CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee – Six Hawkeyes advanced to the quarterfinal round and four moved on to the semifinals at the Southern Scuffle at McKenzie Arena on Saturday. Drake Ayala, Aaron Costello, Cullan Schriever and Brennan Swafford all advanced to the semifinals slated for noon (CT) on Sunday. 

Ayala, a freshman from Fort Dodge, Iowa, picked up a tech fall in the first round before topping Oklahoma State’s Reece Witcraft via 17-6 major decision in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals, Ayala handled Missouri’s Noah Surtin, winning a 9-3 decision over the tournament’s No. 3 seed while accumulating 2:41 of riding time. The unseeded Ayala will square off with No. 2 seed Patrick McKee of Minnesota in the semifinals. 

Senior Aaron Costello put on a dominating performance in the round of 64 defeating Josiah Hill of Arkansas-Little Rock by major decision, 14-5.  In the round of 32 he made quick work of Stanford’s Seamus O’Malley pinning him in 2:20. Costello defeated Michael Wolfgram of West Virginia by decision, 5-3, to advance to the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, with the score tied 1-1 with six seconds remaining in the third period, Costello scored a takedown to win by decision and advance. Costello matches up against Cornell’s No. 2 seed Lewis Fernandes in the semifinals. 

Redshirt freshman Cullan Schriever picked up three decisions and a major decision, going 4-0 on his way to the semifinals. Schriever defeated Buffalo’s Derek Spann, 3-2, in his quarterfinal match. Schriever escaped to begin the second period to tie the match at 1-1, before scoring a takedown at the start of the third period that proved to be the difference in the match. Schriever will wrestle Michigan State’s Rayvon Foley – the bracket’s No. 1 seed – in the semifinals. 

Senior and two-time NAIA National Champion Brennan Swafford earned a major decision in round one and won by decision in both the round of 16 and the quarterfinals to advance to Sunday’s semifinals. Swafford won a dominant 9-0 major decision in the round of 32 over Chattanooga’s Thomas Sell, and defeated North Dakota State’s Riley Habisch, 9-6, in the quarterfinals. Swafford wrestles South Dakota State’s Cade DeVos, a Southeast Polk High School alum and the bracket’s No. 2 seed, in the semifinals. 

Freshman Wyatt Henson and redshirt freshman Patrick Kennedy each advanced to the quarterfinal round. Henson was pinned by Missouri’s Allan Hart and Kennedy lost a 6-4 decision to West Virginia’s Peyton Hall in sudden victory. In the consolations Kennedy will face Caleb Fish of Michigan State, and Henson will face Heath Gonyer of Appalachian State. 

Action resumes at 10 a.m (CT). Live results and a video stream are available at FLO.