No. 1 Penn State wrestling had a huge weekend at the Bryce Jordan Center as the Big Ten Wrestling Tournament host. The Nittany Lions set a new program record, which is unsurprising given the dominant season they had, going undefeated overall and in the conference.
Penn State wrestling creates early separation in quest for Big Ten title
For 165-pound wrestler Mitchell Mesenbrink, though, an unsurprising victory and individual Big Ten title wasn't what mattered most on Sunday.
"This year's a lot different for me," Mesenbrink started when asked about what it meant to win a title on his home mat. "I know what fulfills me in life now. This past year, I won a lot of the things that I wanted to win, and I realized I was the most unhappy that I’ve ever been."
“I know what fulfills me in life now. This past year, I won a lot of the things that I wanted to win, and I realized I was the most unhappy that I’ve ever been.”
— Joe Smeltzer (@joesmeltzer775) March 8, 2026
Penn State wrestling star Mitchell Mesenbrink reflects during his post-match interview with BTN. Watch here. pic.twitter.com/glCbRm5cAS
Mesenbrink said that his faith and putting his hard work into his beliefs is his priority. No matter how good he is, no matter how many titles he holds, and no matter how much money he makes, that's not what fulfills him at the end of the day.
The Nittany Lions won their fourth consecutive Big Ten title as a team on Sunday with 184 total points scored in front of 13,000-plus fans in the crowd. This is the program's 10th overall conference title as well.
Mesenbrink was part of that success, who was one of seven wrestlers that claimed individual Big Ten Championship titles over the weekend.
He faced Iowa's Mikey Caliendo. Mesenbrink was the No. 1 wrestler in the 165-pound weight class and Caliendo was ranked third.
The Nittany Lion defeated the Hawkeye, 12 -3, and earned a bonus points in the match as well. Mesenbrink was also named to the All-Big Ten First Team alongside six other Penn Staters: Luke Lilledahl, Shayne Van Ness, PJ Duke, Levi Haines, Rocco Welsh, and Josh Barr. Marcus Blaze made it onto the All-Big Ten Second Team as the 133-pound wrestler of the group.
The Nittany Lions now head to the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Session one is slated for Thursday, March 19 at 12 p.m. EDT. The matchups will be hosted in Cleveland, Ohio at Rocket Arena.