FloWrestling Ranks Penn State's Mitchell Mesenbrink No. 1 in America

Penn State's Mitchell Mesenbrink was among the nation's most dominant college wrestlers last season, winning the 165-pound NCAA championship by going undefeated and leading the nation in technical falls. FloWrestling expects Mesenbrink to return to Penn State as the nation's top wrestler pound-for-pound.

FloWrestling has released an early set of college wrestling rankings, which Penn State understandably dominates. The four-time defending NCAA champion returns seven All-Americans and two NCAA champions (including Levi Haines in 2024) from its record-setting 2024-25 team. Nittany Lions coach Cael Sanderson said that each season is just preperation for "the next thing." For Penn State, next season could bring another of its great teams.

FloWrestling ranks three returning Nittany Lions atop their weight classes. Mesenbrink is No. 1 at 165 pounds, where he is the defending champ; Levi Haines is first at 174, where he placed third last season; and NCAA runnerup Josh Barr is No. 2 at 197.

Elsewhere, sophomore Like Lilledahl is third at 125, where he placed third last season. All-American Braeden Davis is sixth at 133. Shayne Van Ness, who was third at 149, returns at No. 2 in the early rankings. Tyler Kasak, third at 157, is ranked third ahead of this season. Ohio State transfer Rocco Welsh is third at 184, where he will replace Carter Starocci. And redshirt freshman Cole Mirasola, who will represent Penn State at the U20 World Championships, is 11th at heavyweight.

Penn State does not have a wrestler ranked at 141 pounds, though that might not last long. The Nittany Lions could be represented there by Marcus Blaze, an incoming freshman who placed third at the 65 kg freestyle weight class at Final X. Or the lineup spot could go to Masanosuke Ono, a 2024 Senior World champion from Japan who committed to Penn State in March. Both would be NCAA medal contenders.

FloWrestling's rankings also do not include incoming freshman PJ Duke, who has qualified for the 2025 Senior World Championships. Duke likely will compete at 157 pounds, where Penn State has a two-time All-American in Kasak.

Penn State has five of the top 25 wrestlers pound-for-pound, according to FloWrestling. Haines is just behind Mesenbrink at No. 3 overall, with Kasak checking in at No. 12. FloWrestling ranks Van Ness 14th and Barr at 18th overall.

Mesenbrink is a worthy choice at No. 1 overall. He went 27-0 last season with 18 technical falls, capping his season with an 8-2 victory over Iowa's Mikey Caliendo in the NCAA championship match. Mesenbrink is 53-1 at Penn State, losing only to David Carr in the 2024 NCAA final. His two-year winning percentage of .981 represents the best start to a career among any Nittany Lions wrestler.

Of course, FloWrestling also ranks Penn State atop its team rankings. The Nittany Lions are comfortably atop a top 5 that features Nebraska, Iowa, Iowa State and Ohio State. Oklahoma State, coached by former Nittany Lion David Taylor, is No. 8 in FloWrestling's team rankings.