Iowa men’s wrestling transfers give new fans a lot to cheer about in home opener against Stanford

IOWA CITY — Kyle Parco watched YouTube videos and Instagram Reels.

The social media posts paled in comparison to the live experience of wrestling in Carver-Hawkeye Arena and the Iowa crowd.

“Hearing that crowd behind me when I’m on top or I just scored a takedown, it’s amazing,” Parco said. “It’s wonderful. I love it.”

Parco smiled and soaked in the appreciation of the roaring Iowa fans, posting a technical fall in his home debut and helping the No. 2-ranked Hawkeyes to a 32-9 victory over Stanford on Saturday. The Hawkeyes won seven of 10 weights in their first meeting with the Cardinal.

Parco, a graduate student transfer from Arizona State, thumped Jaden Abas, 15-0, in 5:43 at 149 pounds. He said it was hard to know what to expect until the moment.

“The fans are so passionate,” said Parco, who was a four-time All-American during his time with the Sun Devils and Fresno State. “They’re so proud. I’m thankful that I got the opportunity to come out there today and there were so many fans there.”

Parco wasn’t able to decipher anything specific from the crowd but one woman’s voice seemed to stand out during the match.

“My mom is here today,” Parco said about his mom, Catherine. “I’m not sure if I heard her but some lady was very adamant about me. I hope it was my mom.”

The match was scoreless after the first when Parco blew it open with his work on top. He put Abas on his back three times, building a 12-0 lead by the third. Parco chose neutral to start the third and notched his lone takedown for match termination.

“I think there was some patty cake in the first period where a guy was keeping his distance,” Iowa Coach Tom Brands said. “He deferred and went down. We made him pay in a big, big way. We love that. Make them pay.

“And then there was no decision. I’m going both up and end this match.”

Parco was one of three new faces to earn bonus-point wins. Top-ranked 157-pounder Jacori Teemer also transferred from Arizona State. He made his debut and handled Grigor Cholakyan, 13-3, giving an Iowa a 15-6 lead at the midway point.

Former Wyoming and Oklahoma wrestler Stephen Buchanan added a 17-1 technical fall over Nick Stemmet at 197. Brands said Buchanan wrestled a complete match.

It’s time for the transfer distinction to end. They are Hawkeyes now.

“This is a team,” Brands said. “Everybody wants to be here. That’s what we like.”

One of the top matchups was a battle of All-Americans between Iowa’s No. 2 Michael Caliendo and No. 7 Hunter Garvin, who was a three-time state champion and four-time finalist for Iowa City West.

Garvin tallied three takedowns for a 9-2 lead with more than a minute of riding time after one. A daunting deficit against a quality opponent, but Caliendo never doubted his chances to win.

“My confidence didn’t waver once during that match,” Caliendo said. “To me, you can take me down three times I’m going to take you down four, five (or) six. I know no one can hold me down. All I think about is the next scoring opportunity.

“I was a little sloppy in the beginning. I made him pay for it. I started wearing him down and got to my offense.”

Caliendo took control in the second, scoring two of his four takedowns to pull within a point. He closed strong, adding two more takedowns and two penalty points for stalling in a 17-12 decision. Caliendo said he has been in that situation previously and could feel Garvin break before the crowd did.

“I know who I am as a wrestler,” Caliendo said. “I have everything I need to be able to perform. It is heart.”

Former Iowa City High teammates Gabe Arnold (184) and heavyweight Ben Kueter contributed dominant wins. Arnold major decisioned Tye Montiero, 14-3, scoring four takedowns. Kueter scored a takedown and tacked on a riding time point for a 19-4 technical fall over Jackson Mankowski to close the dual.

The Cardinal (3-1) managed a couple upsets. No. 23 Tyler Knox upset NCAA finalist and seventh-ranked Drake Ayala, 15-10, at 133. Lorenzo Norman, ranked 17th, topped No. 6 Nelson Brands, at 174.

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Photos: Iowa men’s wrestling vs. Stanford

“There were some good things that happened and maybe asleep at the wheel a couple times,” Tom Brands said. “We dug ourselves out of a big hole at 165 and that just shows the firepower that Caliendo has.

“We were asleep at the wheel a couple other places and didn’t wake up. We’ve got to wake up.”

Iowa (2-0) wrestles next at Bellarmine on Nov. 15 in Louisville, Ky.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com