Michael Caliendo has adjusted to wrestling at Iowa.

Not that it was a big change, he said, but he’s more comfortable.

Caliendo, a sophomore at 165 pounds, is 18-1 this season after transferring from North Dakota State. He is ranked sixth nationally heading into the #2 Hawkeyes’ dual against #13 Michigan on Friday.

Coming into a new program, though, wasn’t a problem for Caliendo.

“Just getting excited to learn from different coaches, different partners,” Caliendo said Tuesday. “Not much of an adjustment, really.”

Still, there were some things Caliendo had to adapt to coming from North Dakota State. It was still Division I wrestling with the Hawkeyes, just with more attention and a bigger fan base.

“When you’ve got the Iowa singlet on, everybody’s coming at you,” Caliendo said. “We’re one of the best teams in the country, if not the best team. Everyone’s coming at you and everyone … they know who you are. They’re trying to stay away, not trying to get beat as bad for dual team points. Sometimes it’s harder to open up your opponents, but that’s really all.”

Caliendo’s lone loss this season was to Iowa State’s David Carr in the November 26 dual in Ames. He has won 11 consecutive matches since then, including three by major decision and four by technical fall.

Caliendo, an All-American at North Dakota State last season after finishing seventh in the NCAA Championships, was joined by teammate Jared Franek in transferring to Iowa. Franek, at 157, is also 18-1.

“We wanted to go somewhere together, and we made the decision on the same day,” Caliendo said. “He might have posted his (commitment) a couple of minutes before mine, but yeah, we were on the phone right after that saying, yeah, we were going to Iowa.”

“He's an All-American,” Iowa coach Tom Brands said. “He believes in himself. I think he's more and more and more comfortable being a Hawkeye. You know, Franek, I think, fit in right away. Caliendo maybe took a little bit, but he's definitely, as you say, finding his stride in more ways than one. And we love him.”

“I said before — everyone wants to come to Iowa,” said Caliendo, who was recruited by Iowa out of Batavia High School in Geneva, Ill. “I mean, I don't know too many high school wrestlers who wouldn't want to come to Iowa, especially if they're getting recruited. It just didn't work out the first time. And, you know, I got my second go-around and I was excited. I was excited that they reached out to me again.”

Ayala’s Progress

Drake Ayala had a big weekend after suffering a 4-1 loss to second-ranked Matt Ramos at 125 in the January 19 dual against Purdue.

Ayala won by technical fall over Illinois’ Justin Cardani on Friday, then won by technical fall over Northwestern’s Massey Odiotti on Sunday.

“It’s good to get the ball rolling again, take care of business at Illinois (and Northwestern),” said Ayala, who is 17-2 and ranked fourth in his weight class.

Ayala said it was important to be the aggressor early in those two wins.

“That’s how all of my matches should be,” he said. “So I’m working to get to that point.”

Ayala’s only other defeat this season was a 7-6 loss to Oregon State’s Brandon Kaylor on November 19.

“I think I’ve learned when I’m on my attack, when I’m attacking and finishing, that’s when good things happen to me,” he said. “I think I need to keep that up.”

The 125-pound class is one of the most competitive classes in Division I this season, but Ayala said he hasn’t paid attention to that.

“I hear results,” he said. “But I don't really care. I mean, it's like, rankings are rankings, right? It's the same thing. They change every day. So I don't really look into it too much.”

The Month Ahead 

The Hawkeyes’ dual on Friday starts a month that includes next Friday’s home dual against #1 Penn State, a home dual with Wisconsin on February 18, and a road dual against #4 Oklahoma State on February 25.

“There’s a gap,” Brands said. “Whether we’re (ranked) two or three or four, whatever we’re ranked, it doesn’t matter. There’s a gap between whatever we are and #1. And so, are we looking ahead, to our detriment. No, we’re not. But we know what's coming up and every time out, you hope you get better. And then you have pretty resilient guys that step up. It’s going to be upon us. So why not make every day a mission toward what's coming? That's where we're at.”