By: Brayden Marsh

Mitchell Mesenbrink is a junior at Penn State, a 3 time NCAA All-American, and a 2 time National Champion. He is known for being very dominant in his weight class and many fans have named him as the best pound for pound wrestler at the moment. He is also known for his unique wrestling philosophies. He mentions these in many of his interviews after his matches, having a significant impact on his wrestling.

One of his well known philosophies is that he does not accept all of his wins as wins. He believes that how he performed during the match is more important than who won. He also has a constant mindset of aggression and being on constant offense during his matches, and he clearly shows it. He is very rarely seen on defense because regarding his style, the best defense is a good offense. He also believes in Penn State’s philosophy, which is that what is most important is the fun and enjoyment you get from the sport.

Perhaps his most known philosophy is his chess analogy. He believes that wrestling is just as much of a mental game as it is a physical one. He says that just like in chess, your opponent will have a style that they follow. He uses these styles of his opponents against them, rather than just attacking mindlessly. Similarly, on a chess board, this would be equivalent to a setup based on predictions you have. He believes in a constant pressure that will eventually break the mental barrier, leading to his opponents making many mistakes and ultimately losing. He has stated that chess has had a huge impact on his wrestling game and it will continue to do so.

Chess has had a huge impact on Mitchell Mesenbrink’s wrestling career, which likely is one of the reasons he is such a dominant wrestler. He has successfully developed a near perfect, unique style that works well for him.