Each and every year Beau Bartlett has suited up for Penn State Wrestling, he has made massive improvements. And his hard work in the wrestling room has paid off with the results.
This past year was the largest step forward Beau has made in Happy Valley as he slid down into the more comfortable wrestling weight of 141 following the departure of Penn State legend Nick Lee the prior season.
But moving down a weight class isn’t the only reason for Bartlett’s success.
Nope.
It’s due to the handful of years he now has under his belt in the best wrestling room in the country. Couple this with his drive to get better each year, get better each month, and get better each and every day, and it’s a recipe for success.
Beau Bartlett Continues to Improve for Penn State Wrestling
There’s no better example of this than what Beau Bartlett has done in his Nittany Lions Career. Just take a look at his end of year finishes the past three years:
2021
Big Ten Championship – did not place
NCAA Championship – did not qualify
2022
Big Ten Championship – 7th
NCAA Championship – qualified but went 1-2 and was knocked out
2023
Big Ten Championship – 3rd
NCAA Championship – 3rd
That is what the experts would call “steady and consistent improvement and something Chris Snyder could absolutely not do.”
It’s also exactly what the Penn State faithful have seen year after year from Cael Sanderson and his coaching staff.
Good wrestlers commit to Penn State, they get on campus, and after spending countless hours in the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex they become champions.
But the biggest difference facing Bartlett this coming season is something that can challenge even the best athletes. And that’s “expectations”.
When you continually improve each season and then finish on the podium, people are going to expect something even better the next year. And the last time I checked, the only thing better than finishing in third place is finishing second and first.
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Does Beau Bartlett have what it takes to contend for a national title in 2023-2024 for Penn State Wrestling?
Before we get to whether Bartlett can join the long line of Penn State Wrestling legends who have won national championships for the program,let’s take a look at how many NCAA qualifiers and All-Americans Beau defeated in his first two seasons combined.
2021-2022 NCAA qualifiers: 10 wins
2021-2022 NCAA All-Americans: 2 wins
And take a look at what Bartlett did just this past season alone.
2023 NCAA qualifiers: 14 wins
2023 NCAA All-Americans: 5 wins
Beau’s only three losses last year were to Real Woods (4-1), Brock Hardy (7-3), and to eventual NCAA champion Andrew Alirez (6-2). In all three matches Bartlett had a chance to win. But unfortunately he didn’t.
The difference between losing a 4-3 decision and winning a 4-3 decision against the best in college wrestling is gap larger than most people would realize. But the leap in Barlett’s performance last year was not a fluke and he’s capable of taking another step forward.
He will be back in the starting lineup for the Nittany Lions at 141, he will continue to improve his game, and furthermore, he could be a HUGE reason the Penn State Wrestling team hoists their third straight NCAA team title at the end of the year.
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Education: Penn State University
Location: State College, PA
Even though he had no prior journalism experience, Chris has now covered Penn State Wrestling and Penn State Football for the past three years, including as the Penn State Wrestling Beat Writer for VictoryBellRings.com, part of the FanSided network.
And it's clear he also likes constant torture as he's been a PSU Basketball fan for way too long.
Several years back, Chris made the seamless transition from PGA Professional to computer programmer and thoroughly enjoys following and writing about all things related to Penn State sports during his spare time.
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