Penn State wrestling superlatives: Top moments and competitors in January, plus a prediction moving forward

Penn State wrestling has put the January portion of its 2023-2024 dual meet schedule in the books. The Nittany Lions are now 7-0. Five of those victories came during this past month. Head coach Cael Sanderson’s top-ranked side beat Oregon State, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, and Maryland by a combined score of 186-18 over the stretch and have now won a total of 51 consecutive matches.

Here are our top takeaways from January as Penn State prepares to host Ohio State on Fri., Feb. 2 at Rec Hall (6:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network).

Three January Penn State wrestling stars

Most months, we order these. This month, they are listed in alphabetical order.

Aaron Brooks | Sr. | 197 pounds

Some Penn State starters have missed time in January. Brooks isn’t among those who have. He has been his usual dominant self, however, despite wrestling in a new weight class. The Nittany Lion won five matches in January. They came by major decision over top 10 foe Jaxon Smith of Maryland and second period technical falls against Michigan, Michigan State Indiana, and Oregon State. He continues to be the top-ranked wrestler in the country at his weight class.

Braeden Davis | Fr. | 125 pounds

Davis has shot up his weight class’ rankings almost as fast as anyone in the country. At the start of the week, he is undefeated and No. 4 in the country. All Davis did in January was secure two top 20 victories, a pair of triumphs that netted bonus points, and five victories total. He is making a case to earn the top seed at Big Tens and nationals at 125 if his torrid streak continues.

Mitchell Mesenbrink | R.Fr. | 165 pounds

Mesenbrink, like Davis, has impressed outside observers with a fantastic start to 2024. The new Nittany Lion rolled through his opponents during the 2023 portion of the schedule. And, after the first 30 days of the new year, he is showing no signs of slowing down. Mesenbrink also won five times in January. He beat top 10 foes Caleb Fish of Michigan State and Cameron Amine of Michigan by decision and major decision, respectively, earned a fall triumph against Maryland, and won by technical fall at Oregon State. His fifth win of the month was by injury default against Indiana in the first period.

Top Nittany Lion wrestling highlight of January

To us, the list is long, but the pick is obvious. It’s Mesenbrink’s complete and utter domination of Cameron Amine at Michigan in the middle of the month. The Wolverine is a three-time NCAA All-American who will again be among the contenders to win the top spot at nationals. Mesenbrink, however, did not care about any of that. He announced his own intentions to win gold by forcing the match referee to hit Amine with stalling time and time again. It was close to the point of Amine being disqualified for stalling. All told, Mesenbrink made his presence known on the national scene by pounding the UM wrestler by major decision, 12-1.

What was the key moment for Penn State wrestling in January?

It came this past weekend at a tournament some 220 miles away from where Penn State was taking on Marland. The Lions sent junior Davis Evans and freshman Tyler Kasak to Lock Haven’s Mat Town Open II. They ended up on the opposite sides of the 149-pound bracket, and both made it to the finals. There, Kasak beat Evans 4-2 for his second win over his teammate of the year, though the first came at 141 pounds in November.

Kasak’s win should cement his status as the team’s starter at 149 moving forward. If so, it means the Lions’ lineup will be locked it as it begins the path to peak for nationals. But, as of Tuesday, Cael Sanderson was not yet ready to confirm that fact just yet.

Prediction for February

Penn State will win most of the top 10 bouts at Iowa, but not all of them. As things stand during the final week of January, those bouts would come at:

125: Braeden Davis vs. Draka Ayala

141: Beau Bartlett vs. Real Woods

157: Levi Haines vs. Jared Franek

165: Mitchell Mesenbrink vs. Mikey Caliendo

174: Carter Starocci vs. Patrick Kennedy

We predict Penn State wins at 157, 165, and 174, call 125 a toss-up that leans slightly to Iowa, and give the edge to the Hawkeyes at 141.