For Penn State Wrestler Beau Bartlett, It's Time to 'Let it Rip'

Penn State wrestler Beau Bartlett finished his regular season with a 21-5 technical fall after scoring six takedowns in the first period. The normally low-scoring senior then delivered a self-deprecating jab.

"I don't know if I've taken more than one shot in a match before," Bartlett said to laughs from teammates Carter Starocci and Greg Kerkvliet seated next to him for a press conference. For Bartlett, this is the final postseason of his college wrestling career. So it's time, as he said, to "let it rip."

Bartlett, ranked No. 1 nationally at 141 pounds, enters this weekend's Big Ten Wrestling Championships as the top seed at his weight class. He is 18-0 with a win over second-seeded Jesse Mendez of Ohio State, the defending NCAA champ at 141 pounds. The scenario looks much like it did last year, which is why Bartlett is reframing his mindset.

Bartlett also entered last year's Big Ten Championships with an 18-0 record and a regular-season win over Mendez. The Ohio State Buckeye then took two postseason bouts vs. Bartlett for Big Ten and NCAA titles. For Bartlett, those results still resonate this season.

"Up to this point in the year, nothing has been different than last year, so I don’t have those feelings of saying, 'Here's a good win,'" Bartlett said after the regular-season finale vs. American. "I won the dual [vs. Mendez] last year. It’s really just moving forward, continuing to grow, keep that love to compete and really get after it, not being compolacement with myself. That’s easy. The fire’s burning. I want to go wrestle."

Bartlett has produced a decorated five years at Penn State. He has a career record of 92-18, a career record of 28-6 in Big Ten duals and two NCAA medals. Bartlett placed third in 2023 before finishing as the NCAA runnerup last season. But postseason gold has eluded Bartlett in his career. He has won three medals at the Big Ten Championships, including bronze and silver the past two years.

During his career, Bartlett said he has faced "imposter syndrome," wondering whether he was good enough to beat the nation's best talent. Beyond improving technically, Bartlett also has stared down that second-guessing nature to free himself to wrestle at his highest level.

"When I'm really tight and stressed out, that's not when I wrestle my best," Bartlett said this week in State College. "I wrestle my best when I'm just having a blast and letting it rip. And I'm having a blast right now, so it's time to let it rip."

The Bartlett-Mendez bouts have followed similar paths: first takedown wins. All three bouts last season were decided by 4-1 scores. This season, Bartlett won 4-2, scoring the first takedown and giving up a late penalty point. Penn State coach Cael Sanderson revels in the strategic challenge that these bouts present.

"It’s a fine line," Sanderson said after Bartlett beat Mendez in February. "There were some differences. But obviously in a match like that, we’re looking at it as, 'Hey we’re going to meet again in two weeks and again at nationals potentially, so we just have to keep getting better and figure out what Beau can do.' There's going to be small adjustments, and [Ohio State is] going to make adjustments obviously. That's what makes it fun."

Bartlett sought to build a "slow and steady" week of training before his first bout Saturday at the Big Ten Championships in Evanston, Ill. He admitted that would be difficult. "A lot of energy," he said. Still, Bartlett is ready to "let it rip."

"Ultimately I trust myself that I really want to do this," Bartlett said. "There's no place that I'd rather be than right now, so let's make the most of it."

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