Drake Ayala serves as a leader by example for No. 2 Iowa men’s wrestling

IOWA CITY – Drake Ayala is an unquestionable leader for the Iowa men’s wrestling team.

He entered the program with high expectations. Ayala asserted himself in that spot with a 125-pound national finals appearance last season. He demonstrated his lead-by-example approach with a technical fall in the season-opener at Oregon State last Saturday.

“I’ve got to go out and score a lot of points,” Ayala said. “(Iowa 184-pounder Gabe) Arnold was just as good of a leader as I was that dual. He scored a lot of points and that’s what a leader does. I have to continue to do a better job of that outside the room, in the room and everything.”

Ayala will take the mat when No. 2 Iowa hosts Stanford Saturday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, starting at 1 p.m. This marks the first dual between the two programs.

“It’s another event where you’re going to get the best of your opponent,” Iowa Coach Tom Brands said. “So, you’ve got to get ready to go.”

Ayala, ranked third by Flowrestling, faces No. 30 Tyler Knox at 133. He was a dynamo against the Beavers. Ayala tallied eight takedowns in a 26-10 victory that didn’t reach the third period. The performance was a snapshot of Ayala’s ability to stockpile points, especially on his feet.

“My mentality was to keep scoring,” Ayala said. “Even though I get taken down once here or there, that’s fine, but if I keep scoring that’s when good things happen.

“Scoring a lot of points, pouring it on our opponent and just having fun doing that. I’ve done that since I was a little kid so there’s no need to stop now that I get to college and we have better competition.”

Brands said that he liked how Ayala kept going until he secured the match termination. No let up from an explosive and aggressive wrestler that Brands described as a “throttler” and “hammer,” using words associated with a dominant competitor.

“Right now, in my mind, I see the energizer bunny,” Brands said. “Keep it going. Keep wrestling that way.”

Ayala ventured into the new full-time weight. He is unfazed by the move and the wrestling aspect remains the same. The biggest change might be on the periphery of his daily routine.

“I can’t even tell the difference in the weight class,” Ayala said. “I can tell in my workouts and my practices. I’m having a lot more fun and focusing on the right things, so that’s a good thing for me.”

Ayala has been accustomed to being the Hawkeyes’ leadoff, following in the steps of 125-pounders like Spencer Lee, Thomas Gilman, Cory Clark and Matt McDonough over the last 15 seasons. He was second out of the gate last week. He estimated he only did that one last year with Iowa preferring the traditional lightest to heaviest sequence or a random starting weight drawn.

Ayala didn’t mind his new spot.

“It felt the same,” Ayala said about not wrestling first. “It felt good.”

Another good thing has been his ability to train with Olympic silver medalist, three-time World champion, four-time All-American and three-time NCAA titlist Lee. He made the trip overseas as a workout partner. He said anytime you practice with Lee it elevates your level and allows for improvement. Reap the rewards of getting the feel of one of the world’s best wrestlers.

Ayala was a four-time state champion at Fort Dodge and a leading recruit when he came out of high school. He’s been doing this for a long time. The summer experience was beneficial but his growth just didn’t materialize over the past summer.

“You’re talking about a guy who is a pretty good wrestler since he could probably walk,” Brands said. “He’s always been committed. He’s always been disciplined. It’s just a matter of going out and wrestling like you’re capable of wrestling.”

The dual against Stanford (1-1) will mark the first home match for freshman 141-pounder Ryder Block. He earned a victory against Oregon State, scoring a late takedown and rideout for a 5-4 win over Nash Singleton. Brands said he isn’t sure that wouldn’t have gone to overtime in the past.

“Ryder Block put the clamps on him and when he went ahead whenever it was to go, he kept him down,” Brands said. “That’s important, finishing periods on top, especially finishing the third period on top when the difference is going into overtime or not. Great awareness of what he had to do there.”

Brands also noted that Jacori Teemer, an NCAA runner-up transfer from Arizona State, is expected to be in the lineup Saturday. Teemer did not compete at Oregon State.

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