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Penn State Wrestling: 5 Things we’ve learned so far this season

By Chris Snyder

PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 18: Roman Bravo-Young of the Penn State Nittany Lions stands with head coach Cael Sanderson during a time-out in the 133 pound championship match at the Keystone Classic on November 18, 2018 at The Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 18: Roman Bravo-Young of the Penn State Nittany Lions stands with head coach Cael Sanderson during a time-out in the 133 pound championship match at the Keystone Classic on November 18, 2018 at The Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /
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Penn State Wrestling
Beau Bartlett of the Penn State Nittany Lions wrestles Anthony Artalona of the Penn Quakers(Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /

Things we’ve learned No. 3 – Beau Bartlett can beat anyone in the nation, and he can also lose to anyone

First off, when I mean “lose to anyone” I obviously don’t literally mean anyone. I’m not stepping into the ring and besting Beau Bartlett with pudding stained sweat pants.

I’m basically saying anyone inside the top 40. Just wanted to get that out of the way.

Bartlett has picked up right where he left off in the 2021 season. Which is wrestling in nerve-wracking, nail-biting matches where my palms are soaked by the end. I call it “couch cardio” when watching Beau on the mat.

And here’s the thing, Bartlett is phenomenally talented. He was a four-time Prep National Champion in high school, he won the 2016 and 2017 cadet level Northeastern Regionals (freestyle), he won gold at the 2018 Cadet Pan American Championships (freestyle), and he won bronze at the 2021 Junior World Championships (freestyle).

While he’s built quite a name for himself on the international stage in freestyle, his folkstyle record at Penn State has been decent at 14-5.

Last season Beau was impressive when he didn’t face top 25 opponents. In the three matches against top 25 foes he went 0-3 but he was in a position to win all of them.

This season Bartlett owns a record of 6-2, however, he’s only outscored his opponents a combined 35-28. This includes narrow wins against several fringe top 25 wrestlers, a loss to the No. 1 guy at 149 (Yianni Diakomihalis – Cornell), and a loss to an unranked opponent (Manzona Bryant – Lehigh).

Beau recently pulled off the biggest upset of his career in taking down Arizona State’s Kyle Parco in sudden victory. Prior to the latest InterMat rankings, Parco came in at No. 5. He has since slid down to No. 9.

Bartlett has the quickness to wrestle at 149 but he would be much better suited at 141 as this is the weight he typically wrestles in international competitions. Obviously, Sanderson isn’t going to replace Nick Lee so 149 is going to be where Bartlett lives for at least this season.

And his wrestling strategy is consistent. Don’t make any massive mistakes, wear down your opponent, and win a close match in regulation or in overtime. This also means Bartlett is susceptible to keeping the score close against lesser opponents. Conversely, it means he will be in a position to beat some of the top guys at 149.

I hope Beau’s latest ranked victory gives him a shot of confidence that can springboard him into the Big Ten portion of the season. Because it’s going to be a gauntlet the rest of the way.

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