By DAN McCOOL
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
Ames, Ia. – Chris Bono won wrestling matches in Hilton Coliseum competing for Iowa State, but nothing quite as big as Sunday’s bout.
With family and fans wearing “Chris Bono Wrestling “T-shirts and cheering his every move, Bono beat Jared Lawrence of Minneapolis in two matches to win the 1451/2-pound spot on the U.S. freestyle team for the World Championships.
Bono, an assistant coach at Iowa State, earned his third berth on the world team by winning his first significant championship at home.
“Man, it just doesn’t get any better than this for me, “said the 31-year-old Bono, a father of two. “This school, this university has given so much to me. To do it here in front of these guys, my fans, my boosters . . . to do this on Father’s Day for my old man (Ernie Bono), it’s just indescribable.”
The seven team members in each of the three styles – freestyle, Greco-Roman and women’s – will compete in the World Championships Sept. 26-Oct. 2 in Budapest, Hungary.
Among those joining Bono in Budapest are former Iowa State wrestler Harry Lester in Greco-Roman at 1451/2, Joe Williams of Ames in freestyle at 163 pounds, former Northern Iowa assistant coach Brad Vering at 185 pounds in Greco-Roman and Northern Iowa assistant coach Tolly Thompson at heavyweight in freestyle.
Lester and Thompson qualified for the world team for the first time.
Lee Fullhart, a state champion at Decorah and NCAA champion at Iowa, was denied a spot on a world or Olympic team for the fourth consecutive year Sunday. Mo Lawal of Stillwater, Okla., beat Fullhart twice for the 185-pound freestyle spot.
Bono had two reasons to succeed – daughters Josie, 4, and Ellie, 2.
“Dad’s not home a lot when he’s training, “Bono said. “I want my girls to be proud of me.”
Williams, a three-time NCAA champion at Iowa, earned his fifth spot on a freestyle world team with successive 163-pound victories over former Boise State wrestler Kirk White of Tacoma, Wash., Sunday.
Williams, who is facing a charge of indecent exposure in Johnson County, did not surrender a point in any of the four 2-minute periods.
After the tournament, Williams said he will not talk to reporters for the remainder of his career.
“Joe Williams declines to speak to any media, “USA Wrestling spokesman John Fuller said.
Vering said the recent change in Greco-Roman rules that reinstated mat wrestling gave him two challenges.
“The challenge can be from the other guy, he might be throwing something different at me, “he said. “You’re building game plans, trying to find advantages in the rules and that’s hard to do.”
Vering said he heard the current rules should be in place for the world tournament.
“We’ve got four months to get used to these, “Vering said. “Hopefully that’s enough time to bring home a medal from Budapest.”
Thompson said his matches with Steve Mocco, the former NCAA champion at Iowa, came down to a matter of toughness. Many of the points were earned by pushing each other off the mat.
“I had to overcome some odds to win that dang match, “said Thompson, who gave up a three-point move in losing the first 2-minute period of the second contest with Mocco. “My body has changed over the last 3-4 years. I’ve gotten a little leaner, a little bit stronger over time. I think that really plays into the part.”
Thompson won the National Open championship in 1998, but a knee injury spoiled his chance at making the world team that year.
The only weight where the world team member was not determined was in the women’s division at 121 pounds, where national champion Tina George was injured and extended her best-of-three series against Sunday’s winner, Marcie Van Dusen, until a later date.
The four-session, two-day tournament drew a total of 7,081 fans. USA Wrestling’s John Fuller said the total attendance was the smallest for the World Team Trials and the Olympic Trials since the 2002 World Team Trials drew a total crowd of 4,583 in St. Paul, Minn.
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