FloWrestling Names Penn State’s Mitchell Mesenbrink No. 1 Wrestler in America

Last season, Mitchell Mesenbrink of Penn State was one of the most dominant collegiate wrestlers in the country. He went unbeaten and led the country in technical falls to win the 165-pound NCAA championship. Mesenbrink is predicted by FloWrestling to return to Penn State as the best wrestler in the country, pound for pound.

Penn State naturally leads the early set of college wrestling rankings published by FloWrestling. From its record-breaking 2024–25 squad, the four-time reigning NCAA champion brings back two NCAA champions (including Levi Haines in 2024) and seven All-Americans. Every season, according to Nittany Lions coach Cael Sanderson, is only prep for “the next thing.” Penn State may have another outstanding team the next season.

Three returning Nittany Lions are ranked No. 1 in their weight divisions by FloWrestling. The defending champion Mesenbrink is ranked first at 165 pounds, followed by Levi Haines at 174, where he finished third the previous season, and NCAA runner-up Josh Barr at 197.

Like Lilledahl, a sophomore who finished third last season, is now in third position at 125. Braeden Davis, an All-American, comes in sixth at 133. Third at 149, Shayne Van Ness is back at number two in the preliminary rankings. This season, Tyler Kasak is rated third with a score of 157. Third at 184 is Rocco Welsh, a transfer from Ohio State who will take Carter Starocci’s slot. Cole Mirasola, a redshirt freshman who will compete for Penn State in the U20 World Championships, is ranked 11th in the heavyweight division.

Although it might not last long, Penn State does not currently have a wrestler ranked at 141 pounds. Marcus Blaze, an incoming freshman who finished third in Final X’s 65 kg freestyle weight class, could represent the Nittany Lions there. Masanosuke Ono, a 2024 Senior World champion from Japan who committed to Penn State in March, may also start. Both would compete for an NCAA medal.

Additionally, PJ Duke, an incoming freshman who has qualified for the 2025 Senior World Championships, is not included in FloWrestling’s rankings. Given that Penn State has a two-time All-American in Kasak, Duke is probably going to compete at 157 pounds.

According to FloWrestling, Penn State has five of the top 25 wrestlers in the world by pound-for-pound. At No. 3 overall, Haines sits right behind Mesenbrink, while Kasak is ranked No. 12. Van Ness is ranked 14th overall by FloWrestling, while Barr is ranked 18th.

Mesenbrink is a good pick with the first overall pick. He finished the previous season with an 8-2 victory over Mikey Caliendo of Iowa in the NCAA title game, finishing 27-0 overall with 18 technical falls. Only David Carr defeated Mesenbrink in the 2024 NCAA final, and he is 53-1 at Penn State. He has the best career start of any Nittany Lions wrestler with a two-year winning percentage of.981.

Naturally, Penn State tops FloWrestling’s team rankings as well. Nebraska, Iowa, Iowa State, and Ohio State are among the top 5 teams, with the Nittany Lions comfortably at the top. According to FloWrestling’s team rankings, Oklahoma State, led by former Nittany Lion David Taylor, is ranked eighth.