Penn State wrestling freshman Mitchell Mesenbrink now in top 5 ahead of postseason

No. 1 Penn State wrestling capped off another undefeated dual season with a 55-0 win over Edinboro on Sunday. As expected, the Nittany Lions dominated the entire dual, with bonus points in every weight class. While there wasn’t much movement in the national rankings this week, there was one notable change, as redshirt freshman Mitchell Mesenbrink has now jumped into the top five at 165 ahead of the Big Ten Championships.

Mitchell Mesenbrink moves into top 5 of national rankings

Mitchell Mesenbrink has been a standout for Penn State wrestling all season long. His aggressive and attacking wrestling style has garnered attention from much of the wrestling media outside State College, as well. Now, the redshirt freshman has finally moved into the top five of the InterMat Rankings at 165 pounds.

Mesenbrink didn’t wrestle on Sunday, as Edinboro decided to forfeit the bout at 165. If he had wrestled, Mesenbrink would likely have seen the same success as his Nittany Lion teammates against the Fighting Scots.

Despite not taking the mat, Mitchell Mesenbrink was able to move up in the rankings because No. 7 Michael Caliendo of Iowa defeated Oklahoma State’s Izzak Olejnik via a 7-2 decision. Mesenbrink took down Caliendo 12-6 on February 6.

Nittany Lion freshman flashing ahead of Big Ten Championships

The move up the rankings has been a long time coming for Mitchell Mesenbrink. The Nittany Lion star is 19-0 on the year with a 73.68% bonus percentage. He is 5-0 in quality matches against opponents ranked in the top 16 who would be projected to advance at least one round in the NCAA Championships.

Mesenbrink’s impressive victories include decision wins over No. 6 Michael Caliendo (Iowa), No. 12 Antrell Taylor (Nebraska), and No. 15 Bryce Hepner (Ohio State). The redshirt freshman also picked up major decisions against No. 9 Caleb Fish (Michigan State) and No. 10 Cameron Amine (Michigan).

Mitchell Mesenbrink will likely have to face off against at least one, if not multiple, of the five Big Ten wrestlers he has beaten this season in next week’s Big Ten Championships. The big matchup could come in the finals against No. 4 Dean Hamiti of Wisconsin, who is 24-1 on the season and the only Big Ten wrestler ranked ahead of the young Penn State wrestling star.

Is a postseason run ahead for the budding Penn State wrestling star?

If Mesenbrink can win the Big Ten Championships, there isn’t a reason to believe he wouldn’t be projected to make at least the semifinals at the NCAAs. At the national tournament, he will likely face No. 1 Keegan O’Toole (Missouri) and No. 2 David Carr (Iowa State) to win a title, as the two wrestlers have headlined the 165-pound weight class all season.

But, that is a lot of looking ahead for a wrestler who just completed his first full season in college. The talent is there for Mitchell Mesenbrink to be a national champion, but his postseason run will have to start March 9 in College Park at the Big Ten Championships.

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