UNIVERSITY PARK– For the most part, Friday night’s dual meet against Michigan in Ann Arbor was business as usual for Penn State wrestling star Mitchell Mesenbrink.
Mesenbrink has wrestled 71 matches at the college level. Friday night was win No. 70, a 20-5 tech fall over Michigan’s Justin Gates.
But near the end of the bout, Mesenbrink suffered a cut on his head. There was enough blood that head coach Cael Sanderson was taken aback.
“It was pretty nasty, actually,” Sanderson told reporters Wednesday afternoon. “When I saw our trainer pull his hair up and kind of pull the skin, it was pretty nasty. But the doctors did a nice job, and he’s a quick healer, and he’s Mitchell. So he’ll just keep doing what he does.”
Sanderson said he didn’t see exactly how the cut happened. But he confirmed that it ultimately required stitches.
“He was flying around, and his opponent was flying around with elbows and knees,” Sanderson said. “Not intentionally, that’s just the way the match was going. But yeah, he got hit pretty good and got a pretty nasty cut, and to his credit, was able to just keep his composure and just go get that next takedown and end the match.”
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Mesenbrink is 17-0 with a 100% bonus rate this year. He’s done everything there is to do in wrestling besides win the Hodge Trophy.
Right now, he’s one of the favorites to accomplish that, and the next step is taking on Ohio State’s Paddy Gallagher, ranked No. 16.
Mesenbrink and Gallagher were supposed to meet up at last season’s Big Ten Championships, but an injury forced Gallagher to medically default.
Mesenbrink and Sanderson are hoping Friday’s match won’t feature any blood, but if it happens, Mesenbrink has shown that he can deal with it.
“That’s part of sports, life, whatever,” Sanderson said. “Sometimes you take a cut, and you deal with it.”
