Going between two hated rivals isn't something we see every day, but it's happened twice in Iowa State-Iowa wrestling.
Before Iowa State took down the Hawkeyes last season in front of nearly 12,300 fans in Ames, the Hawkeyes dominated the rivalry.
Iowa had won the previous 20 matchups in the Cy-Hawk rivalry, dating back to 2005.
A big part of Iowa's victories over the past five years was Drake Ayala, and now he is officially taking his expertise to Ames to join another former Hawkeye.
All the reports came true as Ayala is officially hired by Iowa State
Reports surfaced at the end of April that Ayala was moving west to Ames, and after a short time, those reports proved true.
— drake ayala (@drakeayala38) May 6, 2026
Ayala released an official statement on X announcing that he has accepted an assistant coaching role with the Cyclones wrestling program, led by another former Hawkeye, Brent Metcalf.
In the statement, Ayala had nothing but praise for what Metcalf is doing with the Iowa State program, and he has a "great deal of respect" for the way the program handles itself on and off the mat.
The Cyclones finished 12-2 last season and have now added another key piece to their coaching staff.
Ayala had a solid career as a Hawkeye, finishing with an 86-27 overall record, and back-to-back NCAA Wrestling Championship Runner-up finishes (2024, 2025).
From many heated battles in Carver-Hawkeye Arena to crossing over into enemy lines, Ayala made quite the career choice a short time after graduating from the University of Iowa.
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