David Carr was named the Gary Thompson Iowa State Male Athlete of the Year on Wednesday.
Carr is a two-time Male Athlete of the Year, as he won the award in 2021 following his National Championship-winning season. Carr is just the seventh Cyclone to win the award more than once.
After spending his entire Cyclone career at 157 pounds and becoming a national champion at the weight, Carr moved up to 165 pounds for a new challenge. Carr excelled at his new weight, as he only lost one bout in the 2022-23 season.
Carr finished the season with a 27-1 record, falling to Keegan O’Toole in the finals of the NCAA Championship. Carr earned his fourth All-American honors by becoming the national runner-up at 165 pounds.
Of Carr’s 27 wins, 12 came against top-15 ranked wrestlers. Not only that, but 14 of those wins came with bonus points. Carr finished the season with five pins, three tech falls and six major decision wins.
Carr also earned his fourth Big 12 title of his career by pinning O’Toole in the finals. Carr is only the second Iowa State wrestler to become a four-time Big 12 champion. He was the first since Cael Sanderson in 2002.
Not only did Carr earn the Big 12 title, but he was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler in the tournament. He is the first Cyclone to earn that honor since 2011.
Carr wasn’t just an incredible wrestler. He was also an incredible person off the mat.
Carr frequently helped the community, logging 112 hours of community service, the third most by any Cyclone student-athlete in 2022-23. Carr helped out at Court for Kids in Costa Rica, Elementary Milage Club, Kate Mitchell Carnival, WBB Night with Special Olympians, Adopt-A-Family and Fields of Faith.
Carr was also a star in the classroom. He worked toward a 3.86 GPA in the education graduate program and earned many academic honors along the way. Carr was a 2023 College Sports Communications (CSC) Academic All-America First Team member, CSC All-District At-Large member, First Team Academic All-Big 12 selection and an NWCA Scholar All-American.
Carr exemplified what it means to be an outstanding student-athlete at Iowa State throughout the entire year.
