Iowa State wrestler David Carr feels ‘confident’ and ‘well prepared’ as he pursues second national title

David Carr’s mission is nearly complete.

The Iowa State senior — and top-seeded 165-pounder at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, which run Thursday through Saturday in Tulsa, Okla. — seeks to reach the top of the national podium for the second time in his storied Cyclone career.

He’s tuned up and locked in. Skills honed, sights set on gold. He’s ready for whatever a stacked field throws at him, largely because he’s taken care of all of his top competition at least once already this season.

“My headspace is pretty good,” Carr, who is 6-0 this season against the other top-seven seeds, told reporters Wednesday in Tulsa. “I’m pretty confident. Every match is one match at a time and I’ve wrestled a lot of guys. And that’s a credit to our schedule. We’ve had a crazy-deep schedule.”

The Cyclones — who seek to finish in the top 10 at the NCAAs for the first time in 12 years — feature four top-10 seeded wrestlers in Carr, Paniro Johnson (No. 5 at 149), Marcus Coleman (No. 5 at 184) and Sam Schuyler (eighth at heavyweight).

ISU is one of 15 teams to qualify eight or more wrestlers for nationals and head coach Kevin Dresser said his team is healthy as it prepares to begin the late-week grind.

“We have to have a really good, especially, Thursday night and Friday morning,” Dresser said. “Those are critical rounds. We’ve really got to battle (then). Those are the rounds, in my experience here, that you’ve really got to be ready to go, whether you’re on the front side or you’re on the back side. You’ve really got to be ready to go (then) and then obviously carry that into Friday night. Saturday is gravy.”

It’s also when champions are crowned in terms of both finish and toughness.

Carr lost in the second round in a tiebreaker last season, but battled through the backside to attain his best possible finish of third. He’s won 29 consecutive matches since that second-round setback and most recently pinned defending national champ Keegan O’Toole of Missouri in the Big 12 meet to become ISU’s second-ever four-time conference champ.

Now he’ll try to become the Cyclones’ first four-time All-American since Jake Varner won his second consecutive national title at 197 in 2010.

“(I’ve) worked on some things that I really felt like maybe were some weaknesses and I’ve tried to make them my strengths,” said Carr, who has 82 takedowns this season while giving up only three. “So that gives me a lot of confidence. I feel like I’m well-prepared. Whatever happens, happens. I’ve prepared the right way. I’ve trained very hard and I’m excited to show what that training and that preparation can (show) when it comes on the national stage.”

So is Johnson, who rooms with Carr when the Cyclones are on the road. He’s just a freshman, but maintains a confidence level that’s so high, even Carr’s impressed.

“I like that about him,” Carr said. “I like his personality and we’ve really grown close being, like, road warriors; being on the road and being roommates.”

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