NCAA champion and three-time All-American Seth Gross joined the Badger wrestling staff in June of 2020.
Currently balancing coaching the Badgers while training for international and Olympic competition, Gross has successfully transitioned to helping lead the Badgers with the dynamic coaching team of Chris Bono and Jon Reader.
Gross is no stranger to Bono and Reader as the duo recruited him to South Dakota State as a transfer in 2015. Gross compiled a 26-14 record as a redshirt freshman at 141 pounds and wrestled at the NCAA championship for the Jackrabbits. As a sophomore, Gross was never ranked below seventh in the country at 133 pounds with a 34-2 overall record. He won his first Big 12 Championship, the first Jackrabbit wrestler ever to do so, and finished second in the country at the 2017 NCAA Championships.
Gross was the top-ranked wrestler in his weight class for the entire season as a redshirt junior at South Dakota State. He earned an impressive 29-1 overall record, won his second Big 12 title, and claimed the 133-pound NCAA Championships title over Michigan's Steven Micic.
Due to a back injury, Gross did not wrestle as a senior and following surgery, he was granted a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA and transferred to Wisconsin. As a Badger, Gross earned Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors after winning his weight class at the 2019 Midlands Championship. He finished his collegiate wrestling career (27-2) with a third-place finish at the 2020 Big Ten Championships and qualified for the NCAA Championships, which were not held due to the global COVID pandemic. He was named a first-team All-American by the National Wrestling Coaches Association.
Gross competed in both the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Trials and the 2021 World Team Trials in 61 kg men’s freestyle. He is married to Ronna Heaton Gross, who also competed in the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials and has won numerous folkstyle national titles.
Wrestling Honors & Awards
- 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Trials (61 kg men's freestyle)
- 2021 USA Wrestling World Team Trials (61 kg men's freestyle)
- 2018 NCAA Champion (1st Place, 133 pounds)
- 2017 NCAA Runner-Up (2nd Place, 133 pounds)
- Three NCAA All-American (2017, 2018, 2020)
