The 2024 NWCA All-Star Classic presented by Nike will take place on Saturday, November 16, 2024, at 7:00 pm (ET) in Rec Hall on the campus of Penn State. 

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This event can be viewed only on FloWrestling and will feature 10 highly ranked Division 1 folkstyle matchups along with 5 cross-divisional women’s freestyle matches.

One of the premier matchups of the night is a rematch of the 2024 NCAA Finals between Ohio State’s returning champ Jesse Mendez and Penn State’s Beau Bartlett. Check out the article below for a full preview and prediction of this incredible match. 

Jesse Mendez, Ohio State

Mendez’s Stats:

• 48-11 career college record
• 2-time All-American - NCAA Champ (2024), 6th (2023),
• 2023 U20 World Silver (65kg)

Mendez’s College All-American Hitlist:

• Beau Bartlett (2X)
• Anthony Echemendia
• Brock Hardy (2X)
• Real Woods
• Ryan Jack (2X)
• Sam Latona
• Lucas Byrd (2X)
• Dylan Ragusin (2X)
• Chris Cannon

Beau Bartlett, Penn State

Bartlett’s Stats:

• 74-18 career college record
• 2-time All-American - 2nd (2024), 3rd (2023)
• 2021 U20 World Bronze

Bartlett’s College All-American Hitlist:

• Jesse Mendez
• Lachlan McNeil (3X)
• Vance Vombaur
• Brock Hardy
• Real Woods
• Tyler Kasak
• Clay Carlson (2X)
• Dylan D’Emilio (2X)
• Michael Blockhus
• Kyle Parco

Breaking Down The Rivalry

• 2024 NCAA Finals - Mendez over Bartlett, 4-1
• 2024 Big Ten Finals - Mendez over Bartlett, 4-1
• 2024 Dual Match - Bartlett over Mendez, 4-1 (SV-1)

As the above shows, Mendez leads the series over Bartlett winning 2 of the 3 matches in the rivalry. Every match has been exactly the same score and decided by one exchange. Bartlett won the first meeting last year in overtime when he countered Mendez’s low single and came out on top of the scramble with a takedown. Then, in the Big Ten finals, Mendez secured the match-winning takedown with 13 seconds left in the match with a smooth double-leg.

Their NCAA final match had the most epic finish of any final last year (and in recent memory). With only 20 seconds left and the match tied at 1, Bartlett shot a double and the finish looked imminent as he got behind Mendez in the rear-standing position. However, Mendez hit a standing granby and scrambled to Bartlett’s legs where he finished a takedown with just 5 seconds left in the match. That one exchange is the perfect illustration showing how evenly matched Mendez and Bartlett were last year.

2024 NCAA Finals Match:

2024 Big Ten Finals Match at 20:20:

2024 Dual Match:

Who Wins At The All-Star Classic?

This head-to-head matchup has mostly been a battle between Mendez’s offense and Bartlett’s defense. Mat wrestling has not been a factor in either match as neither wrestler has been close to earning a turn or a minute of riding time. Because of that, their match at the All-Star will likely come down to who wins the battle on their feet. 

Considering their past matches, I’m picking Mendez to come out on top at the All-Star. Mendez is more offensive than Bartlett and in these close matches, I tend to favor the wrestler who has more ways to score. On the other side of things, Bartlett is one of the most intelligent wrestlers in the game and often only needs one attack to win a match. In fact, he was inches away from having that tactic work to his advantage in the NCAA finals match. Regardless of who wins this match, we can expect a battle between Mendez and Bartlett which will set the stage for their rivalry this year and maybe even preview this NCAA Finals at 141-pounds.