Penn State wrestling’s Mitchell Mesenbrink was listed as one of four nominees for the Best College Athlete, Men’s Sports category at the 2026 ESPYs on Thursday.

The junior phenom was college wrestling’s most outstanding wrestler, winning the 2026 Hodge Trophy after an exceptional 27-0 season with eight falls, 11 technical falls, six major decisions, and one forfeit. He posted a 96.3% bonus rate, only failing to major one opponent all season (Bryce Hepner, NCAA Quarterfinals, 6-0) before capping his season with a tech fall in the national championship against Michael Caliendo of Iowa, the first tech fall in the NCAA Championships Final in 28 years.

He’s the first Nittany Lion to be nominated since Raquel Rodríguez was nominated for Best Female College Athlete at the 2016 edition after her title-clinching goal in the 2015 NCAA Championship Game for the women’s soccer team. She came up short to UConn women’s basketball’s Breanna Stewart.

The other nominees for the award are Indiana football quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Duke men’s basketball forward Cameron Boozer, and NC State men’s soccer forward Donovan Phillip. Folks can vote for Mesenbrink at this link.

The 2026 ESPYs are scheduled to take place at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, July 15, on ABC.

About the Author

Michael Zeno

Michael is a junior from Eastampton, NJ, majoring in international politics. He's a diehard Knicks, Yankees, Rangers, and Giants fan. When he's not watching old OBJ highlights, he likes to bowl and play pickup basketball. He'll forever believe that Michael Penix Jr. was short. You can contact him at @MichaelZeno24 on Twitter or zenomanknows@gmail.com

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