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Iowa State University Athletics
2021 Iowa State Wrestling Season Review
05.12.2021 | Men's Wrestling
AMES, Iowa -- The 2021 Iowa State wrestling season concluded with a tied for 13th finish at the NCAA Championships. The Cardinal and Gold were led by David Carr, who claimed the 157-pound NCAA Champion. Joining Carr on the NCAA podium was heavyweight, Gannon Gremmel, who took fifth at the NCAA Championships.
CYCLONE POSTSEASON STORYLINES
-David Carr went 5-0 at the NCAA Championships, becoming Iowa State's 50th individual to win a national title and the 70th individual national champion overall in school history.
-En route to the 157-pound crown, Carr secured two wins by major decision and didn't yield a single takedown during the Championships.
-Following the season, Carr was named a finalist for the Dan Hodge Trophy, as well as the Big 12 Wrestler of the Year.
-Gannon Gremmel also earned All-America honors in St. Louis, wrestling to a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
-Carr and Gremmel are Iowa State's 300th and 301st All-Americans in program history and the 86th and 87th wrestlers to earn All-America status in two or more seasons.
-The Cyclones finished third at the Big 12 Championship in a tightly contested team race. ISU's 117.5 team points was the most-ever by a non-championship team at the Big 12 Championship.
-During the regular season, Iowa State posted a 9-3 dual record, which included a 4-1 Big 12 mark.
-Iowa State qualified eight wrestlers for the NCAA Championships. It's the third season in a row that the Cyclones have qualified eight or more for the national tournament, ISU's best streak since 2008-10
-Jarrett Degen became Iowa State's 46th four-time NCAA Qualifier with a fourth-place finish at the Big 12 Championship.
-David Carr and Gannon Gremmel were crowned Big 12 Champions at the conference meet in Tulsa.
-Kysen Terukina and Zach Redding were two of 26 true freshmen in the NCAA Championships field. Iowa State's two true-frosh qualifiers were the second-most of any team.
-Three Cyclones were seeded in the top-8 in their brackets, No. 7 Ian Parker, No. 3 David Carr and No. 6 Gannon Gremmel.
CYCLONE NOTEBOOK
Catching up with the Cyclones
- The Cyclones capped off the 2021 campaign with a tied for 13th finish at the NCAA Championships. ISU was led by All-American, and 157-pound national champion, David Carr. Gannon Gremmel also earned All-America honors with a fifth-place finish at heavyweight.
- Iowa State finished third in a tight team race at the Big 12 Championship behind title performances from David Carr and Gannon Gremmel.
- At the Big 12 Championship, Zach Redding (3rd), Ian Parker (2nd), Jarrett Degen (4th), Carr (1st), Marcus Coleman (4th) and Gremmel (1st) all earned NCAA Championship berths.
- Kysen Terukina and Sam Colbray qualified for the NCAA Championships with at-large bids.
- The Cyclones finished the dual season 9-3 on the year, including 4-1 in conference. The Cyclones posted wins over Wartburg, Loras, Nebraska-Kearney, Oklahoma, Iowa Central, Lindenwood, North Dakota State, South Dakota State and UNI.
- Iowa State got the job done in the classroom, as well. The Cyclones set a program record with 11 grapplers being named to the Academic All-Big 12 teams. Tate Battani, Sinjin Briggs, Joel Devine, Isaac Judge, Aden Reeves, Todd Small, Austin Stotts and Grant Stotts were all First Team honorees. Ethan Andersen, David Carr and Marcus Coleman each garnered Second Team honors.
Carr Champ
- David Carr etched his name deeper into Iowa State wrestling lore with a title performance at the 2021 NCAA Championships.
- He was dominant throughout the tournament, outscoring his opponents by a 40-10 margin and didn't yield a takedown.
- The Canton, Ohio, native is a two-time NCAA All-American, the 86th in Iowa State history. Last year, he earned first-team All-America honors from the NWCA.
- Following his NCAA title performance, Carr was named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Year, and was recognized as a Hodge Trophy finalist. He also added Academic All-Big 12 honors to his postseason awards list.
- Carr is now a two-time Big 12 Champion. Carr topped NDSU's Jared Franek by 8-2 decision to claim his second Big 12 crown. He is the 57th wrestler in program history to have won two or more conference titles.
- Carr went a perfect 20-0 on the year with five majors, four techs and four pins. 12 of his wins came over opponents ranked in the top-25.
- He led the team in wins, bonus-point wins, major decision wins, technical fall wins, dual takedowns, four-point nearfalls and total back points. He held a 60-1 takedown differential throughout the entire 2021 season.
- Carr holds a 33-match win streak, dating back to December 2019. During that stretch, he has accumulated eight majors, five techs and six pins.
All-American Grem
- Gannon Gremmel became Iowa State's 301st All-American in school history with a fifth-place performance at the NCAA Championships.
- The Dubuque native has qualified for the national tournament three times in his career. He became Iowa State's 87th two-time All-American in school history. Last year, he was award second-team All-America honors by the NWCA.
-After finishing runner-up in 2020, Gremmel won the 285-pound Big 12 title in Tulsa at the conference championships.
- The senior went 19-4 on the year with two majors and a pin. Nine of his wins came over ranked opponents. He went 11-1 in dual action. He was third on the team in total dual points scored and fourth on the team in total dual takedowns.
- Gremmel won 31 out of his last 36 dual matches while anchoring the Cyclone lineup. During that stretch, the All-American toppled 16 ranked opponents and has won five matches by major decision and one by fall.
Dresser's Development
- Kevin Dresser inherited a team that finished tied for 57th at the 2017 NCAA Championships. Since then, Iowa State has finished T-45th, 16th and T-13th at the NCAA Championships, improving every year.
- Heading into the 2019-20 season, Coach Dresser's roster included one returning All-American and one returning Big 12 Champ. Over the past two seasons, Iowa State has produced four Big 12 Champs, eight All-Americans and one National Champion.
- The Cyclones have set and broken Iowa State's best Academic All-Big 12 number in school history the past two seasons, with 11 Academic All-Big 12 student-athletes this season.
Parker Power
- Ian Parker was 14-4 on the year with three majors, a tech and two pins. He finished the season with an 11-1 dual mark.
- The senior from St. Johns, Mich., is a three-time NCAA Qualifier. Last year, he earned first-team All-America honors from the NWCA.
- Parker posted a runner-up performance at the Big 12 Championship.
- Parker was named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week for his 4-3 victory over Dom Demas in the Oklahoma dual on Jan. 24.
Redding or Not
- Zach Redding capped off a successful freshman campaign with a trip to the NCAA Championships. The rookie went 10-7 on the year and 7-4 in dual outings.
- He finished the year with three major decision and one technical fall. He was fourth on the team in total dual points scored, fifth on the team in dual takedowns and was second on the team in reversals.
- Redding was one of two true freshmen in the 133-pound bracket in St. Louis.
- Redding finished third place at the Big 12 Championship in a bracket that featured 11 wrestlers ranked in the NCAA Coaches rankings.
- At the Big 12 Championship, Redding went 3-1, scoring two majors over former NCAA qualifiers and knocking off two wrestlers ranked in the top-15 nationally.
Home Grown
- Marcus Coleman compiled a 9-6 record on the year, winning six matches by fall, which led the team in 2021.
- He qualified for the NCAA Championships, making him a three-time NCAA Qualifier at three different weights. Coleman led the field of 197-pounders in St. Louis in falls on the year.
- Coleman finished fourth at the Big 12 Championship and went on a pinning tear. In Tulsa, Coleman went 4-2, with all four wins coming by fall. He led the tournament in pins.
- His final pin of the tournament was over South Dakota State's No. 5 Tanner Sloan.
Four-Timer
- In qualifying for the 2021 NCAA Championships, Jarrett Degen became Iowa State's 46th four-time qualifier in school history. Last year, Degen was named first-team All-American by the NWCA.
- At the Big 12 Championship, Degen finished fourth place to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
- Degen wrestled to a 6-5 record in his abbreviated season, while going 3-1 in dual matchups.
Colbray's Climb
- Sam Colbray compiled an 8-5 record in 2021, which concluded with a trip to the NCAA Championships.
- He is now a three-time NCAA Qualifier. The Hermiston, Ore., native made the blood round in 2019 and was named an honorable mention All-American by the NWCA last season.
- Colbray finished fourth at the Big 12 Championship and qualified for the national tournament with an at-large bid.
Tracking Terukina
- Kysen Terukina is another true frosh who stepped up into the lineup for Coach Dresser this season. After beating out returning All-American, Alex Mackall, Terukina went 8-7 on the year, 4-2 in duals, and qualified for the NCAA Championships.
- After finishing sixth at the Big 12 Championship, Terukina earned an at-large bid for the 2021 NCAA Championships.
- The Ewa Beach, Hawaii was the only qualifier in the NCAA field from Hawaii.
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