For all his life, Michael Moreno has dreamed of wrestling at the collegiate level.

In 1992, Moreno’s father Mike, a 134-pounder at Iowa State, added his name to a long list of ISU All-American wrestlers. Nearly two decades later, his son, now a redshirt freshman, is ready to take the mat for the first time as a Cyclone.

Last season, Moreno was redshirted along with other highly touted ISU recruits Kyven Gadson and Ryak Finch. Being held out of official competition that year helped Moreno learn coach Kevin Jackson’s system.

“The redshirt year was pretty rewarding,” Moreno said. “It was nice to get a look at the inner workings of a college program, especially one of this caliber.”

A native of Urbandale, Iowa, Moreno is a four-time placewinner in the annual state tournament, including a 43-0 record and a state title as a senior. Moreno was ranked by Intermat as the 22nd best wrestler in the class of 2010.

While Moreno was redshirted last season, he did have the chance to compete, wrestling unattached in tournaments including the Cyclone Open, the Kaufman-Brand Open and the Midlands Championships.

In those matches, Moreno wrestled at 165 pounds.

When the team travels to Boston on Sunday to complete against both Army and Boston, Moreno will be in the lineup as a 157-pounder. Jackson said Moreno, out of all underclassmen, showed him the most in the offseason and has adapted well to being at 157 pounds.

“He wrestled at 165 for us last year and came a match away from placing at the Midlands,” Jackson said. “By just his commitment to getting his weight under control, he’s become a natural 157-pounder.”

The move down to a lower weight class took an offseason of work. Moreno said he ran between 12 and 15 miles each week starting in late July to work on reducing his weight.

Jackson said he feels Moreno’s commitment will help make the team better.

“It’s never a surprise [to see] who performs at a high level,” Jackson said. “You can see it every day in practice and I’m seeing that out of him everyday.”

For Moreno, the year in the wrestling room helped him build a closer bond with his teammates. He also credits the redshirt year with helping him take the next step forward to competing this season.

“The year in the room gave me the college wrestler’s peace of mind,” Moreno said. “It’s not the same game [as high school]. A year in this room made me into a college wrestler.”

Senior and team captain Andrew Sorenson said young wrestlers like Gadson, Finch and Moreno have all been proactive in jumping into the heat of competition in practice.

“They’re not afraid to step up,” Sorenson said. “Just because they’re underclassmen, they don’t feel like they have to sit in the back seat and wait for their turn.”

Sorenson, who is Moreno’s roommate, said Moreno has made the sacrifices to help make the lineup stronger this season and he’s excited for him to finally get on the mat.

“[He] has made a commitment to go down to 157, and he’s been with that commitment since July,” Sorenson said. “His weight is looking great, his technique is looking great, and I can’t wait to see him get on the mat.”

After many years of waiting, Moreno will now follow in his father’s footsteps to the mat in his first collegiate match on Sunday.

“It’s been a long time coming. I’ve been dreaming about this for the past 20 years,” Moreno said. “It’s finally here, and I couldn’t be more excited.”