Mitchell Mesenbrink wins Penn State wrestling, Big Ten Championship
Penn State wrestling’s Mitchell Mesenbrink first found fans to help celebrate his third Big Ten title at 165 pounds.
- Penn State wrestler Mitchell Mesenbrink won the 165-pound NCAA Championship title.
- Mesenbrink defeated Iowa’s Mikey Caliendo with a 20-4 technical fall in the finals.
- The victory improved Mesenbrink’s career record to 80-1 and helped Penn State secure its fifth straight team title.
CLEVELAND — It seemed all too familiar here for Mitchell Mesenbrink.
The Penn State wrestling junior was starring in his third NCAA Championships finals.
He was facing a certain big-match opponent for the ninth time.
And he was proving, once more, why he’s one of the most successful Penn State wrestlers of all-time.
Mesenbrink improved to 80-1 in his career with Saturday night’s 165-pound title bout victory over Mikey Caliendo here in the Rocket Arena. He pummeled the Iowa senior — even with a cut opened above his eye — with his usual relentless, fast-attacking style that’s earned him the nickname, “The Missile.”
He hit four takedowns in the first period alone on his way to the 20-4 technical fall victory.
Mesenbrink won the Nittany Lions’ first national title Saturday night, following teammate Shayne Van Ness’ upset defeat at 149 pounds. The victory also padded PSU’s points total that clinched a fifth straight team title and pushes it toward another NCAA record.
It was the latest success for Mesenbrink (27-0), whose only college defeat came in the NCAA title match as a freshman, and by a single point, at that. He led the NCAA “Most Dominant Wrestler” standings all season, winning each of his first 24 matches with bonus points and is a favorite for the Hodge Trophy, given to the nation’s top wrestler.
Mesenbrink also defeated Caliendo in the finals of the recent Big Ten Championships and last year’s NCAA finals, among others.
Mesenbrink’s career record gives him the top winning percentage (98.8) in school history (for wrestlers with at least 50 matches). Those right behind him include Ed Ruth (97.84, 136-3 record) and Olympic gold medal winner and current Oklahoma State coach David Taylor (97.81, 134-3).
And to think that Mesenbrink grew up a Penn State wrestling fan in Wisconsin ― but wasn’t accomplished enough to earn the scholarship attention of PSU in high school.
A couple of years later, after breaking through on the international tournament scene and starting his college career at Cal-Baptist, Mesenbrink pursued a bigger stage. Sanderson and company welcomed him as a transfer and he quickly broke into the starting lineup as a redshirt freshman, where’s he won nearly every match since.
Frank Bodani covers Penn State wrestling for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at [email protected] and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.
