Bono, Schwab among three finalists for UNI job

The search for a new wrestling coach at the University of Northern Iowa moved into the next stage when the school released a list of finalists for the position Friday night.

UNI announced that University of Iowa assistant coach Doug Schwab, Iowa State University assistant Chris Bono and SUNY-Binghamton head coach Pat Popolizio are the three candidates to take over the Panthers program.

UNI fired Brad Penrith on April 7 after 10 years as the Panthers head coach. Interest for the position was wide spread and athletics director Troy Dannen likes the candidates.

“The three finalists each bring a unique set of experiences and background.” Dannen said. “I was very pleased with the depth of the pool and the quality of the finalists. We are eager to have the candidates visit campus, meet our student-athletes and present their vision for the future of Panther wrestling.”

Interviews will take place over the next week. Schwab is scheduled to interview Tuesday. Bono gets his shot Thursday with Popolizio interviewing the following day. The hiring is expected to be done by mid-May.

Schwab, an Osage native and three-time All-American and 1999 NCAA Champion for Iowa, has served as a Hawkeye assistant the last four years for head coach Tom Brands. Iowa has won the last three Big Ten and NCAA titles. He was also a member of the Virginia Tech coaching staff before his return to Iowa City.

Bono, a three-time All-American and 1996 NCAA champ for Iowa State, is in his second term as a Cyclone assistant. He just completed his first year as an assistant to Iowa State head coach Kevin Jackson, following three seasons (2007-2009) as the head coach at UT-Chattanooga. Before his time leading the Mocs, he was an Cyclone assistant for Bobby Douglas.

Popolizio has been the SUNY-Binghamton head coach for four seasons. He led the Bearcats to the Colonial Athletic Association title and a tie for 21st at the NCAA Championships this season, coaching an All-American for the second straight season. During his time at Binghamton, which jumped from Division III to Division I in the late 1990's and was almost eliminated in 2003 has coached 10 NCAA qualifiers and two All-Americans.

Here is the news release in its entirity:

University of Northern Iowa Director of Athletics Troy Dannen announced the three finalists for the Panthers' head wrestling coach vacancy.

Chris Bono, Pat Popolizio and Doug Schwab will interview at UNI next week.

“The three finalists each bring a unique set of experiences and background.” Dannen said. “I was very pleased with the depth of the pool and the quality of the finalists. We are eager to have the candidates visit campus, meet our student-athletes and present their vision for the future of Panther wrestling.”

Bono, who will interview on Thursday, is an assistant coach at Iowa State University. He is in his second stint as a Cyclone assistant after serving as the head coach at Tennessee-Chattanooga from May 2006 to July 2009. Bono was a three-time All-American at Iowa State, winning 130 matches from 1994-97, including the NCAA 150-pound championship in 1996.

Popolizio, who will interview on Friday, is the head coach at Binghamton University, where he has served in that capacity since 2006. The Binghamton wrestling program had been terminated in 2003 and since Popolizio took over his teams have produced 10 NCAA qualifiers and two All-Americans. In 2010, Binghamton won the CAA title and placed 21st at the NCAA Championships. Popolizio was a three-time NCAA qualifier (1997, 1998, 2002) and four-time academic all-Big XII honoree at Oklahoma State University.

Schwab, who will interview on Tuesday, is currently an assistant coach for three-time defending NCAA champion Iowa Hawkeyes. Schwab was a three-time All-American and Big Ten champion for the Hawkeyes from 1998-2001. The Osage, Iowa, native won the 1999 NCAA title at 141 pounds and finished his collegiate career with 130 wins, which ranks 10th-best in school history.