“More veggies, less gummy bears.”

 That simple offseason nutritional tweak for Iowa State’s David Carr could presage a special season for the fifth-year senior who hopes to attain his second NCAA title in March.

 “I’ve been sticking to that,” the decorated 165-pounder said.

 Carr, whose father, Nate, won three national titles for the Cyclones from 1981-83, has been consistently sticking foes on the mat, compiling a 95-3 record while earning All-American honors four times in his storied college career. He’s chasing that second NCAA title this season and fourth career top-three finish at nationals, so no detail is too small as the nation’s second-ranked 165-pounder seeks to fully perfect his craft.

 “I’ve definitely changed a few things,” said Carr, who will face #4 Dean Hamiti of Wisconsin Sunday in a dual meet at Humboldt, Iowa. “Usually I wrestle in the summer, a lot of freestyle in the summer, (but) I took time to just get stronger in the weight room with (strength and conditioning coach Ben) Durbin. Just to make sure everything’s healthy and strong this season.”

Carr’s on a mission to potentially collide with two-time national champ Keegan O’Toole of Missouri for the second straight time at the NCAA Championships in March. Carr beat O’Toole twice last season before falling to him in the national finals. But first things first: Hamiti’s the reigning Big Ten champion and Carr needed two takedowns in the third period to eke out a 7-5 win against him last season.

 “I’ve got a good opponent ahead of me and I’m excited to scrap,” Carr said. “I look forward to big matches. So this will be a good one.”

 Carr said wrestling at Humboldt High School is always a fun, if frenetic, experience. It’s the hometown of his head coach, Kevin Dresser, and a hotbed of support for Iowa State’s program.

 “It’s loud,” said Carr, who wrestled at his own hometown gym at Perry High School in Ohio to open the season. “It feels like the fans are on top of you. They’re super close and it’s a feel that you don’t get too often, where the fans are so close. They’re so loud, so passionate — it’s definitely something special and it’s cool to go back to Dresser’s old stomping grounds.”

 It’s been a full-circle early season of sorts for Carr, who will also likely face #5 Michael Caliendo of Iowa in the Nov. 26 dual with the Hawkeyes that will be televised nationally on ESPN.

 “I really want to be locked in in every facet of my life,” Carr said. “The air’s thin at the top, so I want to make sure I’m very prepared.”

Shifting Spots

 Iowa State’s wrestling room is rippling with depth, so a number of weights remain up for grabs in advance of Sunday’s 2 p.m. dual against the Badgers.

 That’s a good thing, Dresser, said — especially since highly-touted true freshman Cody Chittum won by major decision in his injury-delayed debut at 157 against Davidson and talented transfer Will Feldkamp is close to being back at 184.

 “Feldkamp’s gonna get back in there at some point,” said Dresser, whose team will cycle through another round of wrestle-offs Thursday night. “He’s starting to scrap live now, so we’ll see how he looks for this weekend.”

 Dresser noted that good challenges exist at 125, 141, 157 and 197 in particular.

 “We’re getting closer to a lineup, but we won’t even be there this week,” Dresser said.

Takedown Talk

 Yonger Bastida smiled when asked about the NCAA’s new takedown scoring rules. Three points, of course, are better than two, and the always-aggressive Bastida — who moved up to heavyweight this season — already has 14 takedowns in two wins by technical fall. 

 “I love it,” the two-time NCAA qualifier and 2022 All-American from Cuba said. “Those rules are made for me.”

 Bastida said he’s planning to weigh around 240 pounds throughout his senior season, which will allow him to remain nimble and explosive while still being bulky enough to grapple with true 285-pounders.

 “Being on my feet, that’s my thing, the takedowns and stuff,” he said. “So I feel like the rule change, the 3-point takedown, is something that helps me a lot.”

Small Town Feel, Big-Time Match

 Dresser’s team will wrestle in his hometown of Humboldt for the third straight season. The event is always sold out and he usually tries to ensure the opposing team has a tie or two to Humboldt, as well.

 This time around, that connection exists with Wisconsin because Badgers head coach Chris Bono’s wife, Niki, is a native of the town.

 “Bono’s done a great job there in a short amount of time,” Dresser said of Wisconsin’s coach, who won a national title for the Cyclones in 1996. “We’re lucky to have a tie there. We’ll see what happens next year, but we’ve had three good matches that people are excited to watch (in Humboldt) and our guys love it because they’re right on top of you.”