Wrestling Signs Two New Highly-Accomplished Recruits for 2022-23
11/16/2021 8:37:00 AM | Wrestling
🖊 SIGNED 🖊
— California Baptist Wrestling (@CBUwrestling) November 10, 2021
Welcome to CBU, Mitchell Mesenbrink!
🤼♂️ 157 pounds
📍 Hartland, Wisc.
🏫 Arrowhead HS
🏆 2x Wisc. State champ, Pre-Season Nationals Champion, Fargo All-American, 2x Super 32 Placer, Recruiting Showcase National Champ, USA Folkstyle National Champ#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/c6oNgZ5E5s
"I am excited about both of these guys, they can compete," Coach Lennie Zalesky said. "We are going to be wrestling the best guys in the country soon and they have proven already they can do that. Both of them are exciting to watch and they're wrestling at the top level right now. It's exciting to have guys of this level come in who you know can step in and will be ready to compete right away."
🖊 SIGNED 🖊
— California Baptist Wrestling (@CBUwrestling) November 12, 2021
Welcome to CBU, MJ Gaitan!
🤼♂️ 165 pounds
📍 Temecula, Calif.
🏫 Temecula Valley HS
🏆 Super 32 Champion, Junior Greco Fargo Champion, Recruiting Showcase National Finalist, Junior NHSCA All-American #LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/vNV9hVo1Ti
Mesenbrink is currently ranked seventh in the nation at 152 pounds in FloWrestling's High School Rankings and comes out of Hartland, Wisconsin and Arrowhead High School. He projects to be a 157 pounder at the college level and is a two-time Wisconsin State champion and Super 32 Placer. He's won championships at Pre-Season Nationals, Recruiting Showcase Nationals and USA Folkstyle Nationals and is also a Fargo All-American.
He was also named the 2021 USAW High School National Recruiting Showcase Tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestling after winning the 152 title this past March.
"Mitchell has a very intense style, he stays on you and keeps a very high pace," Zalesky said. "He's already wrestling like a college wrestler, that's something we try to teach but he's already there. He's one of these guys where a day doesn't go by without a workout. He just loves the sport and it's the same thing with MJ."
14 boys crowned high school division champions and Mesenbrink earns outstanding wrestler honors at the USAW High School National Recruiting Showcase
— USA Wrestling (@USAWrestling) March 28, 2021
📝: https://t.co/UKWhk0mIkM pic.twitter.com/kBqzn3bYTK
Gaitan is ranked sixth in FloWrestling's 160 High School Rankings and is a local product out of Temecula and Temecula Valley High. He's a Super 32 and Junior Greco Fargo champion, a Recruiting Showcase National Finalist and Junior NHSCA All-American. He really made a statement this October at the 2021 Super 32 Tournament when he defeated the top-ranked 160 in this year's recruiting class Levi Haines, who is heading to Penn State, in the championship match.
"MJ is very good when you start to get in on his legs, he's a good counter wrestler and he's really good on top," Zalesky said. "He's a little funky and wins a lot when you start rolling. He will be really fun to watch."
MJ Gaitan takes out Levi Haines & earns himself a belt 💪 pic.twitter.com/7JILUl8CT0
— FloWrestling (@FloWrestling) October 24, 2021
It leaves the Lancers with bright hopes for the very near future when this class is paired with the team's current talented group of underclassmen, which includes true freshman Elijah Griffin, who was a top-20 ranked recruit in his class last year.
"This helps give us a pretty solid team, we are sitting pretty good moving forward," Zalesky said.
Players Mentioned
