University of Wisconsin-Madison Wrestling

Hustle. Effort. Attitude. Wisconsin wrestling head coach Chris Bono continues to raise the standard for the Badgers each season. Hired as the 16th head coach...

Billy Breider joined the Wisconsin Strength & Conditioning staff in January of 2013 and currently serves as the Associate Director of Olympic Strength & Conditioning. Billy works directly with the Badgers' wrestling and the men's and women's swimming programs, while also managing day to day operations for the Badgers’ Olympic Strength and Conditioning department. Billy completed his undergraduate degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Strength & Conditioning at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and completed his graduate studies in Applied Sports Science at the University of Minnesota. Prior to Wisconsin, he completed internships at UW-Oshkosh, Wisconsin and Minnesota, working with all Olympic sports, as well as worked within multiple private facilities. Breider strives to be a lifelong learner and has attained many certifications including the NSCA RSCC*d, CSCS, PRI Postural Respiration, Functional Movement Systems Level 1 & 2, FMS Screening and Assessing Breathing, FMS Functional Capacity Screen, Functional Range Conditioning, Bioforce Certified Conditioning Coach, The Hip and Shoulder Blueprint, NASM Integrated Flexibility, Holistic Fitness Practical Yoga, EXOS Tactical Training, Primal Kettlebell, Thibadeau’s Ballistic Management Hypertrophy and Neurotyping Level 1 & 2, Comprehensive Recovery Strategies, Pure Power Integrated Rotation Training, The Ankle: Biomechanical Marvel, Squats: From Essential to Exceptional, The Knee: Top Trends in Training, The Shoulder: New

Dr. David Lacocque was hired as Director of Mental Health & Sport Psychology in December 2021. Lacocque oversees the delivery of mental health and sport psychology services provided to student-athletes. In this position, Dr. Lacocque provides psychological services (evaluation, treatment and education) to student-athletes and counseling, consultation, and educational outreach services to student-athletes, coaches, athletic trainers, academic, student development and other athletics staff in a collaborative effort to enhance the personal, academic, and athletic success of the University of Wisconsin - Madison student-athletes. Additionally, he is responsible for the development and implementation of philosophies, policies, and procedures of counseling and sport psychology service operations for student-athletes. Before joining the Badgers, Dr. Lacocque earned his doctoral degree in Chicago, IL from the Illinois School of Psychology. Since earning his degree in clinical psychology in 2001, Dr. Lacocque's professional activities have included 14 years as Senior Psychologist at UW-Madison's University Health Services, providing clinical supervision to pre-license clinicians, maintaining a private psychotherapy practice, serving as Peak Performance Specialist for Madison Futsal, and teaching a range of graduate and undergraduate courses in UW-Madison's School of Social Work, and Departments of Psychology and Counseling Psychology. A collegiate soccer player, Dr. Lacocque earned hi

A well-respected alumnus of the team with deep roots in the state of Wisconsin, former Badger wrestler Garrett Model joined the Wisconsin staff as a coach in 2023. Model coaches the Wisconsin Regional Training Center (WRTC), the region’s USA Wrestling sanctioned organization, and also works with the Badgers’ middleweights. As a member of the UW coaching staff, Model helped qualify five Badgers to the 2024 NCAA Championships and saw former teammate Eric Barnett earn his third NCAA All-America honor. Model wrestled for the Badgers for the past six seasons (2017-2023) and was a favorite of Wisconsin wrestling fans for his gritty and tough style. A dedicated starter at 157 pounds, Model ended his career on the mat as a two-time NCAA automatic qualifier and earned 70 career victories, including a 17-11 record in his final season. The multi-year team captain also earned 2023 Academic All-Big Ten honors and was a 2023 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar after earning a 4.0 GPA while working to complete his master’s degree in Sports Leadership. Model previously graduated from UW with a bachelor’s degree in rehabilitative psychology in 2022. Model is a native of the nearby community of Stoughton, Wisconsin and was a state champion for Stoughton’s powerhouse wrestling program, while also competing in cross country and track and field prior to wrestling collegiately for the Badgers.

Badgers Sports Medicine staff since: 2009 Professional credentials: MS, LAT, ATC, PT NPI: 1689065518 Previous Professional Experience: 2005-2009, Head Athlet...

Reader's Honors 2008 All-American (7th place) 2009 All-American (4th place) Pan-American Silver Medalist 2010 U.S. University World Team Member 2011 NCAA Cha...

Tony Cassioppi joined the Wisconsin wrestling coaching staff in 2024 as an assistant coach. A four-time All-American heavyweight at Iowa and an Under-23 Worl...