Mesenbrink Takes Silver at U20 Freestyle World Championships
8/16/2022 9:34:00 AM | Wrestling
BULGARIA --- California Baptist University incoming freshman Mitchell Mesenbrink continued his impressive summer as he secured a silver medal at the U20 Freestyle World Championships on Tuesday.
It was a strong two days for Mesenbrink as he won four of five matches to finish second on the world stage. He earned his spot at the World Championships after he won the 70 kilogram championship at the U20 World Team Trials with consecutive wins over Penn State signee Levi Haines in June. In July, he went on to win gold at the 2022 Pan-American Championships for Team USA.
"Mitchell is a special young man. Not only does he have a massive appetite for technique, but he also has the unique desire to consistently push himself well past the physical and mental limits where most people would quit. He does not just want to win matches; he wants to break his opponents," CBU Coach Derek Moore said. "Becoming a world silver medalist is an incredible accomplishment. I believe he is the best in the world and this experience will only motivate him to continue to outwork everyone. That is what is so exciting about Mitchell, he is just getting started."
The World Championships were held in Sofia, Bulgaria, as Mesenbrink (70 kg) was joined by Jore Volk (57 kg), Vince Cornella (65 kg), Brayden Thompson (79 kg), and Ben Kueter (97 kg) representing Team USA.
In the opening round, Mesenbrink defeated Muhammad Abdurachmanov of Belgium by a score of 12-0. Abdurachmanov was the 2022 U20 European Championship silver medalist. He then went on to produce a 10-0 victory over Kanat Kerimbekov out of Kyrgyzstan in the second round.
In the quarterfinals, Mesenbrink was tested against Hussein Abbas Mohammad out of Iran in a 9-7 showing. Mohammad recently was crowned the 2022 U20 Asian Games Champion. With momentum on his side, Mesenbrink took complete control of the semifinals, defeating the 2022 U20 European Championship Gold Medalist, Hayek Papikyan of Armenia, 6-3.
On championship Tuesday, Mesenbrink fell into a 6-1 hole against Kanan Heybatov of Azerbaijan. He put together a 5-3 run to narrow the deficit to 9-6 with 1:31 remaining, but Heybatov closed out the match for a 13-7 win.
🇺🇸 𝐔𝟐𝟎 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 🇺🇸
— California Baptist Wrestling (@CBUwrestling) August 16, 2022
Incoming freshman Mitchell Mesenbrink continues his impressive summer, taking silver at the U20 Freestyle World Championships! #LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/iYk4AZHMGT
It was a strong two days for Mesenbrink as he won four of five matches to finish second on the world stage. He earned his spot at the World Championships after he won the 70 kilogram championship at the U20 World Team Trials with consecutive wins over Penn State signee Levi Haines in June. In July, he went on to win gold at the 2022 Pan-American Championships for Team USA.
"Mitchell is a special young man. Not only does he have a massive appetite for technique, but he also has the unique desire to consistently push himself well past the physical and mental limits where most people would quit. He does not just want to win matches; he wants to break his opponents," CBU Coach Derek Moore said. "Becoming a world silver medalist is an incredible accomplishment. I believe he is the best in the world and this experience will only motivate him to continue to outwork everyone. That is what is so exciting about Mitchell, he is just getting started."
The World Championships were held in Sofia, Bulgaria, as Mesenbrink (70 kg) was joined by Jore Volk (57 kg), Vince Cornella (65 kg), Brayden Thompson (79 kg), and Ben Kueter (97 kg) representing Team USA.
In the opening round, Mesenbrink defeated Muhammad Abdurachmanov of Belgium by a score of 12-0. Abdurachmanov was the 2022 U20 European Championship silver medalist. He then went on to produce a 10-0 victory over Kanat Kerimbekov out of Kyrgyzstan in the second round.
🇺🇸U20 WORLD FINALIST🇺🇸
— California Baptist Wrestling (@CBUwrestling) August 15, 2022
Incoming freshman Mitchell Mesenbrink will take on 2021 Junior European Champion, Kanan Haybatov of Azerbaijan for 🥇Tuesday, Aug. 16, at 8 a.m. (PST) on @FloWrestling!#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/nuBnW5RiM4
In the quarterfinals, Mesenbrink was tested against Hussein Abbas Mohammad out of Iran in a 9-7 showing. Mohammad recently was crowned the 2022 U20 Asian Games Champion. With momentum on his side, Mesenbrink took complete control of the semifinals, defeating the 2022 U20 European Championship Gold Medalist, Hayek Papikyan of Armenia, 6-3.
On championship Tuesday, Mesenbrink fell into a 6-1 hole against Kanan Heybatov of Azerbaijan. He put together a 5-3 run to narrow the deficit to 9-6 with 1:31 remaining, but Heybatov closed out the match for a 13-7 win.
They simply can't keep up with Mitchell Mesenbrink's pace! 😤 He scores three unanswered takedowns to punch his ticket to the World Finals. #UWW #WrestleSofia pic.twitter.com/sB6pIRLhRo
— FloWrestling (@FloWrestling) August 15, 2022
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