumrie – TWM Freelance Writer New University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Head Coach Brings An Impressive Coaching and Competitive Resume to Division I Program Ready to Move Up The Ranks Chris Bono is a household name to collegiate and international wrestling fans. The Gilbert, Iowa native was the 1996 150-pound NCAA champion for Iowa State University and finished his career ranked fifth on the Cyclones’ all-time win list with 130. Since then Bono has been one of the most successful wrestlers in the United States, becoming a U.S. Nationals champion and earning spots on U.S. World Teams and competing and succeeding in numerous elite international events (see link below for full list of accomplishments). He also spent nine years (including five years as the head assistant coach) under Bobby Douglas at Iowa State. Last year he worked as an assistant at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. Bono was named head coach of the Mocs this summer, and takes over a Division I program for the first time. Bono replaces Joe Seay, who coached the Mocs for one season. Bono holds many coaching and competitive honors. He was named the National Wrestling Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year in 2002 for his role in ISU’s success that season. The Cyclones compiled a 17-5 dual meet record and were NCAA runner-ups with five wrestlers earning All-America status. UTC won its 21st Southern Conference title last season and finished 30th at the NCAA championships. The Mocs had two All-Americans, and finished 16-8-1 in dual meets and 5-0 in the Southern Conference. The Wrestling Mall caught up with Bono, and talked about what lies ahead for him in his new position, what to expect out of UTC wrestling, and what it’s been like to represent the United States during his wrestling career – which he hinted just might not be over yet. Here’s what Bono had to say: Congratulations on the new job. You have been hoping to become a head coach for a few years now. What does this mean to be the leader of a Division I wrestling team? Bono: Thank you. It means an awful lot to be the new leader at UTC. I want to bring stability to the program, lead the team with integrity, graduate all my student athletes and win! You spent nine years under Bobby Douglas at Iowa State. You have an outstanding collegiate and international wrestling resume. Put all of that together, and what type of wrestling coach will be leading UTC this year? When you envisioned yourself as a head coach, what did you see? Bono: I will be the type of coach that has been taught to do things the right way. Hard work, treat people right, and do it all by following rules. I believe in the fundamentals and by outworking all of our opponents. When I envisioned myself as a head coach I saw a guy who studied many coaches and wrestlers in the past and has developed his own system based on the best coaches and wrestlers in the world. I have been taking notes on the sport for a long time now and I finally get to put them together my own way and lead them. Does this mean your competitive wrestling career is over? If not, please explain the future intentions. If so, describe what it’s like to be done competing at the highest level of a sport that has been such a big part of your life. Bono: My competitive career, who knows, I might just show up in 2008 trials and try to make the team. But right now I am focused on recruiting the best student-athletes to UTC, stabilizing my program and being the best father and husband I can be. Competing internationally has been awesome. I have seen the world, met some great people, and represented The United States of America. When I look back, representing the country was an honor. When I put on the red, white, and blue, it always meant something to me, especially with what has been going on in the world. When you analyze the wrestling program and state of wrestling in the Chattanooga area, what stands out to you as the biggest plus or highlights? Bono: Right now the biggest plus at Chattanooga is I feel like we are getting a fresh start. We have a great new AD in here who just started, we have a bunch of guys who are really excited about wrestling, a great support base within the department, a great support base within the community and a program that is real stable and ready to explode. I am real fired up to get this team on the mat! When you analyze the wrestling program and state of wrestling in the Chattanooga area, what stands out to you as the biggest challenge? Bono: The biggest challenge right now is, like any new coach has coming in, building relationships with kids, making them believe in me and my system, trusting me in every aspect. You’ve been an assistant with this program, so you have a good idea of what to expect from the returning wrestlers, what the fan base is like, and what the travel schedule is for a Southern Conference team. How much does that help – being familiar with the team and many opponents? Bono: Our fan base is awesome here. This area is really crazy for wrestling. There are kid clubs all around here, and the high school wrestling is very big. I am in the process of getting the kids evolved more into freestyle and Greco Roman, but overall people are crazy for wrestling. Our travel schedule looks good. I cannot really comment on it, because it has to be approved first. Last year was my first year in the Southern Conference. The conference really opened my eyes; there are some great wrestlers and teams in this conference. We only get 13 qualifiers and had two All-Americans, and I think three or four guys lost in the all American round. Hopefully we will get more qualifiers. When you look at last year’s results, you see a team that won its 21st Southern Conference title – yet finished 30th at the NCAA tournament. What is the good and bad of both of those statistics, if there is such a thing? Bono: Well it was good we won the conference and had seven NCAA qualifiers, but we were better than 30th in the country. It was all a mindset. I think we only thought winning the conference was enough. That is not going to cut it. I want NCAA titles, individuals and team titles. It will be preached everyday, always working for the title. Can you explain what a typical day is like for a head coach at the DI level, and what it’s like for you at UTC? Bono: My typical day is anything but typical, which is great. Right now I have been spending much of my time in the office or on the road recruiting. We cannot do anything wrestling related right now, but the kids are always coming in my office, which is something I really enjoy. You come from a Big 12 powerhouse, you’ve wrestled in the best arenas and biggest matches in the sport of DI wrestling. You come from Iowa, where wrestling is everything. Now you are in Tennessee, where the state is not known for its wrestling. How can you raise interest levels in the community and region? Bono: The kids have to start wrestling year round. It would be nice to see Tennessee sending a big contingent to Fargo every year. We had five guys this year. I am hoping to change that. The kids are really good here, it just has to be preached to them how important it is to wrestle year round and develop the fundamental skills. That being said, UTC has some tradition – what can you tell us about the team that most fans outside the program do not know that they should know? Bono: UTC does have some tradition. We have won 21 Southern Conference titles, including last year. We have some outstanding wrestlers from the past including a list of All-Americans, and we have a very supportive booster group consisting of former UTC wrestlers. We are actually in the process of lining up a weekend where we can honor all of our All-Americans here. I know we have had eight All-Americans in DI, but we have a bunch more at the DII level. It will be nice to honor those guys and bring them back to Chattanooga, and let the team see what we have accomplished here in the past. We also have plans to bring back the Southern Open in 2007-2008. From what I understand, that tournament used to be awesome. I think we will just run a junior high/high school Southern Open until I can get some college teams to come in and run it side by side. What’s been the biggest adjustment going from assistant coach to head coach? Bono: The biggest adjustment from being an assistant coach to head coach is that I make the final decisions. I am grateful to Bobby Douglas because he put me in a bunch of situations throughout my days at Iowa State where he would make me make the tough decisions and report back to him. He eventually made the decisions, but helped throughout the process. Now it is up to me. Coach Douglas has really prepared me for this job, and I feel I am ready. You recruited at Iowa State, and at UTC. What’s the difference in recruiting at these schools? What do you have to sell differently to recruits about coming to UTC that you didn’t have to at ISU? Bono: There is not much difference in recruiting at Iowa State and Chattanooga. I still go see kids, call them and do all things it takes to get them. I think the major difference is location. I will still recruit Iowa, but I have to make sure I get every good kid in the South. I do not want to let anyone leave this area. I will also recruit the best possible kids in the whole country to fit my needs. Chattanooga is a beautiful city and the weather is great here year round. We have a lot to offer at UTC. Last year we became a regional training site as well. I am hoping we can secure some major USA wrestling events here in the future. Real Pro Wrestling will have a second season this fall – will you be a part of that? Bono: I would love to be a part of RPW in any way. Those guys have been great to us in the past and are doing good things for wrestling. I will do whatever it takes to support them because of what they are doing for our athletes and coaches. Talk about key wrestlers or recruits at UTC…who should we expect big things from next year or in the future? Bono: Some of the key guys for UTC right now are my two All-Americans, Matt Keller (133), and Michael Keefe (141). They are two different kids who work hard and are examples to everyone in the room. Matt Koz, a transfer from Minnesota, is someone I am expecting big things from, as well as Seth Garvin, a native of Alabama. 125 should be very interesting as well. Javier Maldonado, SoCon Champ at 125 last year, and Shawn Cordell, will battle there. Both guys are NCAA qualifiers. I expect big things from both of them. ©2006, The Wrestling Mall
UTC Tabs Bono as Head Wrestling Coach by Dick Kelly That "interim" tag next to Chris Bono's name can be removed. The former Iowa State national champion and three-time All-American Saturday was named head wrestling coach at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. "It just a release and an awesome feeling," said Bono, who had been serving as the Mocs' interim head coach since May. "This has been my goal since I entered the coaching profession." Bono, who won a national title for the Cyclones in 1996, served as an assistant to Bobby Douglas at ISU for nine seasons before joining Joe Seay's staff at UTC last fall. He had been serving as the school's interim head coach since May, when Seay was asked to resign by then interim athletic director Matt Pope. Bono had applied for the UTC head coaching position when it became vacant, but the position was given to Seay, who then added Bono to the staff. "We are excited to have Chris Bono as our head coach on a permanent basis," UTC Athletic Director Rick Hart told the Chattanooga Times Free Press. "We are appreciative of his leadership during the transition between coaches and between athletics directors." Bono, who was invited to go through the selection process after Seay's resignation, said his first order of business is to establish some continuity to the program. "I've been doing everything since May and have a schedule in order," Bono said. "Really, (the top priority) is recruiting. I've got to get the kids in and make sure we get recruiting in order and sign some kids in November." UTC won its 21st Southern Conference championship last season and finished 30th at the NCAA Division I national championships. Bono said the Mocs return a good nucleus from last season. Another priority is putting together a staff. Bono has discussed assistant coaching positions with several former ISU wrestlers, but said he has no firm commitments at this time. Bono said he wants to visit with Hart and Pope and make some determinations about what direction to take with regard to compiling a staff. "We'll meet in the next couple of weeks and find out where we're going to go with that," Bono said. Bono said he would like to establish a yearly meet with ISU, preferably on a home-and-home basis. "We're coming to UNI this year and have a home-and-home going with UNI," Bono said. "I'd absolutely love to get back there and wrestling Iowa State every year." The Mocs will wrestling UNI and Oregon State Jan. 7 in Cedar Falls. Former Iowa head coach Jim Zalesky is now the head coach at Oregon State. ©2006, Ames Tribune, Mid-Iowa Newspapers
Interim No More" Bono is UTC's Wrestling Coach by Ward Gossett, Chattanooga Times Free Press Chris Bono has been hired as wrestling coach at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The only holdover from Joe Seay's one-year stint in the position, Bono has been serving as the school's interim coach. "I have been preparing for this day," Bono said from Fargo, N.D., where he is scouting 2007 prospects at the U.S. Wrestling Federation senior nationals. "I have the schedule in order and I'm on top of recruiting. Right now everything is in preparation for the season." A former associate head coach at Iowa State, Bono applied for the job last year but it was given to Seay, who kept Steve Hamilton and added Sammie Henson and Bono to his staff. In May, however, Seay was asked to resign in May by then interim athletic director Matt Pope. "I had intended to finish my career in Chattanooga," said Seay, who was named Southern Conference coach of the year after the Mocs won the tournament and qualified seven for the NCAA tournament. "All I was ever told was that I had lost the confidence of the administration and some of the program's supporters." Bono didn't want to comment on the departure of Seay, Hamilton and Henson. "Last year is over," he said. "I have erased it from my mind. We're starting a new era, one in which we will graduate our student athletes and compete as hard as we can -- with integrity and honesty -- on the mat." He is the first hire by new UTC athletic director Rick Hart. "I'm happy to finally offer some stability to our wrestling program," Hart said. "Chris has certainly earned the right to be the head coach. I'm excited about him leading our program." Hart initiated the search process before he arrived to take over his official duties. "I wanted to provide that stability and continuity (to the program) as quickly as possible," he said. Hart comes from the University of Oklahoma, which has a rich wrestling history. "Wrestling is important," he said of UTC's program. "We have a great deal of tradition and success in the sport of wrestling and we hope that that can continue and be one of the factors that catapults us into the national spotlight." In order to make that happen, Bono will have to hire some assistant coaches. He has candidates in mind, but who and how many will join him is undecided. "I will have to sit down with Mr. Hart and Matt Pope and make that determination," Bono said. There will be at least two newcomers to the team. Josh Edmonson, a 184-pounder from Northern Idaho Community College, will compete for the spot vacated by the graduated John Davis. Bono didn't know if all the paperwork had been completed, so he wouldn't comment on the other new face, but Intermatwrestling.com has reported that Wisconsin's Seth Garvin, a four-time Alabama state champion, is transferring to UTC and will enter the mix at 165 pounds. ©2006, Times Free Press
Bono Named Head Wrestling Coach by Jeff Romero CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Former NCAA Wrestling Champion Chris Bono has been named Head Wrestling Coach at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Athletics Director Rick Hart announced Saturday. Bono, an assistant for the Mocs last season, held the title of interim head coach after the May 8 departure of former Head Coach Joe Seay. “This means the world to me,” Bono said. “It has been a goal of mine to become a head coach since I got into the coaching profession. I plan on leading the team and representing UTC with integrity. We will work hard and work toward a national championship. “I am extremely grateful to Rick Hart, the search committee and the University for this opportunity, and I will not let them down.” A member of the 2005-06 staff, Bono helped lead UTC to its 21st Southern Conference title and a 30th-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Although new to his position as Athletics Director, Hart was heavily involved in the national search for the head coach, and said that Bono was a perfect fit to direct the tradition-rich program. “We are excited to have Chris Bono as our head coach on a permanent basis,” Hart said. “We are appreciative of his leadership during the transition between coaches and between athletics directors. We look forward to Chris continuing the outstanding tradition of UTC wrestling, and we are confident that he and his program will represent the University and the City of Chattanooga with the utmost class and competitive spirit.” Bono joined the UTC staff in 2005 after serving nine years as a wrestling assistant coach at national-power Iowa State. He worked for Head Coach Bobby Douglas and was the Cyclones’ head assistant coach for the last five years. During Bono’s final year on the ISU staff, he helped direct the Cyclones to a 16-4 dual match record in 2004-05, a third-place finish in the Big 12 Conference and a sixth-place showing at the 2005 NCAA Championships. A native of Gilbert, Iowa, Bono holds many coaching and competitive honors. He was named the National Wrestling Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year in 2002 for his role in ISU’s success that season. The Cyclones compiled a 17-5 dual match record and were NCAA runner-ups with five wrestlers earning All-America status. Bono, who lettered at Iowa State from 1994-97, ranks fifth on the program’s all-time wins list with 130 victories. He won the NCAA 150-pound title as a junior. A four-time NCAA participant, he placed fifth at the Nationals as a sophomore and second as a senior. As a freshman, he placed eighth at the Big Eight Conference Championships. He wrestled to a Big Eight Conference runner-up finish his sophomore year, won the Big Eight title as a junior and was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the inaugural Big 12 Conference Championship in 1997. He registered a 41-11 record as a sophomore, went 37-4 as a junior and was 37-2 his senior season. Bono’s wrestling success did not come to a halt upon his graduation from Iowa State. During the summer of 2004 as a freestyle competitor, Bono defeated Doug Schwab, 5-4, to take third place at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2003, Bono won the 145.5-pound title at the U.S. Senior Freestyle National Championships in Las Vegas, qualifying for the World Team Trials in Indianapolis, Ind., where he was runner-up at that same weight. He was a U.S. World Cup team member, earning the gold medal at the 2003 World Cup Wrestling Championships in Boise, Idaho, and was a member of the national team at the 2003 Titan Games in San Jose, Calif. Bono's freestyle accomplishments in 2002 led to a U.S. Senior Freestyle No. 1 national ranking at 145.5 pounds and a spot on the U.S. World Team. He began the year with a first-place showing at the Dave Schultz Memorial in Colorado Springs, Colo., followed by a fourth-place finish at the Kiev Grand Prix in Kiev, Ukraine. He won a bronze medal at the Pan American Championships in Caracara, Venezuela, and placed third at the U.S. Freestyle National Championships in Las Vegas, earning a berth to the World Team Trials. At the 2002 World Team Trials, Bono swept through the mini-tournament beating Reggie Wright (Gator WC) of Colorado Springs, Colo., 3-1 and Schwab (Hawkeye WC) of Iowa City, Iowa, 3-2 to advance to the finals. In the 145.5-pound championship, Bono defeated Jamill Kelly (Gator WC) of Stillwater, Okla., 3-1 and 3-0, earning his second consecutive World Team Trials title. In a special wrestle-off for the 145.5-pound spot on the 2002 U.S. World Team, Bono defeated Bill Zadick (Hawkeye WC) of Iowa City, Iowa, two matches to one, 2-3, 3-1, 3-2 OT, to earn his second consecutive trip to the World Championships. The U.S. World Team, however, did not compete at the World Championships in Tehran, Iran. Bono also captured top honors at the 2004 NYAC Invitational with a victory in the finals over 2004 NCAA champion Jesse Jantzen, formerly of Harvard, and also earned a 66 kilogram title at the 20th annual Sunkist International Open with a win in the finals over former 2003 NCAA 149-pound champion and current Arizona State assistant coach Eric Larkin. Bono competed at the 2005 World Championships in September in Budapest, Hungary. At the 2005 World Team Trials, Bono, the number one seed, captured the title at 66 kilograms by defeating Jared Lawrence two matches to none. In May of 2006, Bono beat Japan’s Kohei Fujimoto (1-0, 2-0), Uzbekistan’s Muradollo Ablokulov (2-4, 1-0, 2-0) and Russia’s Jirair Oganesyan (1-1, 5-4) at the Independence Cup Grand Prix in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. He finished with the silver medal after losing 0-1, 2-1, 1-1 to Russia’s Andrey Sementsov on a takedown with 14 seconds left in the final period. Sementsov is the reigning Junior European champion. Bono earned his bachelor's degree in Exercise and Sports Science from Iowa State in 1997. He and his wife, Niki, have two daughters, Josie and Ellie. ©2006, The University of Tennesee at Chattanooga
Quotes from the champions at the U.S. Nationals by Erin Phillips, USA Wrestling MAT ONE
WM 48 kg Clarissa Chun
(I’ve been wrestling for six years)
GR 55 kg Lindsey Durlacher “They may say that that last point was cheap. I’m going hard the last 15 seconds. That’s hard wrestling. I don’t quit, I’m always trying to score a point.”
FS 66 kg—Chris Bono “I train hard. I want to win every time I step on the mat to show my training.” “This is what I train for. I didn’t panic. In the past I’d go crazy if I was losing I believe in my skills, I keep my focus, that’s the key.” “A one point lead is not safe. I’ve lost too many matches overseas with these new rules in the last few seconds. Against Zadick on the edge of the mat. I felt him relax and I scored.”
WM 51 kg Patricia Miranda “I feel I made definite steps to improvement . My goal is to just to dominate the national scene. There is a lot left undone on the international scene.”
GR 60 kg Joe Warren “I had a bad day. I started off a little rough my competition has made huge gains. They come hard at me. I own this weight class that’s the bottom line.” “I did a good job keeping my head and staying calm. I wanted a match in the finals I could be proud of.”
FS 74 kg Donny Pritzlaff
(On his wrestling and commitment to the freestyle team)
(On his strategy)
(On the importance of this win)
GR 74 kg T.C. Dantzler
(On his battles with Keith Sieracki)
(On the importance of the win)
(On his first win at Nationals)
(On his strategy) “Thank you to FILA for changing these rules. Without FILA none of this would be possible.”
FS 84 kg Mo Lawal
(On if he needs the gold at the Olympics to truly be Mo)
(On strategy coming in)
(On what the win means)
WM 72 kg Kristie Marano “I bumped up for Nationals so I can figure out where I fit and don’t fit. It was for Nationals, but also for experience outside of the U.S.”
(Why is she still wrestling)
(On women’s wrestling) “It’s good. It gave me some confidence to compete at this weight. I’m going to the World Cup and we’ll see from there.”
GR 96 kg Justin Ruiz
(On the new rules)
(On wrestling international)
(Strategy)
(On the win)
FS 120 kg Tolly Thompson
(On if the competition in this country is good enough to get him ready for the Worlds)
(On his Strategy)
(On what the win means) MAT TWO
WM 55 kg Sharon Jacobsen
(On winning)
GR 66 kg Marcel Cooper “I’m dedicating this tournament to my Mom. She passed away last year.”
(On his age in the sport) “Wrestling is my life. I’ve been doing it since I was five. And I’m a sore loser I guess. I’ve wanted to win as much as anyone else. I’ve put in a lot of hard work and it paid off.”
FS 55 kg Henry Cejudo
(Strategy)
(On winning)
WM 59 kg Sally Roberts
(On the importance of the win)
GR 84 kg Jacob Clark “To win the National tournament—it proves you can’t just sit there. I’ve been wrestling with out heavyweights and heavier guys. “I worked on my conditioning a lot. I’ve made it pretty far on poor conditioning.”
FS 60 kg Zach Roberson
(Importance of this win)
(Next step after this)
WM 67 kg Katie Downing
(On her strategy for the match)
(On the importance of her win)
GR 120 kg Dremiel Byers
(On his strategy)
(After his win)
(On the importance of this win)
FS 96 kg Daniel Cormier
(On his commitment to freestyle)
(On winning today) ©2006, USA Wrestling & TheMat.com
13 wrestlers hope to repeat after reaching finals of U.S. Nationals by Craig Sesker and Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling Las VEGAS – Thirteen returning champions will have an opportunity to hit the jackpot again as they will try to successfully defend their titles Saturday night in the finals of the U.S. National Championships. Zach Roberson of the Sunkist Kids is going to do everything in his power to prevent one wrestler from repeating. The fourth-seeded Roberson will try to knock off defending champion Michael Lightner of the Sunkist Kids in the freestyle finals at 132 pounds after upsetting top seed Mike Zadick of the Hawkeye Training Club 0-1, 1-0, 2-0 in Saturday morning’s semifinal round. “This is a very big win for me,” Roberson said. “He works real hard and I tried to wear him down a little bit. I just kept attacking the legs and was able to pull it out. He beat me last year in a close match at the World Team Trials. This is my first time in the finals in this tournament and I hope to keep it going in the finals.” The finals in men’s and women’s freestyle, and Greco-Roman are set for 6 o’clock Saturday night at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Six of the seven returning champions in freestyle – Lightner, Chris Bono (145.5), Joe Williams (163), Mo Lawal (185), Daniel Cormier (211.5) and Tolly Thompson (264.5) – can repeat Saturday night. Returning champions who are back in the finals in Greco-Roman include Joe Warren (132.25), Brad Vering (184), Justin Ruiz (211.5) and Dremiel Byers (264.5). Byers is a 2002 World champion and Ruiz won a World bronze medal in 2005. Returning champs who advanced to the women’s freestyle finals include Stephanie Murata (105.5), Sally Roberts (130) and Kristie Marano (158.5). Murata has dropped a class after winning this event at 112.25 last year. Marano has bumped up a division after winning at 147.5 last year in Las Vegas. Roberson, an NCAA champion for Iowa State, nearly squared off against his good buddy and fellow Cyclone national champion Nate Gallick in the finals. But the second-seeded Lightner came from behind to score on a late step out in the closing seconds to edge Gallick in a thrilling semifinal bout. Gallick won the first period, but Lightner stormed back to prevail. Unseeded veteran Mike Ellsworth of the New York Athletic Club upset No. 1 seed Glenn Garrison of the U.S. Army in the Greco-Roman semis at 145.5. High school phenom Henry Cejudo of the Sunkist Kids reached the freestyle finals at 121 pounds. The third-seeded Cejudo continues his rapid ascent up the ladder in the U.S. after downing No. 2 Luke Eustice of the Hawkeye Training Club. Lawal, who wrestles for the Gator Wrestling Club, halted the impressive run of upsets by unseeded Travis Pascoe of the Sunkist Kids. Lawal beat Pascoe 4-0, 4-0 in the freestyle semifinals at 84 kg/185 lbs. Pascoe knocked off two-time NCAA champion Chris Pendleton of the Gator Wrestling club 5-3, 4-4 in the first round before following with a 1-0, 1-0 quarterfinal win over No. 5 seed Aaron Simpson of the Sunkist Kids. The fourth-seeded Pendleton placed third at the World Team Trials last year. Top seed Tina George of the U.S. Army suffered a stunning upset loss in the first round at 121 lbs. when she was caught and pinned one minute into her match against Leigh Jaynes of the Gator Wrestling Club. George is a two-time World silver medalist. Another major upset came when defending U.S. Nationals champion Sam Hazewinkel of the Gator Wrestling Club suffered a 7-1, 1-2, 6-4 loss to Josh Habeck of the U.S. Army. Hazewinkel was the No. 2 seed in Greco-Roman at 121 lbs. Another first-round shocker came in freestyle at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. when unseeded J.D. Bergman of Ohio International upset No. 2 seed Sean Stender of the Sunkist Kids 1-0, 4-2. SEMIFINAL MATCH SUMMARIES MEN’S FREESTYLE At 121 pounds, top seed Matt Azevedo of the Sunkist Kids was never in danger in controlling Collin Cudd of the Badger Wrestling Club 1-0, 3-0. Azevedo moved up to the top seed after 2000 Olympic silver medalist Sammie Henson chose not to compete. Henson had been the No. 1 seed before pulling out of the event. In the other semifinal at 121, high school phenom and No. 3 seed Henry Cejudo of the Sunkist Kids used his aggressive, hard-charging style to pull out a gritty 2-2, 3-2 win over former NCAA runner-up and No. 2 seed Luke Eustice of the Hawkeye Training Club. Cejudo continues his rapid climb up the ladder in this class. At 132 pounds, No. 4 seed Zach Roberson of the Sunkist Kids shot in on a single in the third period and drove No. 1 Mike Zadick of the Hawkeye Training Club out of bounds for the decisive points in an upset win. The scrappy Zadick won the first period 1-0 before Roberson came back to win 1-0, 2-0. Defending champion Michael Lightner, the No. 2 seed, scored the winning point in the other semifinal at 132 after a step-out in the final seconds of the third period over No. 3 Nick Gallick of the Sunkist Kids. Lightner opened up and attacked the legs to win the second period 4-1 after dropping the first period 3-0 to Gallick, who won an NCAA title last month. At 145.5 pounds, defending champion and top seed Chris Bono of the Sunkist Kids regrouped after dropping the first period in a 2-2, 2-0, 2-0 win over No. 5 Doug Schwab of the Gator Wrestling Club. Schwab was unable to generate any offense in the final two periods against the stocky Bono, who is on a mission to win his first World medal this year. Former World Team member and No. 6 seed Bill Zadick followed his upset of No. 3 Eric Larkin by pulling out a tight 0-2, 1-1, 1-0 win over No. 2 seed Jared Lawrence in the other semifinal at 145.5. Zadick held off a late charge by Lawrence in the third period. At 163 pounds, World bronze medalist Joe Williams of the Sunkist Kids received an early wake-up call when he was turned repeatedly in dropping the first period 7-0 to long-time rival Joe Heskett of the Gator Wrestling Club. Williams came back with an assortment of strong leg attacks to win the final two periods 2-0 and 2-1. In the other semifinal at 163, No. 2 seed Donny Pritzlaff of the New York Athletic Club neutralized No. 3 Tyrone Lewis of the Gator Wrestling Club in a tight 0-1, 2-0, 2-0 win. Pritzlaff overcame a slow start to seize control in the final two periods. At 185 pounds, No. 1 Mo Lawal’s explosive abilities were on full display in a convincing 4-0, 4-0 victory over unseeded Travis Pascoe of the Sunkist Kids. Lawal, who competes for the Gator Wrestling Club, fired in on a textbook double-leg takedown and was the aggressor throughout the match. Pascoe had knocked off No. 4 seed Chris Pendleton and No. 5 seed Aaron Simpson to reach the semis. Also at 185, No. 2 Lee Fullhart of the Gator Wrestling Club won a bruising, physical battle with No. 3 Andy Hrovat of the New York Athletic Club by a 3-0, 2-0 score. Hrvoat was unable to generate much offense against the burly Fullhart, who traditionally is very hard to score on. At 211.5 pounds, No. 1 Daniel Cormier of the Gator Wrestling Club showed little rust from not competing much this season by scoring a 3-0, 2-0 win over No. 4 seed Damion Hahn. Cormier took control early with his superior athleticism and power, getting to Hahn’s legs with his attacking style. Also at 211.5, No. 3 seed Nik Fekete of the New York Athletic Club continues to climb the ladder by outlasting unseeded J.D. Bergman of the Ohio International Wrestling Club 4-1, 2-2, 2-0 in three periods. Bergman earlier knocked off No. 2 seed Sean Stender of the Sunkist Kids in the first round. At 264.5 pounds, top seed and World bronze medalist Tolly Thompson of the Sunkist Kids shot in for a takedown in the first 15 seconds en route to a win over No. 4 Mike Irving of the Gator Wrestling Club. Thompson barreled in on a single-leg shot late in the first period to build a 3-0 edge. Thompson powered in again on a leg attack early in the second period to go up 1-0. Thompson then countered a shot attempt and threw Irving to his back to gain a pin. No. 2 seed Steve Mocco of the New York Athletic Club defeated No. 3 Tommy Rowlands of the Sunkist Kids in the other 264.5 semifinal. It was a rematch of the 2002 NCAA finals, won by Rowlands. The first two minutes were scoreless before Rowlands wins the coin flip and the period after driving Mocco out of bounds with the single he received in the leg clinch. Mocco countered a shot by Rowlands, turned and launches him for a four-point throw to win the second period 4-0. Mocco was called for stepping out of bounds with 30 seconds left, but after reviewing the tape, it was determined Rowlands stepped out. The only point of the third period decided the outcome. ©2006, USA Wrestling & TheMat.com
U.S. Nationals preview at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. in men's freestyle wrestling by Craig Sesker, USA Wrestling Chris Bono is tired of making World teams and then returning home from the big dance without a medal. So the 32-year-old Bono is planning to do something about it this year. The veteran remains the No. 1 American wrestler in the 66 kg/145.5 lbs. freestyle division entering the U.S. Nationals. And he is focused on becoming a medalist in a World or Olympic meet for the first time. The gritty, scrappy former NCAA champion from Iowa State has made World teams in 2001, 2002 and 2005. Bono, who competes for the Sunkist Kids, won the U.S. Nationals in 2003 and 2005. He won the 2003 World Cup, and he has beaten World champions and medalists, but continues to fall short at the World Championships. Bono was a long-time assistant coach at Iowa State and had trained in Ames, Iowa, before he joined former Olympic coach Joe Seay this year on the staff at Tennessee-Chattanooga. Olympic silver medalist Sammie Henson also is on that coaching staff. Henson also continues to compete internationally at 55 kg/121 pounds. Bono earned the World team spot last year by sweeping Jared Lawrence of the Minnesota Storm in the best-of-three final round at the Trials. Bono won the Dave Schultz Memorial in February and followed that performance by placing second at the Uzbekistan Independence Cup Golden Grand Prix on March 11-12. Lawrence continues to be ranked second by TheMat.com, followed by Eric Larkin of the Sunkist Kids, Jared Frayer of the Gator Wrestling Club and Jesse Jantzen of the New York Athletic Club. With a wealth of talent and experience at this weight class, the 145-pound division continues to be one of the deepest on the U.S. scene. Lawrence won a pair of tournaments in November – the Clansman International in Canada and the New York Athletic Club Holiday Championships – before placing third in the Uzbekistan Independence Cup. The former NCAA champion from Minnesota was second at the 2004 Olympic Trials. Larkin won the Sunkist Kids Open and was second at the Dave Schultz Memorial, falling to Bono in the finals. Frayer was third at the Schultz, dropping a close bout to Larkin in that event. Larkin has placed third at the last two Olympic Trials, an indication that his freestyle skills are at a high level. Jantzen won the University World title to gain momentum for this season. He is one of only five Americans to ever win that event. He has been injured this year, but may be back in time for the U.S. Nationals. A trio of former Iowa Hawkeye NCAA champs – Cliff Moore, Doug Schwab and Bill Zadick - hold down the 6-8 spots in this class. Moore competes for the Hawkeye Training Club while Schwab and Zadick are with the Gator Wrestling Club. Zadick placed seventh at the 2001 World Championships. He won the 2001 and 2002 U.S. Nationals. He now trains at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Schwab was named outstanding wrestler in the inaugural season of Real Pro Wrestling after winning a championship. Moore was second at the Sunkist Kids Open, falling to Larkin in the finals. He also was third at the NYAC meet. Phillip Simpson of the U.S. Army is ranked ninth and JaMarr Billman of the New York Athletic Club is 10th. Simpson was a college star at Army and is now training in Colorado Springs as he makes the transition to freestyle. A number of other wrestlers who excelled in recent years in college may be back after competing in this class last year. They include Dylan Long, Cory Cooperman, Dwight Hinson, Ryan Lang, Jeff Ratliff, Joe Johnston and Dustin Hinschberger. Long (Northern Iowa) and Johnston (Iowa) have placed second at the NCAAs during their college careers. Hinschberger was a Division III national champion for Wartburg College. Lehigh’s Cooperman beat Northwestern’s Lang in the third-place match at 141 at this year’s NCAA meet. Long recently won the Rocky Mountain regional title, beating Garrett Desmond by technical fall in the finals. Ratliff placed third. Another possibility in this class could be Minnesota true freshman Dustin Schlatter, who just captured his first NCAA title at 149. Schlatter, however, also is still eligible to compete for a spot on the Junior World team, and may test that level instead. Jerrod Sanders is another guy who could be a factor after placing eighth in Vegas last year. There is very little separation between the top competitors in this loaded and very deep division. Most of the matches in this class are relatively low scoring. A mistake here or an early takedown there could be the difference in a wide-open bracket where any number of guys can contend for a title. There likely will be a bit of urgency for a veteran like Bono since he’s now the elder statesmen at 145.5 pounds.
2005 U.S. NATIONALS RESULTS
THEMAT.COM RANKINGS FOR MARCH 2006 ©2006, USA Wrestling & TheMat.com
Henson, Lawal win Uzbekistan Golden Grand Prix titles, as five U.S. freestyle wrestlers win medals
by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling The U.S. men’s freestyle team had a strong effort on the first day of the Uzbekistan Independence Cup Grand Prix in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, March 11, winning five medals in the four weight classes contested. This is one of the FILA Golden Grand Prix events, where prize money is awarded based upon placement. Winning gold medals for the United States were Sammie Henson (Flintstone, Ga./Sunkist Kids) at 55 kg/121 lbs. and Mo Lawal (Colorado Springs, Colo./Gator WC) at 84 kg/185 lbs. Both defeated the reigning World champions in their weight classes in the gold-medal finals. “Lawal beat three past medalists. Henson beat a two-time World champion. We won five medals. I am looking forward to the next day,” said National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson. Henson opened the tournament by beating a fierce rival, 2000 Olympic champion Namik Abduallaev of Uzbekistan, 1-2, 2-1, 5-1. Abduallaev beat Henson in the gold-medal match at the 2000 Olympic Games. Henson won his next two matches to qualify for the finals, stopping Alymbaev Altynbek of Kazakhstan, then beating 1999 World silver medalist Adham Achilov of Uzbekistan, 6-0, 1-0. In the gold-medal finals, Henson beat 2003 and 2005 World champion Dilshod Mansurov of Uzbekistan, 0-1, 1-0, 6-0. Henson was a 1998 World champion and 2000 Olympic silver medalist. He was a member of the 2005 U.S. World team. Lawal won three matches, all against high-quality opponents. In the first match, Lawal beat 2003 World silver medalist Mourad Gaidarov of Belarus, 1-0, 2-0. His semifinal victory was against 2005 World bronze medalist Taras Danko of Ukraine, 1-1, 1-0, 1-0. In the gold-medal finals, he defeated 2005 World champion Revas Mindorishvili of Georgia, 1-0, 1-0. Winning a silver medal for the United States was three-time U.S. World team member Chris Bono (Ringgold, Ga./Sunkist Kids). Bono won his first three matches of the day, stopping Kohei Fujimoto of Japan, 1-0, 2-0, Muradollo Ablokulov of Uzbekistan, 2-4, 1-0, 2-0 and Jirair Oganesyan of Russia, 1-1, 5-4. In the championship finals, Bono lost to 2005 Junior European champion Andrey Sementsov of Russia, 0-1, 2-1, 1-1. Sementsov took down Bono with 14 seconds left in the final period, to win the match. Claiming bronze medals were Jared Lawrence (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Storm) at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. and 2005 World bronze medalist Tolly Thompson, Cedar Falls, Iowa (Sunkist Kids) at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. Lawrence opened up with a loss to eventual champion Andrey Sementsov of Russia, 1-1, 0-1. When Sementsov made the finals, Lawrence was drawn back into the wrestlebacks, where he won three straight matches to capture the bronze. He opened with a victory over Elman Asgarov of Azerbaijan, 6-0, 2-0 then beat Ruslan Kuliev of Kazakhstan, 2-0, 6-0. In the bronze medal match, Lawrence stopped Arslan Khutaliev of Uzbekistan, 0-1, 1-0, 2-0. Thompson also lost his first match, falling to Alex Modebadze of Georgia, 6-0, 1-1, 0-1. When Modebadze made the finals, Thompson was brought back into the wrestlebacks. He pinned Magomed Bugunov of Kyrgyzstan in 3:05 to reach the bronze-medal bout, where he beat Marid Mutalimov of Kazakhstan, 3-0, 2-1. Mutalimov was fourth in the 2004 Olympic Games. Three U.S. wrestlers will see action on Sunday: 2005 U.S. World team member Michael Lightner (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) and Mike Zadick, Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye TC) both at 60 kg/132 lbs., plus two-time World bronze medalist Joe Williams (Ames, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) at 74 kg/163 lbs One U.S. wrestler missed weight and will not compete on Sunday, 2004 Olympian Daniel Cormier (Stillwater, Okla./Gator WC) at 96 kg/211.5 lbs.
UZBEKISTAN INDEPENDENCE CUP GOLDEN GRAND PRIX U.S. performances
55 kg/121 lbs. - Sammie Henson, Flintstone, Ga. (Sunkist Kids), 1st
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Chris Bono, Ringgold, Ga. (Sunkist Kids), 2nd
66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Jared Lawrence, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm), 3rd |