It hasn’t taken Mitchell Mesenbrink long to ingratiate himself to his new teammates and coaches at Penn State.

With more than a handful of matches under his belt and more dual points to his name than any of his squad mates, it’s clear that the Wisconsin native is a natural fit in the Nittany Lions’ semi-automatic lineup.

While his breakneck pace and power have been nice additions at 165 pounds, Mesenbrink’s overall maturity and outlook echo those of many Nittany Lion stars who came before him.

“My journey has just been really focused on the pace and just going out and getting points,” Mesenbrink said before the team’s practice on Tuesday. “You like to surround yourself with like-minded people and I think everybody in this room is like that and you’ve seen it from the dynasty that has been Penn State wrestling and the prowess it exudes. David Taylor, Ed Ruth and on, those people went out there and crushed people.”

That’s part of why Mesenbrink wanted to come to Happy Valley from Cal Baptist.

He knows Penn State coach Cael Sanderson and his staff have always been able to cultivate and develop athletes with his go-for-broke approach. He’s watched enough Penn State lineups pin, tech and major their way to NCAA titles over the years.

Now, Mesenbrink will have a real chance to help the Nittany Lions add another NCAA title to the trophy case in Rec Hall. He’s seized the starting spot at 165, where he’s 13-0 with five of his last six bouts ending in bonus points.

Mesenbrink also leads Penn State with 13 wins and six tech falls. The redshirt freshman turned in arguably his best collegiate weekend yet with a pair of road wins against Top 15 wrestlers Cameron Amine of Michigan and Caleb Fish of Michigan State.

Amine appeared to have nothing for Mesenbrink’s up-tempo offense. Michigan’s three-time All-American was called for stalling in the final minute of the opening period, and Mesenbrink forced two more stalling calls and finished with two takedowns and a 12-1 major.

After spending the early portion of the match working feverishly to set up shots on a backpedaling opponent, Mesenbrink said he didn’t let frustration set in as it might’ve in the past.

“That’s one thing I’ve been really working on, not being frustrated and just kind of, whatever happens happens,” Mesenbrink said. “Really, controlling my own mind and things I can control.”

A similar easy-going demeanor helped him in a wild, back-and-forth battle with Fish on Sunday.

Mesenbrink jumped out to an early lead with a snappy takedown before Fish countered his next shot and caught Mesenbrink on his back and in a sudden 6-3 deficit.

“He put me on my back, I didn’t really feel like I was on my back, but it was just like, ‘This is good practice,’” Mesenbrink said.

Fish kept battling, but Mesenbrink secured four takedowns the rest of the way to seal an 18-9 win.

“He's the same person every day,” Sanderson said. “And I think that's a trait of just a great competitor. He's loose and confident, and he used a lot of different things to score points (this weekend). He had to come back in one match. He used his conditioning, he used his technique and he's still freshmen so he can just keep getting better.”

Missing Men

Sanderson said 149-pounder Tyler Kasak and 174-pounder Carter Starocci missed the weekend’s slate because of illness.

They are expected back this weekend when the Nittany Lions travel to Maryland on Sunday.

The 149-Pound Question

Kasak’s absence gave Penn State’s staff an opportunity to look at another candidate for the spot at 149 pounds.

The weight appeared to be wide open after Shayne Van Ness’s season-ending injury in December with Kasak, David Evans and Connor Pierce all in the mix.

Kasak handled the first two duals coming out of the team’s holiday break while Evans took on both matches this past weekend, beating unranked Fidel Mayora of Michigan and Braden Stauffenberg of Michigan State in close decisions.

Pierce hasn’t wrestled since Dec. 10 and the spot appears to be down to Kasak or Evans, who both began the year at 141 and battled one another at that weight in Army’s Black Knight Invitational on Nov. 19. Kasak won 3-2 in a second tiebreaker.

“We’ve been trying to figure out what the right solution there is to make sure that everyone has a good fair chance,” Sanderson said.

The Nittany Lions have six duals left and Sanderson wants whoever the team’s 149-pounder is to eventually earn an automatic qualifier for the Big Ten at the weight.

“That’s something that we have to resolve here quickly,” Sanderson said.

No Decision

Heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet is sure he’ll eventually add to the sleeve tattoo that’s creeping down his right arm. He’ll probably even add something to compliment the gladiator-style helmet that rings around his right bicep.

Either way, there’s no way he’s getting ink during the season. All tattoo decisions are delayed.

So are decisions about his future.

Penn State’s chiseled heavyweight has another year of eligibility remaining, but said Tuesday he hasn’t decided whether or not to come back for what would be his sixth year in the program.

Kerkvliet was signed to the World Wrestling Entertainment’s “Next In Line” program a year ago, the same pathway former Minnesota star Gable Steveson took to the WWE.

The Penn State senior is a known pro wrestling fan who grew up watching his dad’s WWF and WCW VHS collection.

“I’m sure we’ll talk after the season,” Kerkvliet said.