In Iowa State’s final day at the NCAA Championship, the Cyclones were left with two wrestlers who made it through the first five rounds. 

Sophomore David Carr ranked No. 3, and senior Gannon Gremmel ranked No. 6, still had a chance to stand on that winning podium in St. Louis. 

The Cyclones concluded their battle at the national championship in 13th place, with 37.5 team points. 

Carr defeated every single opponent he had faced thus far in the 2020-2021 season, it was down to one more battle. In the championship round at 157, Carr took on No. 4 Jesse Dellavecchia from Rider University. 

Dellavecchia beat out the No. 1 ranked wrestler, Ryan Deakin, with a pin in the semifinals. 

For Iowa State’s only first place contestant, a Big 12 Champion, in his first NCAA tournament as a collegiate wrestler, Carr did not upset his record or his legacy. 

In the first period of the match, no points were scored; Carr found an escape early in the second period, taking the lead with one point. A switch flipped in the second period, Carr secured a takedown to pull ahead by three points. 

With two minutes of riding time locked in for Carr, he was able to hold Dellavecchia to no points. Carr walked away from his sophomore year completely victorious, taking out Dellavecchia in a 4-0 decision.

Head Coach Kevin Dresser was able to celebrate not only Carr’s victory but his first NCAA Champion as a coach.

“To see kids reach their goals and get on the podium, and then especially win a national title is really satisfying as a coach. It is why I get up in the morning and do what I do” Dresser said. 

Gremmel competed in the consolation semifinals, after losing to Mason Parris from University of Michigan, still with an opportunity to take 3rd place. 

In the semifinals, consolation bracket for third place, Gremmel took on No. 4 Cohlton Shultz from Arizona State. 

There wasn’t much action in the first few periods, eventually Shultz scored on an escape to take the initial lead. Gremmel matched Shultz, finding an escape late in the third period. 

In the tiebreaker period, Gremmel fell to Shutlz in a 3-1 decision. 

With no chance for a third place finish, Gremmel was still in position to take home the fifth place title. In the final bout he went head to head with Trent Hillger from Wisconsin, Gremmel took down Hiliger on Thursday during the quarterfinals. 

In the rematch for Hillger, Gremmel came out hot, grabbing a takedown within the first 15 seconds of the whistle. Racking up over two minutes in riding time, Gremmel was on bottom to start the second period, giving Hillger an opportunity to shave down some time. 

After turning Hiliger onto his stomach, Gremmel took back control of his riding time and gained 2 points for a reversal. 

Gremmel walked away from his final NCAA Championship in 5th place, taking out Hillger in a 4-0 decision.