After a successful collegiate wrestling career, John Mesenbrink turned his attention to coaching and Arrowhead benefited from his knowledge and passion. John guided the Warhawks for 13 seasons to numerous Conference, Regional and Sectional Championships. His Arrowhead teams qualified for the WIAA Team State Tournament six times. Three of those years they advanced to the semi-finals, and two of the teams (2005 and 2011) were State Finalists. In addition, John coached two teams that received Honorable Mention recognition for the Team State Sportsmanship Award.
Throughout his high school coaching career (Waukesha West and Arrowhead), John coached 87 wrestlers to the WIAA Individual State Tournament, and 44 of those wrestlers were state medalists, 8 were runner-ups and 12 captured state championships. John is proud that so many of the student athletes he coached developed the drive, determination, passion and skills needed to continue their careers past the high school level and achieve success in the collegiate ranks and in life.
While at AHS, John received the following individual honors:
- National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) Central Sectional Coach of the Year (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin) 2010-2011
- National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) Wisconsin State Coach of the Year 2010-2011
- National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Wisconsin State Coach of the Year 2010-2011
- Wisconsin Wrestling Coaches Association (WWCA) State Coach of the Year 2011
- Wisconsin Wrestling Coaches Association (WWCA) District 6 Coach of the Year 2004 and 2008
In 2016, John was inducted into the Wisconsin Wrestling Coaches Association - George Martin Wrestling Hall of Fame. Today, John, along with his long-time friends and business partners, Ben and Max Askren, helps develop kindergarten through high school age athletes at the Askren Wrestling Academy. This opportunity allows him to share his passion and love for wrestling with athletes and families from communities all over Wisconsin. John currently resides in Hartland with his wife Bernadette and their four children: Morgan, Mitchell, Meryl and Mack.