2023 NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP

March 22, 2024

Mitchell Mesenbrink

T-Mobile Center

Semifinals Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: We have with us now Mitchell Mesenbrink from the 165-pound Championship. If you could get us started with some comments.

MITCHELL MESENBRINK: Yeah, it's just about competing with heart, and you know, realizing that it doesn't matter if you're down early, just keep going. Keep bringing it. Like I said, wrestling with honor, wrestling with my value not being tied with the outcome, winning or losing, but being tied to how hard I compete and, you know, if I keeping giving it my all. And I think that is hopefully apparent that when I do wrestle I put it all out there and I wrestle with my entire heart.

Q. Congrats. I know you just got done wrestling three minutes ago, but after the whistle blows, what's going on in your mind?

MITCHELL MESENBRINK: Honestly, it's a recap of did I wrestle with as much effort and heart that I could and then it's also about how do I get better? What can I improve on? We're going to blink and tomorrow is going to be done and they're going to be talking about next year and who is going to win again or are we going to win next year? And I'm going to be getting ready for the Olympic Team Trials. So it's like, keep getting better, keep enjoying it, not having my value tied to winning or losing.

Q. Mitchell, it's your third victory against Calliendo this season. What is the key to wrestling well against him?

MITCHELL MESENBRINK: Like I said, keep wrestling. He's a fun guy to wrestle against, and I really do appreciate him. Not for winning or losing, or anything like that, I appreciate us being able to battle and get to have fun. And doing it in front of lots and lots of people. We are kind of like gladiators, you know. We did it at his place, tons and tons of people, and then at Big Ten, tons and tons of people and then here, even more. So it's kind of like we're modern day gladiators. So it's a little fun like that.

Q. Mitchell, you have had a ton of pressure on you with people talking about how much they were expecting from you this entire year. Your teammate, Levi, talked about the pressure on him. Did you feel the same pressure to succeed and if not how did you deal with it?

MITCHELL MESENBRINK: I think, like I said, just keeping in mind what's controllable, and that's just being the best wrestler that I can be. I know I keep saying it, but that's really important and I think the other thing -- it's two things. Depression and anxiety can't exist with gratitude. So when you're grateful, I've been here since I was kid in a car seat, a little baby, so ever since I can remember remembering things in my life, which isn't that long ago but, you know, a little bit, a little more than a decade now, I remember I want to go there. I want to go to Penn State. So it's very -- you know, like, it's funny, Aaron will be being looking at me, Brooks, or Greg looking at me getting ready and I will make this like, this noise because I look down and I realize, Penn State is on my chest and I get to wrestle for Penn State. So that is the reason I can stay grounded and not really -- highs and lows and pressures and stuff like that, you know?

Q. Mitchell, you have talked about the journey and about getting better along that journey, but I would assume there have to be milestones to measure that improvement. Was this one of the milestones you envisioned when you committed to Penn State and started the journey in Happy Valley?

MITCHELL MESENBRINK: I don't know. It's more of like -- I've never been like, oh, it's just because they win, Penn State that is. It's because of how they go out there. Winning or losing, and they go out there and bring it. That's what I've -- since I can remember even wrestling, it was like go out there -- and my dad would say, you know, performance, that matters. It's not about winning or losing. I could care less. So for me, if I go out there and win stalling, I don't want that. If that means I lose because I go out there and shoot, so be it. But, yeah, that's -- you know, the journey and all the things -- honestly, going to Penn State, I know it's the best place I can be to be the best wrestler that I can be. That's more of the "milestones."

Q. You talked about that you always wanted to wrestle for Penn State, but you didn't start your career there. How did that happen that you went out west first and then you went east?

MITCHELL MESENBRINK: It was just the opportunity that presented itself at the time. Grateful for the opportunities, and the opportunity that it happened and I got to learn from it and become better, not just a better wrestler but a better man and a better human and continuing to flourish because I keep saying stuff about value. My value is not tied into winning or losing, it's about becoming a better human every day when I go to class when I treat people, see people, open up doors for people, that's where the value is. Going out west, it was an opportunity that presented itself at the time and now we're here and I've been here for almost nine months now and I freaking love it. It's great.

Q. A lot of people talk about your pace and how you push pace. Ultimately how your pace is what pushes you to wins. We saw your pace really come back in the Big Ten finals. What does your training look like to keep up so much movement and forward pressure?

MITCHELL MESENBRINK: It's honestly, a big theme here that I keep talking about is not being too set on winning or losing. That's a big part in practice as well, right? So the way I wrestle, there is no "on" switch. In practice you've got to be wrestling like that, you've got to view life like that, you've got to be living at a vibration and an energy and an enthusiasm that's pretty either at or over 100, you know?

So that's kinda just how I look at life. Whether it's giving someone -- meeting someone for the first time, I'm going to give them my utmost self, when I'm in wrestling in practice it's not like being a jerk and not letting the guy win or do his moves it's just bringing it, getting the cardio. Yeah, it was funny the other day I felt my heart rate and I was like, holy cow, I think I do have a heart rate of kind of a long distance runner. I kind of look like it, long, lanky, but I think that's the ability to be able to go and go and go and go. I can wrestle forever, I feel like.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.