A native of Fort Dodge, Iowa, Ayayla is a three - time Iowa state champion and most recently won his third stop sign in Fargo with his second title in junior freestyle in 2021. Ayala has put together a lengthy resume in the state of Iowa, winning the Conflict at Carver in 2018 and the Cliff Keen Independence Invitational that same year. Ayala would finish his freshman season as a runner up in the Iowa high school 3A state tournament at 106 pounds. In that offseason, Ayala won double titles at the Independence tournament, the Iowa freestyle/greco state tournament, and the Northern Plains regional setting him up for Fargo later that summer. Ayala would leave Fargo as an all - american in cadet freestyle after winning a national title the year prior.
Drake Ayala Extends Iowa's NCAA Wrestling Finalist Streak To 34
Mar 23, 2024
Iowa’s Saturday night string continues at the NCAA Wrestling Championships.
Real Woods Ready To Put Past NCAA Wrestling Experiences To Use In KC
Mar 18, 2024
Real Woods called his season “quite a journey.”
Over 150 Upsets From Conference Tournament Weekend
Mar 11, 2024
It's hard to overstate how much exciting college wrestling took place this past weekend. All seven conferences held their championships over the last few days and determined the majority of the qualifiers for the 2024 NCAA Championships that will take place in less than two weeks in Kansas City, Missouri.
2024 Big Ten Wrestling Championship Preseeds Are Out!
Mar 5, 2024
The Big Ten, the nation's toughest and deepest college wrestling conference will hold their championship on Saturday and Sunday, March 9-10 in the Xfinity Center on the University of Maryland's College Park campus, and no we have the pressed for the tournament!
2024 Iowa vs Oklahoma State Wrestling Dual Preview & Predictions
Feb 22, 2024
Iowa will travel to Stillwater, Oklahoma on Sunday for what is one of the best and most historic rivalries in college wrestling. Wrestling begins at 3 pm Eastern and will be televised on FS1. Oklahoma State leads the series all time 29-25-2, but Iowa has won seven of the last nine including 28-7 last season. With several toss-up matches, this one could go either way.
Iowa Wrestling Faces Tough Road Test Against Michigan On Friday
Jan 31, 2024
What: #2 Iowa (10-0, 5-0 B1G) vs #13 Michigan (5-3, 3-2 B1G)When: Friday, February 2 at 7:30 p.m. CT (8:30 p.m. ET)Where: Ann Arbor, Michigan (Crisler Center)How To Watch: Big Ten Network/Fox Sports AppSeries History: Iowa leads 34-26-1
Iowa's Biggest Tests vs Illinois and Northwestern
Jan 23, 2024
What: #2 Iowa (8-0) vs #22 Illinois (3-4)When: Friday, January 26, 2024, at 8 p.m. CT (9 p.m. ET)Where: Champaign, Illinois (Huff Hall)How to watch: Big Ten Network
Iowa Hawkeyes Reload For 2023-24 NCAA Season
Aug 16, 2023
This fall, Tom Brands will enter his 18th year as head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes, and his first season in Iowa City as head coach in the post-Spencer Lee era.
Semis For Soldier Salute Are Set
Dec 30, 2022
Iowa dominated the first day of the inaugural Soldier Salute by sending 13 wrestlers to the semifinals. Three-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee won his first two matches by fall and technical fall and will face U20 World Champion Jore Volk in the semifinals.
Spencer Lee Among 29 Hawkeyes Competing At Soldier Salute
Dec 28, 2022
It appears that Spencer Lee will compete for the second time this season after the University of Iowa released 29 wrestlers that will compete at the Soldier Salute on December 29-30 in Coralville. Lee made his season debut with a 16-5 major decision over Corey Cabanban during the Iowa State dual on December 4. The Hawkeye senior is seeking his fourth NCAA championship this season.Also included are national place winners Real Woods, Jacob Warner, and Anthony Cassioppi.The full list has 16 attached and 13 unattached wrestlers. Drake Ayala, who replaced Lee last season, will compete unattached.
2022-23 NCAA 125-Pound Preview: The Return Of Spencer Lee
Jul 17, 2022
The last three years of NCAA wrestling have been anything but typical and the next few seasons are primed to stay on the peculiar end of the spectrum thanks to the extra year of eligibility granted to every wrestler who participated in the 2021 season.
These Top 5 Seeds Are On Upset Alert Early!
Mar 10, 2022
Crazy things happen every year at NCAAs and I’m sure this year will be no different. After the initial look at the brackets, which can be found HERE, I’m putting some top seeds on upset alert.
Top 30 NCAA Conference Dark Horses
Mar 5, 2022
Every year on conference weekend we see standout performances from the talented but lower seeded wrestlers at their respective conference tournaments. I took a look at the seeds, the brackets, and the résumé’s in many of the NCAA conferences and condensed a list of the top 30 dark horses for this weekend’s conference tournaments.
8 Epic Matches From The Penn St. vs Iowa Rivalry
Jan 26, 2022
Penn State vs Iowa is an event that transcends the dual meet itself. The annual meeting between the Nittany Lions and the Hawkeyes has become a must-watch experience.
Penn State vs Iowa: Preview & Betting Lines Contest
Jan 25, 2022
#1 vs #2 is always highly anticipated. Make it two of the most historic programs and college wrestling’s most notorious crazy venue, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for an A+ dual. On Friday, January 28 the #1 Nittany Lions of Penn State travel to Iowa City, Iowa, to take on the #2 Iowa Hawkeyes in what is the most anticipated dual of the year. You can listen to all the action live on the FloWrestling radio broadcast!
