Iowa men’s wrestling, Penn State suffer 125-pound losses in Session I of NCAA Championships

The Hawkeyes’ Drake Ayala and the Nittany Lions’ Drew Hildebrandt both fell in their first matches of the national tournament.

Jenna Galligan/The Daily Iowan

Iowa’s No. 12 125-pound Drake Ayala wrestles Nebraska’s Jeremiah Reno during a wrestling dual between No. 2 Iowa and No. 10 Nebraska at the Bob Devany Center in Lincoln, NE on Sunday, Feb 20, 2022. Ayala defeated Reno by decision 13-6. The Hawkeyes defeated the Cornhuskers 20-15 in their final regular season dual.

Austin Hanson, Sports Editor
March 17, 2022

DETROIT — Iowa men’s wrestling and Penn State both suffered losses at 125 pounds in the first session of the 2022 NCAA Championships. The Hawkeyes’ Drake Ayala, who was seeded 13th, was upset by Chattanooga’s Fabian Gutierrez, 12-9. The Nittany Lions’ Drew Hildebrandt, who was seeded 16th, was downed by Lock Haven’s No. 17 Anthony Noto, 4-2, in sudden victory.

Both Hildebrandt and Ayala will drop to wrestlebacks. If either is to make the medal stand, they’ll have to win at least five matches. Just eight Nittany Lions and nine Hawkeyes now remain in the championship bracket.

Ohio State’s Malik Heinselman was also upset in the first round. The No. 12 seed at 125-pounds lost to Utah Valley’s Taylor LaMont, who was seeded 21st, via 7-2 decision.

Purdue’s Devin Schroder, who was seeded ninth, lost to Virginia Tech’s Sam Latona, who was seeded 24th, via 4-1 decision.

Minnesota’s Patrick McKee, who was seeded eighth, lost Appalachian State’s Caleb Smith, who was seeded 25th, via 8-5 decision.

Consolation action will kick off in Session II of the 2022 NCAA Championships, which begins at 6 p.m. and airs live on ESPN.