Beau Mantanona: A Wrestling Journey Forged in Family and Perseverance

Beau Mantanona's wrestling career is deeply intertwined with his family, marked by early exposure, sibling bonds, and a unique coaching style.

Early Influences and Family Bonds

Anthony Mantanona didn’t wrestle growing up, instead taking part in jiu-jitsu and judo. But when his oldest son started wrestling, Anthony decided to learn as well, mainly because his son was too young to retain all the wrestling knowledge. Anthony’s younger sons - Beau and Brock - looked up to their older brothers, wanting to copy whatever they were doing. Following in their older brothers’ footsteps meant Beau and Brock were familiar with wrestling and its biggest tournaments from a young age. But having a leg up didn’t just benefit them when it came to matches - it was also another way for the siblings to bond.

“They started out pretty young, and they had success pretty early,” Anthony told The Michigan Daily. “ … They were babies going to tournaments, going to practices and watching their brothers, and obviously at home, wrestling around with their brothers and each other.

Anthony facilitated a unique coaching style that led the family to make a lasting impression on the collegiate wrestling scene. Under Anthony’s coaching, the Mantanonas wrestled with a distinct combination of jiu-jitsu and wrestling skills.

“I thought it was pretty fun because it becomes a built in family thing,” Brock told The Daily about Anthony being his coach. “You don’t have to schedule practice with a coach and go to a gym. I could just go in my garage to work on some things I want to work on.

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Two of those brothers would go off to wrestle at Oklahoma, while the other two decided that Michigan was the right place for them.

High School Success and Collegiate Aspirations

Beau and Brock’s success in the sport grew over time, developing even further during their high school careers. They balanced schoolwork, wrestling and other fun activities, all while making honor roll and graduating cum laude. Though the competition was stronger, they didn’t change the way they trained. Naturally, collegiate wrestling was the next step and was always a goal for both.

At the time of their commitments, Beau was the No. 14 overall recruit and the No. 1 wrestler in the 152-pound weight class while Brock was the No. 9 overall recruit and the No. 1 wrestler in the 150-pound weight class.

“A lot of people thought I was gonna go to Oklahoma, and it was a really good school,” Beau told The Daily. “Was definitely in my top two to three, but at the end of the day, I just wanted to do what I thought was best for me.

Brock decided to follow his older brother. “(Beau) and Brock are really close, and when (Beau) was trying to make a decision, he was talking to Brock about it,” Anthony said. This was typical of their relationship. Growing up, they were - and still are - best friends.

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Collegiate Career at Michigan

After redshirting his freshman year, Beau was ready to make his debut as the Wolverines’ 165-pound starter this season. He was ranked No. But in an early-season wrestle-off match, Beau hurt his knee. The trainers told him he tore his ACL, and all of a sudden, Beau was facing a season-ending injury.

“Well, I mean, obviously surprising,” Brock said about stepping up after Beau’s injury. “(I was) expecting not to wrestle much this year, and then Beau goes down … so I stepped in a couple tough matches out the gates, and I did pretty good. A lot better than I expected, to be honest, and I didn’t know if I was ready to compete at a high level.

Brock had an explosive first half of the season wrestling for the Wolverines. He came in second in the Clarion Open, had a tech fall victory in his dual meet debut, clinched a Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor and at one point was ranked No.

In November, Beau got life-changing news. He actually didn’t tear his ACL and wouldn’t need surgery. Instead, he could quickly rehab his way back to full strength.

“From my side, it was pretty awesome, even when Beau went down,” Brock said. “He’s walking around before my matches, limping around and he’s in my ear just telling me I’m ready for this … And now I’m on the flip side.

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Since his debut, Beau has wrestled in five duals, only dropping one to Nebraska. He upset three higher-ranked 165-pounders in the Northwestern, Minnesota and Indiana dual meets and has enjoyed competing in front of Michigan fans.

Through a whirlwind season, Beau and Brock’s relationship has remained the same - and maybe even grew stronger. Throughout it all, they stuck together. To this day, they study their opponents together and discuss techniques together.

“We’re always each other’s main partners,” Beau said. “We went to all the same tournaments together and trained together, and it’s been pretty cool to go through all these years and have him still be my size.

Wrestling has done a lot for the Mantanona family. It’s taught them discipline, structure and how being successful in a sport can translate into being successful in life. You see that bond whenever Beau and Brock cheer for each other.

High School Career

Beau, a Palm Desert sophomore from California, is the 2021 Cadet World Team member at 60 kg. Beau, a 106-pound dynamo, has won three tournaments already this year, and has only lost once -- to the No. 1-ranked 106-pounder in the state.

We caught up with Beau before Wednesday night's Palm Desert win over La Quinta in which Mantanona pinned his opponent in less than 30 seconds.

Hey, Beau. Obviously you're off to a great start to your high school career. How do you feel like it's been going?

Beau: It's going good this year. Been in some tough tournaments. I feel like I'm right where I want to be right now and I've been doing a little bit better than I've been predicted to so that's been good.

Obviously, your brothers were amazing wrestlers. What has it been like these last six-seven years to watch them wrestle in high school?

Beau: It's cool, you know. I've had a lot of experience in the wrestling gyms and watched a lot, like here at La Quinta even, I've been here a lot watching, and so know it's really cool to finally be wrestling and be a part of it.

What do you like to do for fun outside of wrestling?

Beau: That's tough. I mean, not much to be honest.

What kind of music do you like?

Beau: I like country music, nobody in particular, I just kind of like all of it.

And what is your favorite food?

Beau: Probably like some ribs, some barbecue, something like that.

Back to wrestling, what are some of your goals for this year and for your high school career in general?

Beau: Win state for sure. That's been the goal since I was younger. So that's the main plan.

Do you know the other wrestlers in your weight class that you might have to contend with?

Beau: Yeah, I know a couple of them. In fact, I wrestled one of them last week. He's ranked No. 1 now and I lost to him in a close match. So I know if I want to win CIF I'll have to get past that kid.

Beau Mantanona's Recent Results

Date	W/L	Opponent	Opp. Team	Event	Rnd.	Wt.	Result
12/07	W	M. Espinoza-Owens	South Dakota State	2025 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Wrestling Invitational	3rd Place	174 lbs	DEC 6-3
03/22	L	SVC. Steed	Missouri	2025 NCAA Division I Championships	Cons. Round 4	165	DEC 4-1
03/09	W	A. Sparks	Minnesota	2025 Big Ten Wrestling Championships	3rd Place Match	165	DEC 2-1
02/03	L	M. Harkins	Army West Point	Cleveland State Open Round 1	Round 1	165	DEC 9-4

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