UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Nittany Lion wrestler Mitchell Mesenbrink has been named a College Sports Communicators (CSC) First Team At-Large Academic All-American. The sophomore wrestler is one of 15 first team selections on the at-large team, covering all NCAA sports except soccer, football, basketball, swimming & diving, tennis, baseball, softball, and track & field/cross country.
Mesenbrink won the 2025 NCAA Championship at 165 pounds this year, capping off a perfect 27-0 season with an 8-2 win over Iowa’s Mikey Caliendo in the national finals. Mesenbrink is now a two-time All-American, two-time NCAA finalist (after advancing to the title bout in 2024) and a one-time NCAA Champion (2025). He heads into his junior season with a 55-1 overall record, including six pins, 27 technical falls and seven majors.
The Academic All-America honor is the latest accolade for Mesenbrink to cap off the 2024-25 campaign. Mesenbrink began the year earning Black Knight Invitational O.W. honors, earned Big Ten Wrestler of the Week laurels once, was the 2025 Big Ten Champion at 165 pounds, earning first team All-Big Ten honors, was an NCAA All-American and NCAA National Champion and earned the 2025 NCAA Technical Falls Award. Mesenbrink helped lead Penn State to yet another NCAA team title, its fourth straight and the 12th in the last 15 championships since head coach Cael Sanderson’s arrival at Penn State.
Mesenbrink was also a first team Academic All-Big Ten honoree. He sports a 3.92 grade point average and is a psychology major at Penn State. Mesenbrink becomes the ninth Nittany Lion wrestler to earn a total of 11 first team Academic All-America honors from CSC (formerly CoSIDA). Zain Retherford (2017), Nico Megaludis (2016), Matt Brown (2015 and 2013), David Taylor (2014), Glenn Pritzlaff (1999), Dave Hart (1993), Jim Martin (1988 and 1989), and Ken Chertow (1988). Brown (2015) and Martin (both 1988 and 1989) were named National Academic All-American of the Year as well.
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