Penn State wrestler Mitchell Mesenbrink is The Open Mat's NCAA Division I Freshman of the Year
Penn State wrestler Mitchell Mesenbrink stormed onto the national scene during the 2023-2024 season. Now, the Wisconsin native is being recognized for his extraordinary first season in State College. The All-American and runner-up at 165 pounds is The Open Mat’s NCAA Division I freshman of the year. The outlet announced the award on Wednesday.
“It’s honestly, a big theme here that I keep talking about is not being too set on winning or losing,” Mesenbrink told reporters after reaching the NCAA finals. He lost the match to Iowa State’s David Carr 9-8. “That’s a big part in practice as well, right? So the way I wrestle, there is no “on” switch. In practice you’ve got to be wrestling like that, you’ve got to view life like that, you’ve got to be living at a vibration and an energy and an enthusiasm that’s pretty either at or over 100, you know?
“So that’s kinda just how I look at life. Whether it’s giving someone — meeting someone for the first time, I’m going to give them my utmost self, when I’m in wrestling in practice it’s not like being a jerk and not letting the guy win or do his moves it’s just bringing it, getting the cardio. Yeah, it was funny the other day I felt my heart rate and I was like, holy cow, I think I do have a heart rate of kind of a long distance runner. I kind of look like it, long, lanky, but I think that’s the ability to be able to go and go and go and go. I can wrestle forever, I feel like.”
Mesenbrink was 26-1 in 2023-2024 with four pins, nine technical falls and four major decisions. He joined the Lions following a redshirt year at Cal Baptist in 2022-2023.
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The Open Mat still must announce its wrestler and coach of the year at the Division I level. Penn State, at worst, should take one of those categories and possibly both. The Nittany Lions have already taken home plenty of hardware, of course, since winning the 2023-2024 team title.
Graduate senior Aaron Brooks won the Hodge Trophy, which is the Heisman Trophy equivalent for college wrestling. He was also named the most dominant and outstanding wrestler at the NCAA Tournament. Junior Carter Starocci and senior heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet won the 174 and 285-pound individual championships, respectively, while Brooks, of course, took the title at 197 pounds. At the Big Ten level, head coach Cael Sanderson was named the conference’s coach of the year. Mesenbrink was the league’s freshman of the year. And, Brooks was the Big Ten Wrestler of the Year and the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the conference championships.
