Penn State wrestling star Mitchell Mesenbrink might be moving to a new weight class.
FloWrestling has Mesenbrink as the No. 1 pound-for-pound wrestler in the country, which is nothing unusual.
After all, Mesenbrink has won two straight national championships, is the reigning Dan Hodge Trophy winner and is 89-1 overall in his college career.
But all of that happened at the 165-pound weight class. Flo has Mesenbrink ranked No. 1 at 174 pounds, suggesting that the Penn State lineup might look a little different this year.
WHAT WOULD CHANGE
If Mesenbrink is to move up to 174, Tyler Kasak would likely compete at 157 coming off his redshirt season and PJ Duke would compete at 165. Again, this is suggested by Flo’s rankings. Flo has Duke ranked No. 1 at 165 after finishing third at 157 as a true freshman last year, and Kasak ranked No. 2 at 157 behind defending national champ Landon Robideau of Oklahoma State. Kasak last fully competed in the 2024-25 season, when he entered the NCAA Championships seeded first at 157 and finished third.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Overall, it’s easy to argue that this trio at 157-174 is the best way for coach Cael Sanderson to get his top talent in the lineup. Between Kasak, Duke and Mesenbrink, there are six top-three finishes, two national titles and a Hodge Trophy.
LEVI?
Of course, there’s still a possibility that Levi Haines is back for Penn State at 174. Haines would have to get a temporary restraining order against the NCAA for this to happen, but it’s something to keep in mind.
Regardless of the lineup, Penn State will be a beyond-heavy favorite to win its 14th national title in 16 years.
