Penn State Wrestling: Is Mitchell Mesenbrink the Nation's Most Dominant Wrestler?

The highest-scoring, most relentlessly aggressive wrestler on Penn State's roster was discussing this week how few expectations his coaching staff have placed upon him. For Mitchell Mesenbrink, that's why he came to Penn State and why he has thrived there.

"For our coaches and the men and women around this team, there aren’t expectations, as crazy as that sounds," Mesenbrink told reporters this week in State College. "It’s just going out there and having fun. That I feel like is the expectation. In terms of myself, the only expectation I have of myself is to always give my best effort. That’s how we can keep getting better and continue using the best coaching staff and the best partners in the world to keep getting better, because every time I go out there, I am trying my best."

That's who begins the 2025 postseason as one of the major favorites in any weight class to win an NCAA championship. Mesenbrink, the undefeated No. 1 at 165 pounds, has been among the most dominant performers in college wrestling season. He went 19-0 during the regular season with 15 technical falls, most in the country, and two major decisions.

Mesenbrink, a redshirt sophomore, has wrestled just two full 7-minute bouts this season. His smallest margin of victory is nine points. He beat second-ranked, and then unbeaten, Mikey Caliendo of Iowa 19-4 in their dual match. Mesenbrink has scored an astonishing 55 takedowns this without allowing one. He leads Penn State in dual points (75) and dual bonus points (30). And he begins the postseason third in the NCAA's race for Most Dominant wrestler, behind Oklahoma State heavyweight Wyatt Hendrickson and teammate Carter Starocci.

Mesenbrink, the defending Big Ten champ and NCAA runnerup at 165, has been ranked No. 1 all season. Yet some of this success is new to him. He was an admitted late arrival to elite wrestling in high school, at least on the national level. Mesenbrink won three state championships at Arrowhead High in Wisconsin but struggled to top podiums early in his career. That in part led him to commit to California Baptist in 2022.

Then Mesenbrink "made a big jump," as he told FloWrestling in a 2023 interview, one that led him to a U20 world silver medal in 2022 and a world title in 2023. He enrolled at Cal Baptist, redshirting as a freshman, but wanted a bigger challenge. After a visit to Penn State, during which he bonded with Levi Haines, Mesenbrink found a new home at Penn State. There he joined the legacy of Jason Nolf, David Taylor, Bo Nickal and Zane Retherford, wrestlers he grew up watching and wanted to follow.

"Stats don’t lie," Mesenbrink said this week. "So since I was like 8, I was seeing these coaches and this coaching staff and the guys they had access to and were coaching time and time again do just that [win]. The biggest thing [at Penn State] too is, it’s not really a mindset of peaking when it matters. It’s an ever-going process, constantly getting better. That’s why I think you see guys not just winning NCAA titles but winning world titles and Olympic medals and Olympic gold medals, bringing it when it always matters. It’s not when it matters in this small time frame. It’s always being a great wrestler, no matter if it's Thursday in the middle of the season or Saturday in June. You're always ready."

Mesenbrink is 47-1 at Penn State, having lost only to David Carr in the 2024 NCAA final. He has beaten Caliendo four times over the past two years by a combined score of 71-26. And he's on the verge of following those Penn State championships footsteps.

"I ve seen it literally my entire life, remembering those guys doing it, I feel like not at the end but every single time they step on the mat," Mesenbrink said. "No matter if it’s freestyle or folkstyle, they’re always bringing it. And that’s what I want to do, too."

More Penn State Sports