Penn State wrestling fans spent the offseason wondering why Mitchell Mesenbrink stayed off the freestyle circuit. The answer, according to Mesenbrink, was simple: he needed time away.
That stood out because the Penn State star had every reason to be in the mix. He’s coming off two straight national titles, 54 consecutive wins and a near-unanimous Hodge Trophy victory, the kind of résumé that usually points straight toward a freestyle push.
Instead, he did not wrestle at the U.S. Open and never got the chance to compete at Final X for a spot on the Senior World Team.
In an interview with Justin Basch of the Baschamania Podcast, Mesenbrink said the break was necessary because something felt off for a while.
“I honestly, in full transparency, I had known that I could feel that some kind of like switch probably earlier in the fall, where I could feel like something was really off,” Mesenbrink said.
“And I felt like it was maybe more my emotionality had given, or the things those agreements like I said, had given, those foundational principles have kind of gotten pulled out. Hence the heartbreak of what wrestling was.”
Mesenbrink said the need for a reset may have traced back even before last year’s Final X, when he lost to David Carr. Since then, he’s done nothing but put together the best season of his life.
He also pointed to a quote he likes, one that captures how he’s been thinking about the situation.
“You worry too much for someone that’s figured it out every single time,” he said. “The plan and the life they are living today is the culmination of the actions you’ve chosen, and it’s meant to be where you are today.”
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