Tennessee-Chattanooga wrestling coach Chris Bono said he considers today’s double-dual against Oregon State and Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls to be a homecoming.
Bono was named head coach July 29. This is his second season with the Mocs. He was an assistant coach for nine seasons at Iowa State, where he won an NCAA 150-pound championship in 1996.
“It does feel like I’m coming back home, “Bono said. “I’ve been talking to my team about how it’s going to be fun to go back to Iowa and wrestle. I’ve got about 50 Iowa State fans who are coming to the matches.”
Bono said he’s trying to instill to his wrestlers the same mentality he used to win 130 matches for the Cyclones: score as many points as possible and never let conditioning play a factor.
“We’re in shape, that’s what we’ve got going for us, “Bono said. “I don’t know how much talent we have, but we’re in shape and we’re going to go out and fight.”
Northern Iowa coach Brad Penrith hopes to see measured improvement from his team today.
He’d like to see a carryover of the second day of the Midlands Open, when the Panthers had a solid showing. Penrith does not like that his team has scored one pin since the UNI Open on Dec. 3.
“We’ve got to be ready to go and be sharp, “Penrith said. “We need to do the right things and be in the right frame of mind.”
Penrith said he’s emphasized the need to finish when opponents are able to be pinned.
“If we have a kid on his back, we’ve got to get meaner and squeeze, “Penrith said. “Bonus points and getting some upsets is how we’re going to win these duals.”
– Dan McCool
Wrestling Gear
