Heading into No. 2 Iowa men’s wrestling’s Friday dual meet against No. 9 Illinois, 133-pound Hawkeye grappler Drake Ayala was ranked as the No. 3 wrestler in the country at his weight. On Friday, though, Ayala wrestled like there was no one ahead of him, defeating No. 2 Lucas Byrd, 4-2, en route to a 28-6 Hawkeye win.
Byrd, who has been ranked No. 2 since the preseason rankings in August, suffered his first loss of the season in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. And since those initial preseason rankings, Ayala has fluctuated in rankings due to a 15-10 loss to Stanford’s Tyler Knox early on.
While Ayala’s ranking has been murky, one thing has remained clear in that the Hawkeye has trailed the Illini wrestler for the whole season leading up to Friday’s matchup.
“I’ve been prepared to go into deep waters my whole life,” Ayala said. “College wrestling is no different, so I am confident there.”
After No. 28 Joey Cruz got the Hawkeyes on the board first with a 13-3 major decision win, Ayala had a golden opportunity to prove to all of the doubters and naysayers that his name belongs in the top conversation at the 133-pound division come championship season.
No. 4 Ayala proved just that with a crucial 4-2 underdog win over No. 2 Byrd, recording a clutch takedown in the third period to send Byrd packing home with a loss and putting Hawkeye fans on their feet instead.
While Ayala’s dominance was more than prevalent in the final period, it was absent in the first two. Feeling out his opponent in the early seconds of the first period, both wrestlers were getting a feel for each other’s manner on the mat. Ayala and Byrd ended the first period scoreless as the intensity continued to build in Carver-Hawkeye Arena with each passing second on the mat seeing little action.
The grudge match between the two young prodigies continued in the second period as both wrestlers patiently waited for an opportunity to score. Eventually, it was Byrd who struck first in scoring, recording a shifty escape in the second period. Byrd kept the narrow 1-0 lead heading into the third and final round of the top-five matchup.
Ayala started the third period with a slippery escape to tie the score at one each. As the third period continued, the sea of Hawkeye fans littered with black and gold were lifted off their seats during the final period in hopes of giving Ayala the extra push needed for a victory.
The passionate Hawkeye fans’ efforts would not go unnoticed: With less than a minute left in the third period, Ayala recorded a crucial three-point takedown to take a lead over Byrd and secure the win as he defended any last-second shots.
“I think the biggest thing is that we talk about being ready to score,” Ayala said. “That was a big thing for me last year. I would get opportunities where I would let it slip. So I am doing my best job this year to not let that happen.”
Ayala’s efforts resulted in him picking up his 11th win on the season and helped the team cruise to a 28-6 team victory over Illinois.
“Drake Ayala — the No. 1 guy in the country comes to Iowa City, and we knock him off. You think we could have scored more points there?” Brands said jokingly, looking at Ayala. “He can tell you about that.”
The 133-pounder will likely move up a couple of spots in the national rankings and will look to continue his dominant efforts into Ohio State next weekend in front of the home crowd once more.