Penn State wrestling: Mitchell Mesenbrink stays laser-focused after crushing finals defeat

Penn State wrestling clinched its third consecutive and 11^th National Championship in the past 13 seasons on Saturday. It was a stellar final round for the Nittany Lions, with four out of six finalists finishing on top of the podium. However, star redshirt freshman Mitchell Mesenbrink was not one of them, losing a tight match to David Carr at 165 pounds. Following the difficult loss, Mesenbrink gave his thoughts on the performance and is already turning the page to next season.

A tough finish for the rising Penn State freshman

Mitchell Mesenbrink quickly became a fan favorite this season, not just the Penn State wrestling community, but the college wrestling community at large. After going 26-0 in his first season with the Nittany Lions, the Cal Baptist transfer finally met his match Saturday night. Mesenbrink dropped a thrilling 9-8 decision to David Carr (ISU) in the 165-pound final of the NCAA Championships. Carr attacked early, and despite being the beneficiary of two stalling calls, Mesenbrink couldn’t get the final score to pull out the win. The loss was the first of Mesenbrink’s college career.

More gut-wrenching than the loss was how it occurred. Mesenbrink surrendered over a minute of riding time early in the match after being taken down by Carr in the first period. Carr secured the riding time point later in the bout, giving him the 9-8 advantage even though the scoreboard showed the score tied with 20 seconds remaining. Mesenbrink appeared to believe that the dual was headed for sudden victory, choosing to let the clock run out in the third period. It was a costly miscalculation that will be tough to forget with a title within his grasp.

“I think he thought he was going into overtime. So he kind of just shut it down a little bit,” Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson said following the NCAA Championships Saturday night. “But that obviously falls on me as the coach and not communicating that to him. But [he faced a] great opponent. He [Mesenbrink] wrestled an awesome match, and he’s got a really bright future ahead of him. So we’re excited for him.”

Mitchell Mesenbrink reflects on NCAA finals run

It is always challenging to run through a season with such dominance only to take your first loss in the National Championship. But Mitchell Mesenbrink didn’t take time to sulk, already preparing to improve himself for next season.

“My value doesn’t lie in winning or losing,” Mesenbrink said to the Big Ten Network’s Shane Sparks shortly after the conclusion of the finals. “It is the hardest now; understanding that and remembering it. But I do think I put it all out there and worked as hard as I could. Now I can go back and work on the things I need to work on, because I worked as hard as I could.”

165 pound runner-up @Mitch_Mes reflects on his tournament. @pennstateWREST @B1GWrestling pic.twitter.com/LFOcS3mubQ

— Shane Sparks (@ShaneSparksBTN) March 25, 2024

Despite the crushing loss in the finals, Mesenbrink seemed to reflect well on his performance. While he was upset by just how close he was to winning the national title, it didn’t get his spirits down. He smiled and celebrated with his teammates after Penn State wrestling was awarded the NCAA trophy for the team title.

A day later, Mitchell Mesenbrink took to social media and continued his turn-the-page mentality. “It’s not about the one you didn’t get…it’s about the one you’re gonna get,” he wrote. “A roof is a man-made thing, and there is no lid to FLY.”

it’s not about the one you didn’t get…it’s about the one you’re gonna get. a roof is a man-made thing, and there is no lid to FLY.

— Mitchell Mesenbrink (@Mitch_Mes) March 24, 2024

Looking ahead to 2025

Mitchell Mesenbrink had perhaps the best season we have seen from a Penn State freshman since possibly Carter Starocci and Aaron Brooks. Mesenbrink will be a heavy favorite to win the national title at 165 pounds at the 2025 NCAA Championships. With Carr moving on and Missouri’s Keegan O’Toole expected to move up to 174 pounds, the weight class could be there for the taking for Mesenbrink. Another year of training could make stopping the rising sophomore even more difficult.

Mesenbrink will need to be a key contributor if Penn State wrestling is to make it four consecutive national titles for the third time in program history. Aaron Brooks is out of eligibility. Carter Starocci, Beau Bartlett, and Greg Kerkvliet still have to decide whether they will return for one more season in Happy Valley.

But that means young wrestlers like Levi Haines and Mitchell Mesenbrink could become the foundation of this Nittany Lions lineup. If this past weekend was any sign of things to come, Penn State wrestling is in good hands moving forward.

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