Following another triumphant outing for the Penn State Wrestling team, standout junior Mitchell Mesenbrink shared his thoughts on his latest performance. Currently holding the top spot at 165 pounds, Mesenbrink has become one of the nation’s most electrifying talents. His star rose even higher last year when he captured the 2025 NCAA title at 165 pounds and clinched back-to-back Big Ten championships in 2024 and 2025.
The Nittany Lions squared off against No. 5 Nebraska on Friday at the Bryce Jordan Center, emerging with a commanding 26-12 victory in a thrilling showdown.
Penn State Wrestling’s Mitchell Mesenbrink On His Win
Mesenbrink faced off against the Huskers’ No. 7-ranked LJ Araujo at 165 pounds, rolling through five takedowns for a 20-5 technical fall victory and increasing Penn State’s lead to 15-9. The rising star is now 16-0 for the season and has built upon his perfect 27-0 record in the 2024-25 season, with his last defeat coming at the 2024 national final.
In an interview after his win against Araujo, Mesenbrink was asked about what area he’s improved in the most this season, to which he said:
“I don’t know, it’s kinda like ‘let’s just wrestle’. Let’s get it going. There’s no need to whine or talk. I feel like I’m more composed, it may not seem like it, but time slows out there. I can really prolong things and wear on a guy and use that. Because the more people know that you’re coming to score points, the more they’re going to do nothing. I can get to attacks in multiple ways.”
Senior Levi Haines, ranked No. 1 at 174, delivered a clutch third-period takedown to secure a gritty 8-6 victory over No. 4 Christopher Minto. Sophomore Josh Barr, also holding the top spot at 197, powered to a dominant 21-9 major decision over No. 9 Camden McDanel, stretching PSU’s lead to 26-9.
Penn State Wrestling Head Coach On The Team’s Performance
Penn State Wrestling head coach Cael Sanderson shared his thoughts on the team’s performance against Nebraska. Renowned as one of the nation’s premier coaches, Sanderson has guided the program to 12 national team titles since taking the helm in 2009.
In a post-dual press conference, Sanderson was asked about the team’s intensity, saying: (0:10 onwards)
“Obviously, it’s a really good team; they’re good at every weight. Some of those guys are the ones you’ll need to beat if you want to be a national champ. Just great preparation overall.”
Penn State remains undefeated at 12-0 this season and will hit the road next Friday, Feb. 6, to take on Michigan in Ann Arbor. The highly anticipated duel begins at 6 p.m. and will air nationally on the B1G Network.
