Redshirt season served as learning experience for Iowa wrestling’s Drake Ayala

Drake Ayala was thrust into the Iowa wrestling lineup his first year in the program.

He served as a starter during a season most student-athletes use to transition to the college level. Ayala stepped in for an injured Spencer Lee and was an NCAA qualifier, going 17-8 overall and climbing to 10th in the national rankings.

With Lee’s return last season, Ayala was able to redshirt and continue his development, discovering more about himself and revisiting what made him a three-time state champion and four-time finalist with a 171-4 record at Fort Dodge High School.

“It was good for me to learn,” said Ayala, who reached the finals in four open tournaments and finished 13-1 with his lone loss to Lee in the Soldier Salute finals. “Obviously, I had some ups. I had some good opens I wrestled at, too. I got to travel around with some coaches and some of the other redshirts and got to experience some of those opens. That was good, too.”

Ayala is back in the Hawkeyes lineup, manning the 125-pound spot again. He could play a pivotal role in the Cy-Hawk Series dual between No. 4 Iowa and No. 8 Iowa State on Sunday at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, beginning at 2 p.m. The dual will be televised on ESPN for the first time.

Iowa (2-0) has won 18 straight duals against Iowa State (3-0). The Hawkeyes own a 68-16-2 advantage in the series with a 12-0 mark since the establishment of the Dan Gable Traveling Trophy.

“This team knows what we’re doing here,” Iowa associate head coach Terry Brands said about the series history. “This is the next one up and it happens to be Iowa State. It’s an event we have circled on our calendar (and) schedule.

“We are going to be ready to go because we know it’s the next thing up that we have to take care of on our journey to March.”

Ayala said he benefited from two years ago. He gained a new perspective about his own wrestling and the challenge of college wrestling. Ayala said he was ready for that opportunity.

“I’m confident that me and my coaches made the right decision there,” Ayala said. “I didn’t get what I wanted. It didn’t go how I expected but it’s all right. Learn and move on.”

Last year, Ayala endured ups and downs. It tested his mettle, especially in the Dan Gable Wrestling Complex.

“Just with everything wrestling,” Ayala said. “You get nicked up. It’s a tough sport. You have tough practices. You get your butt kicked in the room. You know, in a room like this, you take a lot of beatings.”

One of the perks of this season is getting to take the mat alongside his former Fort Dodge teammate Brody Teske, who is ranked No. 8 at 133. Teske is in his second season with the Hawkeyes after wrestling at Northern Iowa and Penn State. The two helped lead Fort Dodge to a state team title.

Iowa will need them to set the tone with wins Sunday.

“That 1-2 punch is serious and it’s been a long time coming,” Teske said. “We’re going to have a lot of fun this year. Looking forward to what’s to come.”

Ayala is ranked 13th with a 6-1 record. He posted bonus points in every victory. He opened with an 18-8 major decision over Cal Baptist’s No. 29 Elijah Griffin and recorded four technical falls and a pin at the Luther Open.

Ayala, however, is coming off a one-point loss to Oregon State’s No. 18 Brandon Kaylor on Sunday. He didn’t demonstrate the offense he is capable of and has admitted he is better than his last performance. Ayala has responded in practice this week.

“He’s been really good,” Brands said. “He’s been accountable. He’s also been very vocal in questioning things that you would expect an awesome person, a great student-athlete to do. That’s what he’s done.

“He’s gone to work. He came back in and went to work right away.”

The plan is to tweak some things and get him rolling for his match with Kysen Terukina, who is ranked as high as No. 8.

“He’s smart and a competitor,” Brands said. “He is a son of a gun on the wrestling mat when he’s ready to go. We know that and that’s where we have to dial him into.”

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