2021 NCAA champion David Carr (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com; Graphic/Anna-Lee Marie)
Welcome to a new recurring feature from InterMat as we lead into the 2021-22 collegiate season. We are about 50 days away from the start of the new season, so what better way to ring in the new year than to use that time to count down the top-50 current collegiate wrestlers. Each day a new wrestler will be released.
These rankings have been compiled by members of the InterMat staff and used a combination of collegiate achievements, with 2021 accomplishments carrying more weight than past years, along with win-loss records and notable wins. While we are counting down the top-50 wrestlers based primarily on collegiate accomplishments, it is impossible to totally ignore achievements in the international settings, so they did factor in slightly, too.
Before getting to the next wrestler on the list, look at the wrestlers previously profiled:
#50 - Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State)
#49 - Ben Darmstadt (Cornell)
#48 - Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State)
#47 - Kaleb Young (Iowa)
#46 - Rocky Elam (Missouri)
#45 - Chad Red Jr. (Nebraska)
#44 - Brandon Courtney (Arizona State)
#43 - Brock Mauller (Missouri)
#42 - Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State)
#41 - John Poznanski (Rutgers)
#40 - Brayton Lee (Minnesota)
#39 - Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State)
#38 - Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa)
#37 - Tariq Wilson (NC State)
#36 - Jacob Warner (Iowa)
#35 - Jacori Teemer (Arizona State)
#34 - Tony Cassioppi (Iowa)
#33 - Vito Arujau (Cornell)
#32 - Patrick Glory (Princeton)
#31 - Max Dean (Penn State)
#30 - Keegan O'Toole (Missouri)
#29 - Mike Labriola (Nebraska)
#28 - Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh)
#27 - Austin DeSanto (Iowa)
#26 - Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh)
#25 - Evan Wick (Cal Poly)
#24 - Alex Marinelli (Iowa)
#23 - Ryan Deakin (Northwestern)
#22 - Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers)
#21 - Sammy Sasso (Ohio State)
#20 - Trent Hidlay (NC State)
#19 - Stevan Micic (Michigan)
#18 - Hayden Hidlay (NC State)
#17 - Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech)
#16 - Michael Kemerer (Iowa)
#15 - Mason Parris (Michigan)
#14 - Shane Griffith (Stanford)
#13 - AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State)
#12 - Carter Starocci (Penn State)
#11 - Jaydin Eierman (Iowa)
#10 - Myles Amine (Michigan)
#9 - Daton Fix (Oklahoma State)
#8 - Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State)
#7 - Austin O'Connor (North Carolina)
#6 - Aaron Brooks (Penn State)
Next up is…
#5 - David Carr (Iowa State)
Weight: 157 lbs
Year: Junior
Career Record: 38-1
Hometown: Canton, Ohio
College Accomplishments: 2021 NCAA Champ, 2x Big 12 Champ, 2020 NWCA First-Team All-American
2021-22 Preseason Ranking: #1 at 157 lbs
Son of Iowa State legend Nate Carr, David developed into one of the top recruits in the nation after winning a Cadet World bronze medal and five state championships. He won his first as an eighth-grader than four in Ohio. Given his family history, it wasn't a surprise for the younger Carr to end up in Ames.
Carr redshirted during his initial year with the Cyclones and showed flashes of why he was such a highly-regarded recruit. Overall, Carr went 23-1 and captured titles at four open tournaments. Along the way, he picked up wins over fellow redshirting freshmen Brayton Lee (Minnesota) and Peyton Robb (Nebraska).
After his redshirt campaign, Carr earned a place on the Junior World Team in freestyle. Not content, just making the team, Carr came home from Tallinn, Estonia with a gold medal at the 74 kg weight class. Carr prevailed despite a difficult path to the finals that included wins over opponents from Russia, Iran, and Azerbaijan.
In only his second bout in a Cyclone singlet, Carr picked up a huge win over Kaleb Young (Iowa) in the school's rivalry dual. Carr cradled Young in the third period to break a late 1-1 tie.
About two weeks after the Iowa dual, Carr and the Cyclones went to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and was in a difficult 157 lb bracket. Carr advanced to the semifinals, where he met the undefeated, top-seed Ryan Deakin (Northwestern). The bout was all-Deakin as the Northwestern star cruised to a 9-3 win. He bounced back and finished third with a 4-0 win over fellow freshman Kendall Coleman (Purdue). The loss to Deakin remains his only collegiate loss to this day.
Post-Vegas, Carr went unbeaten in the subsequent seven dual meets and captured bonus points in six of those contests. After a 14-6 major decision over Oklahoma State's Wyatt Sheets in late January, Carr did not see action in any of Iowa State's remaining duals. He did log a win in the famous “Last Chance Open,†prior to the postseason.
At his first Big 12 Championship event, Carr didn't show any signs of rust and was victorious in three bouts, the final coming over Sheets. With an 18-1 record and a Big 12 title under his belt, Carr was given the third seed at the 2020 NCAA Championships. That tournament never was conducted as it was canceled at the beginning of the Covid pandemic. Notables on Carr's half of the bracket included #2 Hayden Hidlay (NC State), #6 Coleman, #7 Josh Humphreys (Lehigh), #10 Will Lewan (Michigan), and #11 Sheets.
The 2021 campaign got underway with Carr putting up bonus points against three non-Division I opponents over his first two weeks of action. From there, his schedule got significantly more difficult, though his results didn't waver. Carr majored Jarrett Jacques (Missouri), shutout Justin Thomas (Oklahoma), then defeated Sheets in three consecutive weekends.
He would roll into the Big 12 Championships after achieving bonus points in his final four regular-season bouts. Despite competing in a deep 157 lb weight class, Carr was never threatened at the Big 12 meet. He posted 8-2 wins in Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) and Jared Franek (North Dakota State), in the semifinals and finals, respectively.
Despite an undefeated record, Carr was given the third seed at nationals again. His 157 lb bracket featured four wrestlers that entered the tournament without a loss. In the opening two rounds, Carr was able to chalk up bonus points with major decision wins over Markus Hartman (Army West Point) and Lewan.
The quarterfinals saw Carr have to dig deep in a sudden victory win over Brayton Lee. That win secured All-American status and put the Cyclone star against the unbeaten, second-seed, Hayden Hidlay (NC State). After a 6-4 win over Hidlay, Carr was finals-bound.
A rematch with Deakin wasn't in the cards as the top-seed was stunned and pinned in the semifinals by #4 Jesse Dellavecchia (Rider). The mat wrestling of Dellavecchia proved to be the difference in that contest. Against Carr, it would be a non-factor. Carr was able to nullify any offensive attacks from Dellavecchia and never seemed in danger during a 4-0 win.
Carr's NCAA title broke a six-year NCAA-titleless drought for Iowa State and pushed his career record to 38-1, while extending a winning streak to 33 matches.
Strengths: Carr has a long reach that allows him to keep his opponents at a distance and work from space. He can get to various attacks from the outside, like doubles and sweep singles. Carr also has a nasty snapdown that provides him with relatively easy go-behinds or gets his opponents off-balance for a leg attack. The long reach also helps with cradles, as Carr can look for one when he gets in on a single leg. His demeanor on the mat is very cool and relaxed and he never seems to be phased by his opponent or the situation in the match. While he's solid on the mat, Carr tends to keep the action on his feet.
2021-22 Outlook: Carr starts the year ranked #1 at 157 lbs. Right behind him is Austin O'Connor (North Carolina), an undefeated, national champion at 149 lbs last season. Also in the mix is Deakin, who has just one loss over the last two seasons and owns the only career win over Carr. As of now, those three should be in a tier of their own.
2021 NCAA champion David Carr (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com; Graphic/Anna-Lee Marie)
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now