ISU’s David Carr Wins 157 Pound NCAA Championship

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Iowa State’s David Carr continues to etch his name deeper into Iowa State wrestling history. On Saturday night, the Canton, Ohio, native won the 2021 157-pound NCAA Wrestling Championship.

With his national title, Carr becomes Iowa State’s 50th individual wrestler to win a national title and the 70th-overall individual national champion in program history.

As a team, Iowa State tied for 13th at the 2021 NCAA Championships with 37.5 team points.

Session VII (Finals)

In the 157-pound championship bout, Carr took on Jesse Dellavecchia from Rider. After a scoreless first period, Carr began the second with an escape. He added a takedown and finished the period on top. Heading to the final stanza, Carr led 3-0.

In the final period, Carr went to work on top, stifling any attempt by Dellavecchia to get to his feet. He racked up 2:04 of riding time and posted a 4-0 decision to claim the 157-pound crown.

With his championship performance, Carr gives head coach Kevin Dresser his first-ever individual National Champion. Carr becomes Iowa State’s first NCAA Champion since 2015, when Kyven Gadson won the 197-pound bracket in the very same arena.

Session VI (Medal Round)

During the medal rounds on Saturday morning, two-time All-American Gannon Gremmel wrestled to a fifth-place finish at 285 pounds. Coming into the week, the heavyweight bracket was touted as one of the deepest in the tournament.

After dropping a tight 3-1 decision to Cohlton Schultz of Arizona State in sudden victory in the consolations-semifinals, Gremmel took on Wisconsin’s Trent Hillger in the fifth-place match at 285 pounds.

The Big 12 Champion got to work early against Hillger, taking him down in the first period. Gremmel finished the period on top and led 2-0. Hillger put in a tough ride to begin the second, but Gremmel eventually broke free and reversed the Badger to extend the lead to 4-0. In the end, it was Gremmel over Hillger, 4-0, for a fifth-place finish for the Cyclones.