Wisconsin Badgers

Jon Reader has been a part of the rebuilding process at Wisconsin, joining the Badgers in April of 2018. In his two years at Wisconsin, Reader has helped coach six All-Americans and 12 NCAA qualifiers.

"The University of Wisconsin is first class on every level. If you are looking to have the best student athlete experience and be the best version of yourself academically, athletically and socially, without a doubt Wisconsin is the place!"

Rebuilding a program at SDSU
Reader previously served as an assistant coach at South Dakota State for four years and played an integral part in the Jackrabbits’ success, coaching 20 national qualifiers, five All-Americans and a national champion.

Reader was part of a Jackrabbit wrestling coaching staff that guided a Division I era-best seven wrestlers to the NCAA Championships during the 2017-18 season. Of the seven qualifiers, a program-best three wrestlers earned All-America honors, including 133-pound national champion Seth Gross. The 2017-18 squad posted a 14-2 overall dual record, winning a school-record 14 consecutive duals that included an 8-0 mark against Big 12 foes.

Previously, Reader helped mentor five NCAA qualifiers during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. In 2017, Gross (runner-up) and 149-pounder Alex Kocer (eighth place) became the first SDSU wrestlers in the D1 era to earn All-America honors. During his
first season on the Jackrabbit coaching staff, Reader helped direct SDSU to its first winning dual season in nine years with an 11-8 record.

Coaching career begins
Reader had a two-year stint as a volunteer coach at his alma mater, Iowa State. In his time at ISU, he coached three All-Americans and saw the Cyclones place 11th at the 2013 NCAA Championships. He also played a key role in fundraising for
the Cyclone Wrestling Club and coordinated summer camps.

National champion at ISU
A three-time All-American and four-time NCAA qualifier for Iowa State (2008, 09, 11), he became an NCAA champion in 2011
at 174 pounds. During his championship run, Reader went a perfect 39-0 and held the No. 1 ranking in every major poll for the entire year. Of his 39 wins that year, 27 came by bonus points.

Reader also earned All-America honors in 2008 with a seventh-place finish and in 2009, when he placed fourth. He compiled a 124-23 career record, good for the 18th-best win percentage in Iowa State’s 100-Win Club. His 124 career victories are tied for ninth all-time at ISU. The Cyclones also finished among the top-20 teams at the NCAA meet all four seasons, including top-five finishes three times.

Reader was also a mainstay on the international circuit as he was a member of the University World Team in both 2010 and 2012, and represented the U.S. at the 2012 University World Championship in Kuortane, Finland. Reader also won the 2012 Hari Ram Grand Prix gold medal at 84 kg. He also competed in the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 86-kilogram weight class  and was a Pan-American Silver Medalist in 2009.

Off the mat
The Davison, Michigan, native received his business management degree from Iowa State in 2011.  He resides in Sun Prairie with his wife, Ashley, daughter Aubree (4) and son Johnny (2).