IOWA CITY — Fort Dodge Senior High graduate and three-time state wrestling champion Drake Ayala has been named an academic All-American.

Ayala was one of four Iowa wrestlers to be honored by the 2026 National Wrestling Coaches Association as a Div. I scholar All-American. The other three were Ryder Block, Angelo Ferrari and Patrick Kennedy.

NWCA scholar All-Americans excel on the mat and in the classroom. To be eligible, a student-athlete must have a 3.0 GPA and be an All-American, have a 3.2 GPA and be a national qualifier, or have a 3.5 GPA and represent their team at the conference tournament or win at least 60 percent of their matches.

Under head coach Tom Brands, the Hawkeyes have had 68 NWCA academic honors.

Ayala, a two-time NCAA runner-up and three-time All-American on the mat, has twice before been honored by the NWCA as a scholar All-American.