David Carr Named Big 12 Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Photo Courtesy of Iowa State Wrestling

The following is a press release from Iowa State Athletics Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 26, 2024

Carr Named Big 12 Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year

AMES, Iowa – David Carr has been named the 2024 Big 12 Wrestling Scholar Athlete of the Year, the league office announced Wednesday. He is the third Cyclone to receive the honor, joining Max Mayfield (2013) and Kyven Gadson (2015).

Carr, Iowa State’s Male Athlete of the Year and nominee for Big 12 Male Athlete of the Year, put together a remarkable year on and off the mat.

In May, Carr completed his master’s degree in education with a 3.74 GPA. He was named a 2024 National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-American, First Team Academic All-Big 12 selection and was a member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll in the fall and spring semesters.

On the mat, Carr posted a 27-2 record in 2023-24 and won his second national title to become the 17th Cyclone wrestler to win multiple national titles and the first since 2010 (Jake Varner). David and his father, Nate, are one of four father-son duos in NCAA Division I history to each win at least two national titles.

The Canton, Ohio native won Amateur Wrestling News’ Hammer Award for winning the most competitive weight class at the NCAA Championships. The path to his national title included wins over the No. 1, 2 and 5 seeds, and four of his five opponents in the tournament either finished on the podium or had earned All-American honors at some point in their career.

As the No. 4 seed, Carr defeated eventual All-American Hunter Garvin (Stanford) in the second round, returning two-time All-American No. 5 Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) in the quarterfinals, two-time defending national champion No. 1 Keegan O’Toole (Missouri) in the semifinals and undefeated freshman No. 2 Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) in the national finals.

At the Big 12 Championship, Carr fell to his rival, top-ranked O’Toole of Missouri, in the finals, 8-2. Carr would avenge the loss just two weeks later in the national semifinals on a takedown with 10 seconds remaining to win, 8-6. It capped a historic rivalry where the pair met five times in a two-year span with Carr holding a 3-2 advantage in the series.

Carr owned a 40:3 takedown ratio during the 2023-24 season (80 for, 6 against) and registered 19 bonus-point wins (six falls, nine tech falls, four major decisions). He defeated 10 top-10 opponents, wrested in 14-of-15 duals and led Iowa State with 67 dual points.

Carr helped Iowa State to its first Big 12 team title since 2009 and a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, the Cyclones’ best finish since 2010.