David Carr (wrestler)

David Carr
Personal information
Full nameDavid Aaron Carr
Born (1999-03-28) March 28, 1999 (age 25)
Georgia, U.S.
Home townCanton, Ohio, U.S.
Weight74 kg (freestyle)
165 lb (folkstyle)
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportWrestling
Event(s)Folkstyle and Freestyle
College teamIowa State
ClubCyclone Regional Training Center
Coached byKevin Dresser
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing the  United States
Waclaw Ziolkowski Memorial
Gold medal – first place 2022 Warsaw 74 kg
Junior World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2019 Tallinn 74 kg
Cadet World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Tbilisi 69 kg
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing the Iowa State Cyclones
NCAA Division I Championships
Gold medal – first place 2021 St. Louis 157 lb
Gold medal – first place 2024 Kansas City 165 lb
Silver medal – second place 2023 Tulsa 165 lb
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Detroit 157 lb
Big 12 Championships
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tulsa 157 lb
Gold medal – first place 2021 Tulsa 157 lb
Gold medal – first place 2022 Tulsa 157 lb
Gold medal – first place 2023 Tulsa 165 lb
Silver medal – second place 2024 Tulsa 165 lb

David Aaron Carr (born March 28, 1999) is an American freestyle and former folkstyle wrestler who competes at 165 pounds.[1] In freestyle, Carr is a U20 World Champion and U17 World bronze medalist.[2]

In folkstyle, he was a two-time NCAA Division I National champion and three-time finalist, as well as a four-time Big 12 Conference champion out of the Iowa State University.[3]

Career

High school

Carr was a five-time state champion, one time in Kentucky as an eight grader and four times in Ohio. While wrestling in high school in Ohio, he won twice at Dayton Christian High School and twice at Perry High School.[4] He also earned a bronze medal at the 2016 U17 World Championships. The top-recruit at his weight class, Carr received the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award for the class of 2018, in memory of Dave Schultz.[5]

University

Carr arrived to ISU to wrestle as a Cyclone at 157 pounds after committing in October 2017.[6]

2018-19

While redshirting, Carr compiled a 23–1 record wrestling unattached at open tournaments. He claimed titles at four of the five tournaments he competed in and third place at the tournament in which he lost.[7]

2019-20

Carr had an outstanding freshman season competing as a Cyclone, compiling an 18–1 record overall and an unbeaten 9–0 at dual meets.[8] His lone loss at the Cliff Keen Invitational to second-ranked Ryan Deakin.[9] He became the fifth Cyclone freshman to claim a Big 12 Conference title, with notable wins over the #18 and #7-ranked wrestlers in the country.[10] Carr was scheduled to compete at the NCAA championships as the third seed,[11] however, the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12] After the season, he was named a first-team NCAA Division I All-American due to his performance through the season.[13][14]

2020-21

In October 2020, the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to winter athletes due to the previous season being cut short.[15] Carr competed as a sophomore, and compiled a 12–0 record with three falls, four technical falls, three majors and two decisions during regular season.[8] He claimed his second straight Big 12 title[16] and his first NCAA championship at 157 pounds.

2021-22

Carr competed at 157 pounds for the Cyclones and compiled a 26-1 record including 13-0 in dual meet competition. He finished with four major decisions, six tech falls and five falls. Carr won his 3rd straight Big 12 title at 157 pounds. He suffered a 2nd round loss at the 2022 NCAA Championships, but wrestled back to a 3rd place finish earning All-American honors for the 3rd consecutive year.

2022-23

Carr moved up to 165 pounds from 157 pounds in 2022. He finished the regular season undefeated with a 10-0 dual record including a win over the returning 165 pound NCAA Champion, U20 and U23 World Champion Keegan O'Toole. Carr won his 4th consecutive Big 12 title with a second win over O'Toole. He finished the year with a 27-1 record including wins over Quincy Monday and former national champion Shane Griffith. Carr lost to Missouri's O'Toole in the NCAA finals, taking a 2nd place trophy back to Ames.

2023-24

In 2024, Carr wrestled his senior season looking to avenge last year's NCAA finals loss. He wrestled to a 27-2 record with a 65% bonus rate. He finished 3rd at the Cliff Keen Invitational and 2nd at the Big 12 Championship. He helped lead the Cyclones to their first Big 12 team title since 2010. Carr entered the 2024 NCAA Championships as a #4 seed, the lowest of his career. He beat the #1 seed O'Toole in the semi finals, taking a 3-2 series lead on O'Toole. In the finals, he beat the #2 seed, U20 World Champion, Mitchell Messenbrink 9-8 to claim his 2nd National Championship. He finished his collegiate career as a two-time NCAA Champion, four-time Big 12 Champion, and a five-time NCAA All-American with a 125-6 career record.

After the 2023–24 season, Carr was named by the Big 12 as the men's recipient of the Bob Bowlsby Award, described by the conference as its "most prestigious individual accolade." The award, voted on by Big 12 athletic directors, is presented to the men's and women's athletes deemed "the absolute best in the Big 12 for their leadership and excellence, on and off the field of competition."[17]

Freestyle career

Cadet & Junior

Carr was a standout youth-level freestyle wrestler and his eligibility to compete at this level expired in early 2020.[18] As a cadet, he was a World bronze-medalist,[19] a US National champion and a two-time National finalist.[20] As a junior, he became the 19' World Champion[19] and was also a US Open and Fargo National champion.[20]

Senior

2019

Carr made his senior debut as an 18-year old at the Dave Schultz Memorial International. He won his first two bouts in a row with a notable win over four-time NCAA Division I All-American Dylan Ness before being thrown to the consolation bracket by the accomplished Olympian Frank Molinaro in a very close 8-9 decision. He then faced another DI All-American in Sammy Sasso, whom he also lost to on points.[21]

Carr then went on to compete at the Granma y Cerro Pelado International. He once again defeated two opponents in a row with a victory over an NCAA Division I All-American in Anthony Collica. He was then defeated by four-time All-American Brandon Sorensen and three-timer Lavion Mayes, but still competed for the bronze-medal against Franklin Maren, whom he defeated to claim the medal.[22]

2020

Carr competed at the US National Championships (where he was the fifth seed) on October 10–11, making his senior debut at 74 kilograms.[23] After a four-match winning streak (including a victory over Dan Hodge Trophy finalist Ryan Deakin), he was defeated three times in a row by the defending US National title holder Logan Massa, three-time All-American and U23 World Team Member Hayden Hidlay and Deakin, respectively, placing sixth.[24]

Personal life

Carr is the son of Olympic medalist and former Iowa State Cyclone Nate Carr.[4] Carr is a Christian.[25]

Freestyle record

Senior Freestyle Matches
Res. Record Opponent Score Date Event Location
2022 Poland Open 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 74 kg
Win 18–10 Ukraine Zelimkhan Tohuzov TF 11–0 July 20, 2022 2022 Poland Open

Poland Warsaw, Poland

Win 17–10 Georgia (country) Giorgi Sulava TF 10–0
Win 16–10 China Shengsong Xia TF 12–1
Win 15–10 China Menghejigan Menghejigan TF 13–2
2022 US World Team Trials 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) at 74 kg
Win 14–10 United States Joey Lavallee TF 16–6 June 3, 2022 2022 Final X: Stillwater

United States Stillwater, Oklahoma

Win 13–10 United States Thomas Gantt TF 10–0 May 21–22, 2022 2022 US World Team Trials

United States Coralville, Iowa

Win 12–10 United States Josh Shields 9–4
Loss 11–10 United States Jason Nolf Fall
Win 11–9 United States Collin Purinton 15–6
2020 US Olympic Team Trials DNP at 74 kg
Loss 10–9 United States Thomas Gantt 1–7 April 2–3, 2021 2020 US Olympic Team Trials United States Fort Worth, Texas
Loss 10–8 United States Jason Nolf TF 0–10
Win 10–7 United States Logan Massa 8–0
2020 US Nationals 6th at 74 kg
Loss 9–7 United States Ryan Deakin 2–5 October 10–11, 2020 2020 US Senior Nationals

United States Coralville, Iowa

Loss 9–6 United States Hayden Hidlay 5–10
Loss 9–5 United States Logan Massa 0–4
Win 9–4 United States Ryan Deakin 6–5
Win 8–4 United States Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer TF 12–1
Win 7–4 United States Jacob Wright TF 10–0
Win 6–4 United States Andy Hurla TF 10–0
2019 Granma y Cerro Pelado 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) at 70 kg
Win 5–4 Cuba Franklin Maren February 15–23, 2019 2019 Granma y Cerro Pelado International

Cuba Havana, Cuba

Loss 4–4 United States Lavion Mayes
Loss 4–3 United States Brandon Sorensen
Win 4–2 United States Anthony Collica
Win 3–2 United States Justin DeAngelis
2019 Dave Schultz M. International DNP at 70 kg
Loss 2–2 United States Sammy Sasso 2–7 January 24–26, 2019 2019 Dave Schultz Memorial International

United States Colorado Springs, Colorado

Loss 2–1 United States Frank Molinaro 8–9
Win 2–0 United States Dylan Ness 7–1
Win 1–0 United States Justin Deangelis 11–2

NCAA record

NCAA Division I Record
Res. Record Opponent Score Date Event
2021 NCAA Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 157 lbs
Win 38–1 Jesse Dellavecchia 4–0 March 18–20, 2021 2021 NCAA Division I National Championships
Win 37–1 Hayden Hidlay 6–4
Win 36–1 Brayton Lee 4–2
Win 35–1 Will Lewan MD 10–2
Win 34–1 Markus Hartman MD 16–2
2021 Big 12 Conference 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 157 lbs
Win 33–1 Jared Franek 6–1 March 6–7, 2021 2021 Big 12 Conference Championships
Win 32–1 Cade DeVos 8–2
Win 31–1 Parker Simington Fall
Win 30–1 Derek Holschlag TF 19–2 February 14, 2021 Iowa State - Northern Iowa Dual
Win 29–1 Hunter Balk Fall Arizona State - Iowa State Dual
Win 28–1 Cade DeVos MD 10–2 February 7, 2021 Iowa State - South Dakota State Dual
Win 27–1 Jared Franek MD 16–5 Iowa State - North Dakota State Dual
Win 26–1 Wyatt Sheets 8–4 January 30, 2021 Oklahoma State - Iowa State Dual
Win 25–1 Ronnie Gentile TF 25–9 Lindenwood (Mo) - Iowa State Dual
Win 24–1 Nolan Miller-Johnston Fall Iowa Central Community College - Iowa State Dual
Win 23–1 Justin Thomas 4–0 January 24, 2021 Oklahoma - Iowa State Dual
Win 22–1 Jarrett Jacques MD 14–1 January 17, 2021 Missouri - Iowa State Dual
Win 21–1 Jacob Wasser Fall January 10, 2021 Nebraska-Kearney - Iowa State Dual
Win 20–1 Daniel Ruiz TF 22–4 Loras - Iowa State Dual
Win 19–1 David Hollingsworth TF 17–0 January 3, 2021 Wartburg - Iowa State Dual
Start of 2020-2021 Season (sophomore year)
End of 2019-2020 Season (freshman year)
2020 Big 12 Conference 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 157 lbs
Win 18–1 Wyatt Sheets 6–4 March 7–8, 2020 2020 Big 12 Championships
Win 17–1 Justin Thomas 4–1
Win 16–1 Dewey Krueger 11–5
2020 Last Chance Open at 157 lbs
Win 15–1 Eric Owens Fall February 22, 2020 2020 Last Chance Open
Win 14–1 Wyatt Sheets MD 14–6 January 26, 2020 Oklahoma State - Iowa State Dual
Win 13–1 Colten Carlson MD 16–5 January 17, 2020 Iowa State - South Dakota State Dual
Win 12–1 Jacori Teemer 4–1 January 11, 2020 Iowa State - Arizona State Dual
Win 11–1 Hunter Ladnier MD 17–6 Iowa State - Harvard Dual
Win 10–1 Matthew Dallara MD 18–5 Campbell - Iowa State Dual
Win 9–1 Jerry Rubio Fall January 9, 2020 Iowa State - Utah Valley Dual
Win 8–1 Tyler Shilson TF 21–6 December 14, 2019 Chattanooga - Iowa State Dual
2019 Cliff Keen Invitational 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) at 157 lbs
Win 7–1 Kendall Coleman 4–0 December 6–7, 2019 2019 Cliff Keen Invitational
Win 6–1 Jacob Wright MD 9–0
Loss 5–1 Ryan Deakin 3–9
Win 5–0 Justin Thomas 6–5
Win 4–0 Avery Shay 8–2
Win 3–0 Jared Franek 11–4
Win 2–0 Kaleb Young 6–1 November 24, 2019 Iowa - Iowa State Dual
Win 1–0 Jaden Fisher TF 18–3 November 17, 2019 Bucknell - Iowa State Dual
Start of 2019-2020 Season (freshman year)

Stats

Season Year School Rank Weigh Class Record Win Bonus
2021 Sophomore Iowa State University #3 157 15–0 100.00% 73.33%
2020 Freshman #4 (DNQ) 18–1 94.74% 47.37%
Career 33–1 97.06% 60.60%

References

  1. ^ "David Carr | NCAA Champion, Junior World Champion, Big 12 Champion". carrchamp.com. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  2. ^ "Iowa State's David Carr wins junior world wrestling gold medal". www.thegazette.com. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  3. ^ "David Carr - Wrestling". Iowa State University Athletics. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Goodwin, Cody. "Son of iconic Iowa State wrestler, David Carr is ready to write his own story with the Cyclones". Des Moines Register. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  5. ^ "Ohio's David Carr Named Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award National Winner | National Wrestling Hall of Fame". Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  6. ^ trevor.holbrook@iowastatedaily.com, Trevor Holbrook. "Redshirt David Carr making an impact at Iowa State, set to compete in Cuba at senior level". Iowa State Daily. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  7. ^ Repository, Bill Arsenault / Special to The Canton. "David Carr leading the way for Iowa State wrestling team". The Repository. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  8. ^ a b LLC, ACS. "David Carr (Iowa State) Profile". www.wrestlestat.com. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  9. ^ "Here's what we learned from the 2019 Cliff Keen Invitational — and what it means for the rest of this college wrestling season | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  10. ^ Goodwin, Cody. "Wrestling: Two Cyclones, Two Panthers win Big 12 tournament titles". Des Moines Register. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  11. ^ "NCAA wrestling tournament brackets 2020: Top seeds announced for each weight class". North Jersey. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  12. ^ Goodwin, Cody. "Iowa State wrestler David Carr talks George Floyd protests, Black Lives Matter, USA Wrestling, more". Des Moines Register. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  13. ^ "NWCA Division I Coaches Group announces 2020 All-America Teams". Team USA. April 17, 2020. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  14. ^ "2020 NWCA Division I First Team All-Americans" (PDF). National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA). Archived (PDF) from the original on April 20, 2020.
  15. ^ Slackman, Samuel. "NCAA grants extra year of eligibility to winter sport student-athletes". The Daily Targum. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  16. ^ Goodwin, Cody. "Wrestling: David Carr repeats, Gannon Gremmel, Brody Teske, Parker Keckeisen all win Big 12 titles". Des Moines Register. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  17. ^ "BYU's Folino and ISU's Carr Selected as 2024 Bob Bowlsby Award Winners" (Press release). Big 12 Conference. July 9, 2024. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  18. ^ emmanuel. "Junior World Championships". United World Wrestling. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  19. ^ a b "David Carr Crowned Junior World Champion". Iowa State University Athletics. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  20. ^ a b "David Carr (Centerville, OH) | Trackwrestling Profile". Trackwrestling. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  21. ^ "See the results for the 2019 Dave Schultz Memorial International wrestling event on FloWrestling.org". www.flowrestling.org. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  22. ^ "2019 Cerro Pelado-Granma - 02/15/2019 Results". www.usawmembership.com. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  23. ^ "74 kg Is Up For Grabs At Senior Nationals". www.flowrestling.org. October 6, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  24. ^ Hanson, Austin. "Eierman breezes into 2020 USA Wrestling Senior Nationals quarterfinals". The Daily Iowan. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  25. ^ Mercer, Kevin (March 26, 2024). "Aaron Brooks, David Carr win NCAA wrestling titles while boldly proclaiming '100% Jesus'". Sports Spectrum. Retrieved March 27, 2024.