First impressions, final forays at Iowa Men's Wrestling Media Day

With each new wrestling season comes someone’s first or last as an Iowa Hawkeye.

That’s certainly no different this go around, as the official 2025-26 men’s roster totals seven seniors and eight newcomers.

During Wednesday’s team media day in Iowa City, I spoke with five Hawkeyes spanning those two categories to get a feel for their current headspace.

For two of them, routine and perspective are the theme(s) as they prepare to embark upon their final foray in an Iowa singlet.

As for the others – all first-year transfers – their minds have already been opened wide to the realities of being an Iowa wrestler – even if they’d been told or believed something completely different before they became Hawkeyes themselves.

Not that big of a deal

Drake Ayala and Michael Caliendo could easily be forgiven for feeling the pressure to perform in their final season(s) at Iowa.

With three NCAA finals appearances between them – one each from last March – this is the last shot for each to fulfill a lifelong dream for wrestlers and win a national title.

And yet, the message from both was almost identical when asked about balancing perspective/urgency as a senior.

“I honestly am not making it that big of a deal,” says Ayala.

“Yeah, I talked about earlier how it’s my last year and whatnot – and I’m excited – but it’s like, this is what I love to do and I’m not going to make a bigger deal out of it than I already did.”

“I’ve already wrestled on the biggest stages, you know what I mean?”

“I’ve been there, so I’m not going to make this one a bigger deal than it needs to be.”

A few minutes later, Caliendo echoes the same sentiment:

“I’m excited,” says the fifth-year senior who transferred to Iowa back in 2023. “(But) it’s really not that big of a deal. I’m just excited to go out there and compete and do my best. At the end of the day, it’s just wrestling.”

That doesn’t mean either is taking their final ride for granted, though.

For ‘No Brake Drake’ – a two-time finalist (2024-25) – his NCAA experience is valued, but not overly relied upon to help get him back to Saturday night again.

“I don’t know if that makes it easier – I don’t think so. I think that tournament’s so tough and so hard that being that close might make it seem harder.”

As for Caliendo, how he deals with the ever-present specter of Penn State’s Mitchell Mesenbrink could be the key to writing a triumphant final chapter of his Iowa career.

No one else in the 165-pound weight class has beaten Caliendo besides Mesenbrink – who’s done it six times in the past two years.

Two of those instances have occurred at NCAAs – a 17-9 semifinal defeat in 2024 and an 8-2 finals lost last March.

So, how does Caliendo keep proper perspective of both his entire senior season as well as the one guy who will more than likely stand in his way in its most crucial moments?

“I think having him around has just made me a better wrestler. He’s made me have to think about things that maybe other guys haven’t made me adjust (to) and think about.”

As for his mindset regarding their next meeting (or three):

“We’re gonna go out there, we’re going to get in a fight and the best man’s going to win. I’ve been training all summer and I’m ready to go.”

“Just keeping a focused mind – knowing what I’m going after. There’s really nothing more to it than just going out there and wrestling.”

‘Iowa style’ is your style

It won’t shock Iowa fans to hear (once again) that the outside perspective of the Hawkeye program differs greatly from the reality within it.

And yet, each year a new group of Hawkeyes – especially those coming via the transfer portal – discovers that reality for the first time.

“You know, you hear that whole ‘Iowa style’ go, go, go – (but) they definitely work with me and allow me to get what I need for myself,” says Massoma Endene, a Wartburg transfer looking to make the rare transition from Division III (where he was a three-time national champion) to Division I starter.

“It’s just a big shock, you know, you hear a lot of different things and it wasn’t exactly what I heard – it was better than that.”

The false perception carries across divisions, too.

Nasir Bailey hails from Park Forest, Illinois – roughly 210 miles from Iowa City.

And while he certainly had his ideas about ‘Iowa wrestling’, the experience of actually being a part of it has differed greatly.

“Before I got here, I would’ve definitely described it as like, robotic – straight forward and backward,” says Bailey – a 2024 All-American at Little Rock (AR). “But now that I’m here, I see it a lot differently. They really adapt to who you are as a person and try to work with you to make you the best version of yourself.”

Jordan Williams arrived at Iowa with Bailey this offseason – the two former Little Rock teammates making the transition to the Black & Gold together. And just like Bailey, his original perception was far from reality.

“I would’ve been like, ‘Yo, it’s hand-fighting (exclusively),” says the junior 157-pounder of how he would’ve described ‘Iowa wrestling’ before becoming a Hawkeye himself.

“But (in reality) ‘Iowa style’ is your style.”

“It’s your style, but you’re just pushing toward excellence.”

That teaching methodology begins with the Iowa coaching staff. And it’s one that has proven incredibly fruitful for names like Austin DeSanto, Real Woods, Michael Caleindo, Stephen Buchanan and others – all of whom reached new heights in their careers upon transferring to Iowa.

CHAMPION 🏆#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/1I3lF1l1aR

— Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling (@Hawks_Wrestling) March 23, 2025

“I didn’t really know much about them at all,” says Bailey of Tom and Terry Brands.

“I knew about their wrestling achievements and how good they are as coaches, but I didn’t really know much about their personalities and who they were.”

“They really work with you. They want you to be the best version of yourself. So, they put in the effort outside of the room, in the room – in all aspects of my life, so I’m just really appreciative of them.”

Says Endene, “If you watch like Tom and Terry Brands when they were wrestling in college – and all the guys they were with – (it was) go forward, beat people down into the mat.”

“And that’s still how it is. That’s how they want us to be – very aggressive, seven minutes of wrestling…going the entire match, that’s what they train us to do.”

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for plenty of individual expression – so long as a dominant end product remains the objective.

It’s just like Jordan Williams has so quickly learned in a few months as a Hawkeye:

 “’Iowa style’ is your style.”

“It’s your style, but you’re just pushing toward excellence.”