Seth Gross (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin head wrestling coach Chris Bono announced on Thursday that former Badger wrestler and NCAA champion Seth Gross would be joining his coaching staff for the 2020-21 season.
"I am very excited to have Seth Gross on staff," said Bono. "He brings a wealth of wrestling knowledge and is well respected throughout the country. He is very familiar with Coach Reader and myself and loves Madison. He is the definition of hustle, effort, and attitude."
Gross will begin his coaching career with the Badgers while still training for the 2021 Olympic games.
"I am beyond grateful that I get kick of my coaching career at such an amazing university," Gross added. "Coaching is something I have always been passionate about and I am looking forward to helping our guys reach their goals both on and off the wrestling mat."
Gross is very familiar with Bono and associate head coach Jon Reader. The duo recruited him to South Dakota State as a transfer in 2015. As a redshirt freshman, Gross went 27-13 and competed at the NCAA championship for the Jackrabbits. Moving onto his sophomore year, Gross was never ranked below seventh in the country at 133 pounds and earned a second-place finish at the 2017 NCAA Championships.
Seth Gross Photo Gallery | Seth Gross: My Words
In his junior season at South Dakota State, Gross was the top-ranked wrestler in his weight class for the entire season. He took his 29-1 record to the NCAA championship and claimed the 133-pound title over Michigan's Steven Micic.
The following year, Bono and Reader left South Dakota State to take over the Wisconsin program while Gross wrestled one match before he was ruled out for the rest of the season with a back injury.
Following back surgery, Gross was granted a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA and transferred to Wisconsin.
In his time in a Badger singlet, Gross earned Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors after winning his weight class at the 2019 Midlands Championship and earning Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament in December. Gross never fell below second in the national rankings at 133 pounds with key victories over Penn State's Roman Bravo-Young, Northwestern's Sebastian Rivera, and two victories over Iowa's Austin DeSanto.
Gross finished his collegiate wrestling career with a third-place finish at the 2020 Big Ten Championship and qualified for the NCAA championship, which were not held due to COVID19.
In freestyle wrestling, Gross won the Bill Farrell Open in November, earning him an automatic spot at the USA Olympic Team Trials and USA Wrestling's Wrestler of the Week honors. Gross will look to compete for a spot on Team USA's 2021 Olympic wrestling team at 57 kilograms.
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