Penn State wrestling: Mitchell Mesenbrink takes home national Freshman of the Year honors

Mitchell Mesenbrink is earning national recognition for his breakout performance in the 2023-24 season. On Wednesday, the budding Penn State wrestling star was named the NCAA Division I Freshman of the Year by The Open Mat. The newcomer to the Nittany Lions cruised through his competition all year, only falling in the finals of the NCAA Championships.

Mitchell Mesenbrink wins NCAA Freshman of the Year honors

There wasn’t a faster-rising star within the Penn State wrestling program this past season than Mitchell Mesenbrink. Wrestling just two matches for Cal Baptist before redshirting in 2022-23, Mesenbrink made his way to Happy Valley and won the starting role at 165 pounds this winter. He quickly became a fan favorite for his pace and aggressiveness on the mat, as well as his positive and happy attitude off of it.

Mesenbrink had an incredible redshirt freshman season, winning a Big Ten title and finishing as the NCAA Runner-Up at 165 pounds. He went 26-1 record with a 70.37% bonus percentage, picking up four pins, nine technical falls, and four major decisions throughout the season. Mesenbrink’s only loss of the season came to David Carr by one point in the NCAA finals.

Now, Mitchell Mesenbrink has been awarded the Freshman of the Year award by The Open Mat. Bestowing the honor upon him Wednesday, the outlet noted that the Wisconsin native went above and beyond the high bar set for him coming into the year.

“After winning a gold medal at the U20 World Championships in freestyle last summer, expectations were sky-high for Penn State freshman Mitchell Mesenbrink going into the 2023-24 college wrestling season,” the outlet wrote in its announcement. “Mesenbrink exceeded those expectations as a freshman, winning a Big Ten title and reaching the NCAA finals at 165 pounds, a weight class that included three past NCAA champions.”

Penn State's Mitchell Mesenbrink has been named NCAA Division I Freshman of the Year by The Open Mat. Mesenbrink won a Big Ten title and reached the NCAA finals at 165 pounds. He finished the season with a 26-1 record. https://t.co/RrUECtYCTk#NCAAwrestling #d1wrestle pic.twitter.com/MJqTG5zVlq

— The Open Mat (@theopenmat) May 29, 2024

If his performance on the mat this past season wasn’t enough, Wednesday’s award should signal to the rest of the NCAA wrestling world that Mitchell Mesenbrink has arrived and will be a heavy favorite to be on top of the podium next season.

Looking ahead to 2025 for the newest Penn State wrestling star

Penn State wrestling once again is the overwhelming favorite to win its fourth consecutive team NCAA Championship in 2024-25. That will be in part because of the expected contribution from Mitchell Mesenbrink, who is the top-ranked wrestler at 165 pounds in FloWrestling’s way-too-early preseason rankings.

The top contenders at the weight from last year have all moved on, with David Carr out of eligibility and Keegan O’Toole and Dean Hamiti moving up to 174 pounds.

This leaves Michael Caliendo from Iowa as the main contender to Mesenbrink at the weight class. Mesenbrink defeated Caliendo three times last year: by a 12-6 decision in a dual, a 23-7 tech fall decision at the Big Ten Championships, and a 17-9 major decision in the NCAA Championship semifinals.

With three more years remaining eligibility, the future certainly looks bright for Mitchell Mesenbrink in Happy Valley.

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