Who said the Iowa football team was the only one who could get in on the transfer portal fun?!
Iowa wrestling got in on the transfer portal fun, bringing in two All-Americans to an already stacked lineup. The program received a boost on Friday as both Jared Franek and Mikey Caliendo announced their intentions to transfer from North Dakota State to join the Hawkeyes.
Franek enters Iowa with one year of eligibility left. Last year in Fargo, Franek won a Big 12 individual title at 157 pounds, following that up with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Franek qualified for the NCAA Championships in four seasons at North Dakota State. He holds an overall record of 92-20.
Jared Franek & Mikey Caliendo will continue their careers at the University of Iowa! đ¤ pic.twitter.com/CMMLePU6of
— WrestlersGrind (@_wrestlersgrind) June 16, 2023
As stated in his Instagram post announcing his transfer, Franek is heading to Iowa City with the hopes of becoming a national champion.
“After giving NDSU everything I had for the last five years, I entered the transfer portal with the intention of putting myself in the best position possible to win a national title,” Franek wrote on Instagram. “With that being said, I have decided to spend my last year at the University of Iowa. Special thanks to my coaches, teammates, and fans at NDSU for all the support over the years. Excited to get to work!”
Meanwhile, Caliendo finished in seventh place at 165 in the NCAA Championships last year to earn All-American honors. Caliendo shared his thoughts on why he’s making the move to Iowa City.
“After a recent coaching change at NDSU I have decided to continue my wrestling career at the University of Iowa! GO HAWKS!!!! #gohawks,” Caliendo wrote on Instagram.
Former North Dakota State head wrestling coach Roger Kish recently accepted the head coaching gig at Oklahoma. Interestingly enough, Iowa recently added a transfer from the Sooners.
Former Oklahoma Sooner Joey Cruz announced his commitment to the Hawkeyes via Instagram on May 27.
“Iâm excited to announce that I will be furthering my education and athletic career at the University of Iowa. Thank you for everyone whoâs been on this ride, weâre just getting started. Go Hawks!” Cruz wrote in his Instagram post.
Cruz arrived in Norman, Oklahoma, as the No. 13 overall prospect and as the No. 3 recruit at 120 pounds by FloWrestling in the 2022 signing class. The Fresno, California, native also spent time as the nationâs top recruit per MatScouts.
He originally picked Oklahoma over offers from Oklahoma State, Iowa State and Little Rock. Cruz went 2-2 during his redshirt season with OU. All four of his matches came at the Michigan State Open.
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