Wisconsin Adds 3x NCAA All-American Tony Cassioppi to Staff

The University of Wisconsin announced their new coaching hire today as they will add 3x NCAA All-American Tony Cassioppi to the staff. Chris Bono’s staff had an opening after Seth Gross opted to focus on coaching at the Wisconsin RTC. 

Cassioppi was a four-year starter for the Iowa Hawkeyes at 285 lbs from 2020-23. As a redshirt freshman, Cassioppi was named a first-team All-American by the NWCA after the national tournament was canceled at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

For the remainder of his career, Cassioppi was a top contender for the Hawkeyes. In 2020-21, Cassioppi got on the NCAA podium for the first time, placing third and helping Iowa to a team title. He would take seventh the following season and fourth in 2023. Cassioppi never finished lower than third at the Big Ten Championships - hitting that mark on three occasions and making the finals in 2022.

Cassioppi was initially eligible to compete during the 2023-24 campaign, but lost that year of eligibility during the Iowa sports gambling probe. 

In addition to his collegiate success, Cassioppi has been excellent on the freestyle scene. Prior to the 2021-22 college season, Cassioppi went to the U23 World Championships and won gold. A year later, he came back from Spain with a bronze medal. 

Though he competed at heavyweight during his entire career at Iowa, Cassioppi slimmed down as his career progressed. That was evident as he’s competed at 97 kg recently. Cassioppi was at that weight for the 2024 Olympic Team Trials and earned his spot there with a fifth-place showing at 2023 Senior Nationals. 

Getting an upperweight coach sounds like a good idea for the Badgers as they have signed #12 Dillan Johnson (Joliet West, Illinois). Johnson was an Ironman champion and a Fargo Junior freestyle runner-up in 2022. He has committed to wrestling and playing football at Wisconsin. Bono’s staff has also signed a pair of upperweight prospects (Wyatt Ingham/WI and Matty Jens/IL) who finished their high school career amongst the top-250 recruits in the nation.