EVANSTON, Ill. — Top-seeded Hawkeye wrestlers Drake Ayala and Stephen Buchanan stepped up and fulfilled their role as respective one seeds in the Big Ten championships on Saturday, each earning a chance at a Big Ten title come Sunday night.
After earning a bye the first round as the respective No. 1 seed, Ayala cruised to the semifinal round where the Hawkeye grappler was set to face off against No. 5 Dylan Shawver. Shawver was fresh off an upset win over No. 5 Braedon Davis of Penn State, leaving many in Welsh-Ryan Arena to believe the Scarlet Knight could upset Ayala too — disrupting Iowa’s team results and NCAA plans.
That dream would not come into fruition. Ayala started out red hot in the first period, recording a three-point takedown and then over two minutes of riding time in the second period. Come the third, Ayala had piled on an escape and takedown for good measure to advance with a standing ovation from a devout section of Hawkeye fans.
Ayala will face No. 2 Lucas Byrd of Illinois in the championship tomorrow. The Iowa native defeated Byrd by a narrow decision of 4-2 earlier in the season.
“We’ve got work to do in other weights, and we’ve got some guys in the championship finals,” Iowa head coach Tom Brands said after Session II. “We are going into day two of the [NCAA] qualifier, and we have to be at our best on day two.”
Just as reliable, Stephen Buchanan is just as close to his best, not high-scoring on Saturday but certainly efficient — especially in his semifinal match against No. 5 Zac Braunagel of Illinois. Buchanan and Braunagel were hesitant to initiate anything offensively in the first period, resulting in a 0-0 tie. The hesitancy continued in the second period, as a lot of hand fighting occurred following a smart escape from Buchanan.
But with a 1-0 advantage heading into the final period, Buchanan became a lot more aggressive and spent most of the time gaining a riding time advantage over Braunagel. A two-point near fall for Buchanan — his bread and butter for technical falls this season — would ultimately be enough to send the Fighting Illini grappler packing home in a 4-0 decision and catapult Buchanan through to a shot at the top of the podium.
But he doesn’t think he’s there yet.
“I don’t think I am performing at my best yet,” Buchanan said following the win. “[I had] slow feet and not a lot of shots on offense. If I am going to win tomorrow, I have to pick up my feet … I’m going to have to wrestle hard in all positions and be the best in all positions.”
Buchanan is now set to face Jacob Cardenas of Michigan after Cardenas recorded a sudden victory over No. 2 Josh Barr of Penn State.
“He’s a good, strong, and long wrestler,” Buchanan said. “He has a really nice blast double, and he’s really tough on top. I am going to have to come out and wrestle my best and be ready in all positions to win that match.”
While the Iowa lineup has been questionable at times this year, one thing remains clear: Hawkeye wrestling can undoubtedly rely on Ayala and Buchanan to perform on the big stage.