PHILADELPHIA — Drake Ayala had no trouble securing two wins here Thursday, as the former Fort Dodge Senior High standout advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships.

Ayala, a junior at Iowa who earned the No. 2 seed, picked up a technical fall and a major decision at 133 pounds. He will now face Ohio State’s Nic Bouzakis on Friday with a spot in the semifinals on the line.

Last year, Ayala advanced to the 125-pound championship, placing second. He owns a record of 19-2 on the year with 11 wins resulting in bonus points.

Iowa is currently tied for fourth with Minnesota and Ohio State at 18 points. Three-time defending national champion Penn State leads with 39.5 followed by Nebraska and Oklahoma State.

A three-time state champion for the Dodgers, Ayala is in his third NCAA Championships. He qualified as a freshman, becoming just the third true freshman to do so under head coach Tom Brands.

Following a year spent unattached, Ayala returned to the Hawkeye lineup in 2023-24, finishing third at the Big Ten Championships before a second at nationals, going 27-5 overall.

Earlier this month, he placed second at the Big Tens to Lucas Byrd of Illinois, who earned the No. 1 seed at 133 and also advanced to the quarters. Byrd will face Penn State’s Braeden Davis while Indiana’s Angelo Rini meets Cal Poly’s Zeth Romney.

The winner between Ayala and Bouzakis gets either Wisconsin’s Zan Fugitt or Virginia Tech’s Connor McGonagle.

Ayala earned two takedowns in the first period vs. Missouri’s Kade Moore to begin the day before securing three more in the second. He put the match away with his seventh takedown in the third,w inning 21-5 in 5:30.

In the second round vs. Northern Iowa’s Julian Farber, Ayala earned a 13-4 major decision with three more takedowns, including two in the opening period. He is now 7-3 in three trips to the NCAAs.

Joining Ayala in the quarters from Iowa will be Mike Caliendo, Patrick Kennedy, Stephen Buchanan and Ben Kueter. Caliendo had two major decisions, Kennedy won twice by decision, Buchanan had a major decision and a technical fall, and Kueter scored two decisions.

Caliendo faces Michigan’s Beau Mantanona at 165 pounds, Kennedy gets Dean Hamiti from Oklahoma State at 174, Buchanan wrestles Seth Shumate of Ohio State at 197 and Kueter takes on Owen Trephan from Lehigh at heavyweight.

Kyle Parco and Gabe Arnold went 1-1, earning round one wins before falling in the second. Joey Cruz and Jacori Teemer both went 0-2 and were eliminated.