Penn State’s Secret Weapon: Mitchell Mesenbrink’s Journey to NCAA Stardom
When Mitchell Mesenbrink transferred from Cal Baptist University to Penn State back in April 2023, there were actually a handful of people that said “Who?”.
I mean I get it.
If you weren’t completely plugged into high school wrestling and/or international freestyle, then it’s likely you had never heard his name before.
Coming off a second Wisconsin state title his junior season (2020), Mesenbrink committed to Cal Baptist (the first D1 school to offer him). And even though Mitchell finished high school with a third-place finish in his freshman campaign and three straight state championships, a commitment to Cal Baptist University certainly didn’t move the needle.
But, what did move the needle was what he did on the international stage in the spring and summer of 2022.
Mesenbrink burst onto the scene in Acapulco, Mexico where he cruised to the U20 gold medal in the Pan Am Wrestling Championships. Then in the U20 Worlds in Sofia, Bulgaria, Mitchell blitzed his way to the finals where he ultimately lost a tough match against Azerbaijan’s Kanan Heybatov.
So with a Pan Am gold medal and a U20 World silver medal under his belt, Mesenbrink was no longer going unnoticed. Especially when the best wrestling coach in the country wants you to wrestle for him.
Which is exactly why we used the headline “Penn State Wrestling Supercharges Lineup with Game-Changing Transfer” when Mesenbrink announced his transfer to Happy Valley.
And with what Mitchell did last year on the mat, he was clearly a perfect fit for Cael Sanderson and the Penn State wrestling room.
Mitchell Mesenbrink’s 2023-2024 Season Recap
Out of the gate, Mesenbrink won individual titles at both the 2023 Journeymen Classic and 2023 Black Knight Invite.
During his perfect 7-0 run in these tournaments, Mitchell displayed frenetic energy and his offense was something rarely seen in today’s college folkstyle. He outscored his opponents 103-31 and piled up four technical falls and a pin.
Mitchell followed this up by ripping off 12 straight wins going into the 2024 B1G Championships.
And, with a technical fall and pin in the first two rounds, Mesenbrink punched his ticket to the finals to set up perhaps one of the most highly anticipated matchups on the entire year last season.
Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) 13-11 decision over Dean Hamiti (WIS) did not disappoint in anyway. Mesenbrink’s B1G title proved he could go toe-to-toe with the very best the nation had to offer at 165 pounds.
Then in the 2024 NCAA Championships, Mitchell piled up a technical fall, two major decisions, and a decision to set up a finals match against three-time All-American and 2021 national champion, David Carr.
Even though the result didn’t go Mesenbrink’s way, you could make an argument that his 9-8 loss against Carr was one of the best matches of the entire year.
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Will Mitchell Mesenbrink build on his finish from last year?
So what does the reigning B1G Champion and NCAA runner-up do for an encore this season?
I’ll start by saying I guarantee Mitchell has worked his tail off in the offseason and he is for sure a more improved and better grappler on the mat. This is great news for Penn State fans but horrendous news for everyone else.
Seasoned veterans Mikey Caliendo (Iowa), Peyton Hall (WVU), Julian Ramirez (Cornell), Cameron Amine (OKST), and Andrew Sparks (Minn), all return this year. However, David Carr has exhausted his eligibility in collegiate wrestling.
The ride back to the top never gets easier. Every single guy works to get better so you have to be better than their best. And I have all of the confidence in the world in Mitchell Mesenbrink.
But if there’s one guy in the nation who could give Mesenbrink a run for his money, it’s his teammate from last year.
That’s right, my prediction for this year will be an NCAA finals matchup between Mitchell Mesenbrink and Utah Valley’s Terrell Barraclough.
Wouldn’t that be fun?
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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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