Iowa
Penn State Wrestling vs Iowa 125 Preview: Drake Ayala vs. Braeden Davis – FloWrestling
What: #2 Braeden Davis, FR (Penn State), 14-0 vs #6 Drake Ayala, SO (Iowa), 17-3
When: Friday, February 9, 2024 at 8 p.m. CT (9 p.m. ET)
Where: Iowa City, Iowa (Carver-Hawkeye Arena)
How to watch: Big Ten Network/Fox Sports App
Braeden Davis and Drake Ayala will set the tone when they face off at 125 pounds during Friday night’s dual between Penn State (8-0) and Iowa (10-1). The most hyped meet of the season will likely start at the lightest weight — and this could be the main event.
The 125-pound class has more twists and turns than an ambitious mystery novel. Nothing is sacred — especially rankings.
Davis, a true freshman from Belleville, Michigan, is ranked second. He remains the only undefeated wrestler at the weight.
Ayala, a redshirt sophomore from Fort Dodge, Iowa, is ranked sixth. He is 2-2 following a nine-match winning streak from Nov. 26, 2023, to January 15, 2024.
Davis is 5-0 and Ayala is 3-2 against common opponents, but that likely won’t matter when the two face off in front of a partisan Iowa crowd. Both are known for their conditioning, so expect this match to be all gas and no breaks.
Common College Opponents
Earning the first takedown is always a good thing, but it could ultimately decide the outcome. An early takedown — especially in the first period — sets the tone for the remainder of the match. Crowd noise will be a factor, so Ayala striking first gets Hawkeye fans invested (assuming the dual starts at 125) and Davis striking first could momentarily silence the crowd.
Davis was in a nailbiter against Ohio State’s Vinnie Kilkeary during his last outing on February 2. Kilkeary nearly scored a takedown as time expired but Davis held on for the 4-3 win despite widespread disagreement about the call.
Don’t be surprised if that type of match happens again where either gets the lead with the other giving chase in the closing seconds. Iowa fans will get behind Ayala whether he is ahead or behind.
Ayala fell behind Purdue’s top-ranked Matt Ramos on January 19, which resulted in a 4-1 loss with the Iowa sophomore working hard for a takedown at the end. Both should be ready for that type of match.
The crowd is the second opponent every wrestler faces when he competes in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Davis’s spotless record proves he’s a winner. Ayala’s biggest test of the season might be against Davis.
This could be the first chapter in an ongoing rivalry between these two lightweight stars.
Key wins this season
Braeden Davis (Penn State)
— #10 Michael DeAugustino (Michigan), 5-1 on Jan. 19, 2024
— #11 Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State), 11-6 on Jan. 5, 2024
Drake Ayala (Iowa)
— #15 Patrick McKee (Minnesota), 8-5 on Jan. 15, 2024
— #9 Caleb Smith (Nebraska), 7-3 on Jan. 12, 2024
— #15 Patrick McKee (Minnesota), 5-4 on Dec. 30, 2023
— #14 Jore Volk (Wyoming), 4-2 on Dec. 30, 2023
— #21 Kysen Terukina (Iowa State), 7-2 on Nov. 26, 2023
— #26 Eli Griffin (Cal Baptist), 18-8 on Nov. 4, 2023
Cyclones star Audi Crooks on Iowa State’s loss to Baylor
Iowa State’s Audi Crooks on her team’s first loss of the season to Baylor.
Audi Crooks and Iowa State women’s basketball are officially sweeping the nation.
On Tuesday’s edition of “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN, the Cyclones’ star and NCAA women’s basketball scoring leader garnered significant praise from the former-NFL-punter-turned-media-personality.
“I’m a huge fan of the way she operates. Huge fan,” McAfee said. “She just gets buckets. That’s literally all she does.
“Did I know anything about Iowa State’s women’s basketball team ever? Nope. But Audi Crooks highlights pop up on my (algorithm), and I say, ‘Boys, immediately, I’m making a song, we’re making a highlight,’ because people are trying to take shots at Audi right now.”
The song and video McAfee referenced was posted on his social media and played on his show before his monologue about Crooks. It features a stylish edit of Crooks points accompanied by what appears to be an AI-generated song with the chorus of, “You’re about to get cooked, by Audi Crooks.”
The “shots” at Crooks that McAfee mentioned refer to a TikTok posted by ESPN with the caption, “Baylor exposed Audi Crooks on defense,” which came in ISU’s first loss of the season on Jan. 4.
Audi Crooks stats
- 2025-26 season (14 games): 29.1 points (NCAA leader), 6.7 rebounds, 71% shooting
- 2024-25 season: 23.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 60.5% shooting
- 2023-24 season: 19.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 57.7% shooting
Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen talks about Northwestern game
Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen talks about victory at Northwestern on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Evanston, Illinois.
Iowa women’s basketball was lacking some of its vocal leadership on Monday at Northwestern.
Part of that was the fact that Hawkeyes senior Kylie Feuerbach is still sidelined with an ankle injury. Another part was the fact that Chit-Chat Wright was not feeling great.
“No excuse, but Chat’s really sick,” Iowa coach Jan Jensen said after the Hawkeyes’ 67-58 victory. “She didn’t have the flu game like (Michael) Jordan. But she’s really sick, like fever. And I think that just threw her. She was really not vocal tonight. So we were kinda searching, because Chat had been coming (as a leader).”
Wright fought through it and played 34 minutes, scoring 12 points and dishing out seven assists.
Jensen confirmed that Feuerbach remains day-to-day. She hasn’t played since getting hurt Dec. 20 vs. UConn.
“I think (our leadership tonight) was by committee,” Jensen said. “It just wasn’t the same person every time. … It’ll be nice to get Kylie back in that lineup.”
Feuerbach, the team’s best perimeter defender, has missed Iowa’s last three games. Jensen said she is pleased overall with how her team has played defensively in Feuerbach’s absence.
“(Against Northwestern) it was more an ‘us’ problem offensively,” Jensen said. “Our defense held. … We turned the ball over 20 times.”
Two people are dead after a Dubuque bar fight escalated, with one man shooting another and then being killed by police.
An officer with the Dubuque Police Department was outside the Odd Fellows bar just before 1 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 4, when he witnessed a physical altercation, according to a news release from the Dubuque Police Department.
As the officer exited the patrol vehicle, an adult man allegedly used a handgun to shoot one of the people involved in the fight. The officer fired at the offender, who then ran into the bar.
The victim who was shot first was provided medical treatment by officers at the scene and then transported to MercyOne Hospital in Dubuque.
The offender was treated by police officers inside the bar and then transported to UnityPoint Finley Hospital.
Both were later pronounced dead.
The names of those involved are not being released at this time pending notification of family members.
The incident is being investigated by the Dubuque Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. The officer involved was not injured and has been placed on critical incident leave in accordance with the department’s policies.
Nick El Hajj is a reporter at the Register. He can be reached at nelhajj@gannett.com. Follow him on X at @nick_el_hajj.
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