Wrestling has always seemed like second nature for Mitchell Mesenbrink. It makes sense, given his father is former collegiate wrestler John Mesenbrink. After racking up 3 WIAA state championships, the 21-year-old joined Penn State Wrestling, which highlighted that the wrestler had his sights set on something bigger. So, what could that be? The 2024 U23 World Championships, of course! 

Currently underway in Tirana, Albania, several freestyle wrestlers will grace the championship mats on October 25-27. Touted as Team USA’s best chance for the gold at the championships, Mitchell had a long list of competitors to get through for the prize. While the Nittany Lion climbed his way to the quarterfinals of the 74kg, he locked horns with his biggest competitor yet – Kota Takahashi. Having defeated Olympian Viktor Rassadin in the 2024 Asian championships earlier this year, Takahashi wasn’t going to be an easy opponent.

Japan had already bested the United States in the Paris Olympics 57kg finals. Unfortunately, history repeated itself in Tirana; Takahashi emerged victorious 11-8 and was carried off the mat by his match. The official account of Penn State Wrestling shared the results on X, captioned, “Mesenbrink drops 11-8 dec. to Takahashi of Japan in quarters, still alive for world Bronze.” He is currently awaiting a repechage.

During the 2024 Paris Summer Games, Spencer Lee found himself inches away from the Olympic gold in the 57kg division, and the wrestler defeated his competitors with ease. However, when it was time to fight for the prize, things didn’t go his way in the final showdown. Up against Japan’s Rei Higuchi, his foe snuck up with a last-second takedown, clinching a win with 4-2.

How did the wrestler feel about that? “Oh gosh, I mean, shoot. Kind of got to say the Olympics.” Lee was known for his resilience and tricks on the mat. He had even received the nickname “Yoda” for his prowess. However, after enjoying a streak of wins, it finally came to a crashing halt in the French capital. “I lost two in criteria, and then I went for like a last drop with, like, five seconds left. Pretty, pretty tough, I would say.” He lamented over spending his whole for this moment and still, failing. On the other hand, how did Mesenbrink do in Tirana?

Penn State Wrestling Star Mitchell Mesenbrink missed the gold by a whisker

On October 24, the official Instagram handle of Penn State Wrestling shared a glimpse of how Mitchell Mesenbrink was training for the championships. They captioned the video, “Coach Cael has Mitchell ready to face the Earth Shaker at the U23 World Championships.” The coach asked the wrestler to keep hitting the “Earth Shaker” on his opponents, cheekily adding that he wouldn’t show him what that was; he would need to figure it out.

Coach Cael demonstrated a headlock on the wrestler and then instructed him to shake their head. The duo continues to fool around before eventually getting down to business. After Mesenbrink takes him down a couple of times, the coach comments that “it was okay,” but he would be happier if the score would be a little higher for those. After a few more fun moments on the mat, the coach tried shaking his hand, stating it was a good match, but the wrestler tried to pin him down one last time. With such great energy surrounding training, Mitchell Mesenbrink was ready to take on his opponents.

Mesenbrink locked heads with Kazakhstan’s Murat Dzhakupov in a R16 match. The result? The Nittany Lion crushed his opponent 7-2. However, it was now time for the quarterfinals. How did that go? Takahashi attempted and landed a shot in the first 30 seconds. But that wasn’t it; he pulled through with an early 4-0 lead shortly after. But Mesenbrink wasn’t going to let it go – he attempted to snag a point with his high-c, crackdown position and eventually switched to a double leg.

Takahashi seemed to have hurt his knee. As a result, even though the Penn State wrestler had a clear takedown, no points were awarded. With a 5-2 lead now, Takahashi took him down with just 28 seconds left in the period, bringing the tally up to 7-2. However, the Nittany Lion hit him with a left-side single, and the score was back to 7-2 by the end of the period. After the break, Takahashi produced a great scramble, bringing it up to 9-4 now.

The wrestlers tussled for a bit on the mat, with Mesenbrink trying to avoid giving up points. However, another takedown brought it up to 11-4 with 41 seconds left in the match. Even though the wrestler secured him with a leg lace, the final score was 11-8. While he missed out on clinching gold for Penn State Wrestling, Mitchell Mesenbrink will return to the mat for a shot at the bronze.

Will the wrestler return to the States with a shiny piece of hardware? What do you think? Share below.