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Mitchell Mesenbrink shared an anecdote about getting sick during the Big Ten Conference week, as he headed for a title defense. He made waves at the 2025 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, winning the title in the 165-pound category.
Mesenbrink has been competing at Penn State since the 2023-24 season, claiming his first Big Ten title over two-time All-American Dean Hamiti. He continued his momentum at the 2024 NCAA Championships, soaring past rivals in all the stages but failing to defeat David Carr in the finals.
In 2025, undefeated through 27 matches, Mesenbrink claimed his Big Ten title at 165, defeating Iowa's Mike Caliendo 4-0. Speaking in a recent podcast episode, the 22-year-old opened up about his ill health before the Big Ten and how it became necessary for him to go through a lymphatic drainage system.
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"I think the coolest story though was I was sick, big tens week going into that week. It hit on like Monday. Yeah, and I was like, dude, I sleep I was trying to eat better I was trying to do these things that were not gonna get me saying I'm getting sick crap and so I went and did the lymphatic drainage system." (via Vitality Show)
Mitchell Mesenbrink faced Caliendo in the title-winning match at the 2025 NCAA Championships, defeating the latter 8-2.
Mitchell Mesenbrink shared how his mother helped him choose Penn State as his college
Mitchell Mesenbrink hails from a wrestling family, as his father John competed at Drake University. Her mother, Bernadette, has been a strong support system for him since his early wrestling days. When it was time for the reigning NCAA champion to transfer from California Baptist University, he got motivation from his mother to consider Penn State.
"My mom said, 'I think if you don't go to Penn State, you're always going to wonder, what if? Like, what could have happened?' What college wrestling is.. You know, a lot of the time, the way that people train, I was like, honestly, I'm ready to just get my degree online and just do freestyle. And if I'm not going to enjoy it, I was looking into becoming a firefighter or something..."
He then shouted out to the team and the coaches, saying:
"When you go on visits, Coach Cael doesn't really play games. You just come out on official, why not? I was sitting at practice, got gut feeling, and I just felt like my intuition was like, this is it. Talked to my dad up at the top of the bleachers. I was like, I think this is it. I trust that I'm 110% win or lose. Like, I did what I needed to do. It just went, not if. But these guys with the best team and best coaches in the world."
Mesenbrink won the 74 kg bronze at the World U23 Championships and the US National title in Las Vegas in 2025.
