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Wisconsin's Dean Hamiti, former Arrowhead standout Mitchell Mesenbrink clash in Big Ten wrestling final

Mark Stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·2 min read
Wisconsin's Dean Hamiti (left) locks up with Penn State's Mitchell Mesenbrink during the 165-pound final of the Big Ten wrestliing championships at XFINITY Center in College Park, Maryland on Sunday March 10, 2024.
Wisconsin's Dean Hamiti (left) locks up with Penn State's Mitchell Mesenbrink during the 165-pound final of the Big Ten wrestliing championships at XFINITY Center in College Park, Maryland on Sunday March 10, 2024.

Dean Hamiti’s run to a second straight Big Ten wrestling championship was stopped by a former Arrowhead High School standout who has found a home in Happy Valley.

Mitchell Mesenbrink, a redshirt freshman at Penn State who started his college career at Grand Canyon University, defeated Hamiti, 13-11, in the 165-pound final Sunday at the INFINITY Center in College Park, Maryland..

Messnbrink, who is ranked fifth in Division I in the weight class by InterMat, trailed fourth-ranked Hamiti, 6-1 and, 9-2, before making his comeback. Mesenbrink took control of the match late with an escape, a takedown and a three-point nearfall.

The performance helped Messenbrink (25-0) claim Big Ten freshman of the year and helped Penn State win the team title.

Wisconsin places eighth, five qualify for NCAA meet

Wisconsin finished eighth with 46.5 points. In addition to Hamiti, the Badgers had four other wrestlers automatically qualify for the NCAA championships, which will be held March 21-23 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri:

Eric Barnett (125 pounds): The Greenville, Wisconsin, native makes his fourth NCAA appearance and seeks All-American distinction for the third time. Barnett lost in the quarterfinals but went 2-1 in the consolation bracket to finish seventh.

Joseph Zargo (149): The junior lost in the quarterfinals to former Badger Austin Gomez, who competes for Michigan, and eventually took eighth..

Max Maylor (174): The grad student lost to his former Michigan teammate Shane Griffith, 6-1, in the quarterfinals but wrestled back to take seventh.

Shane Liegel (184): The former Division III All-American lost his opening round match but came back to finish eighth.

More: 'We don't wrestle because it's easy': Wisconsin wrestler Dean Hamiti embraces challenge of defending Big Ten title

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Mitchell Mesenbrink clashes with Badgers' Dean Hamiti in Big Ten final