Penn State wrestler Beau Bartlett claims No. 1 ranking for first time

Penn State wrestling heads into its biggest dual of the season when the program makes the trip to Carver-Hawkeye Arena to take on Iowa late Friday night. Cael Sanderson brings perhaps his most talented roster yet to Iowa City for this highly anticipated top-three matchup. The Nittany Lions lineup got even stronger this week, as Beau Bartlett becomes the fifth Penn State wrestler to ascend to No. 1 in his weight class.

Beau Bartlett becomes fifth member of Penn State wrestling to rank No. 1

Beau Bartlett has been a steady riser in the collegiate wrestling world over the past few seasons. After redshirting his first year, Bartlett qualified for the NCAA Tournament at 149 pounds in 2022 and finished with a 15-10 record. He then finished third in 2023 at 141 with a 27-3 record.

Now, Beau Bartlett has reached yet another milestone. InterMat ranks the Nittany Lion No. 1 at 141 pounds in the latest polls released this week. The move comes as the previous top wrestler, Real Woods of Iowa, was upset last weekend.

Bartlett is 14-0 this season and has picked up bonus points in 50% of his wins. The bonus percentage is the highest of the junior’s career. Bartlett has definitively become a national title favorite as we turn the corner of the regular season.

No. 1 vs. No. 2 to meet in Iowa City

Iowa’s Real Woods entered the 2023 NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed after winning the Big Ten Championship at 141. He made it all the way to the finals before dropping a 6-4 decision to Andrew Alirez of Northern Colorado.

Bartlett and Woods met during last year’s dual season, a match that Woods won 4-1. The two were expected to meet in the Big Ten Tournament finals, but Bartlett was upset in the semifinals. Bartlett then got a six seed in the NCAA Tournament, making it all the way to the semifinals before also losing to Alirez.

With Alirez gone, the top two wrestlers at 141 will find themselves on the same mat Friday night. But following Woods’ shocking upset by Michigan’s Sergio Lemley in a 14-2 major decision, the rankings are flipped heading into this week’s bout.

The winner of this match will most likely be in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 seed in both the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments. If Beau Bartlett hopes to win the national championship in 2024, it starts by beating the only wrestler who took him down in the 2023 regular season.

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