Penn State’s Beau Bartlett Named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week

Penn State wrestler Beau Bartlett fittingly won Big Ten wrestler-of-the-week honors after a 2-0 weekend that propelled him to No. 1 in the country at 141 pounds. Bartlett defeated former No. 1 Jesse Mendez of Ohio State 4-2 in a match last Friday that served as a preamble to the postseason.

Bartlett won Penn State’s 11th Big Ten award of a season in which the Nittany Lions went unbeaten in conference action for the fifth consecutive year. The Nittany Lions (14-0, 8-0 Big Ten) can clinch their fifth consecutive unbeaten season overall, and 71st straight win, when they host American on Friday night at Rec Hall in the last dual match of 2025.

Bartlett (17-0) entered the bout vs. Mendez ranked third at 141 pounds, according to InterMat. He had lost three straight decisions vs. Mendez, including for Big Ten and NCAA titles last season. Mendez defeated Bartlett at the NWCA All-Star Classic in November for his third straight 4-1 win in their series.

But Bartlett shifted the dynamic last Friday in Columbus. He scored the first takedown, riding that to a 4-2 decision, his first since beating Mendez during the 2023-24 regular season. Bartlett followed the win with a 9-2 decision over Illinois’ 17th-ranked Danny Pucino on Sunday. With the two victories, Bartlett ascended to InterMat’s No. 1 ranking at 141 for the first time this season.

“I think I’ve been adjusting my mindset to try and improve every week,” Bartlett said before the Ohio State match. “[I] tried to come out really hot at the beginning of the year in the All-Star match and I think I put extra pressure on myself. So really just thinking it’s another match in the right direction, and we’ll have more gos. We’ve had some before. I think I’m doing everything right. I’m having fun with it.”

Penn State has four wrestlers ranked at No. 1 and eight in the top 2, according to InterMat. All 10 of Penn State’s starters are ranked among InterMat’s top 10. The Nittany Lions begin the postseason March 8-9 at the Big Ten Championships at Northwestern. Penn State has won two straight Big Ten tournament titles. The Nittany Lions will seek their fourth consecutive NCAA team title at the NCAA Wrestling Championships, scheduled for March 20-22 at Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia.