Penn State wrestling adds Japan’s Masanosuke Ono. What to know about the 61 kg World Champion
Penn State is celebrating its 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships title by loading up for the future.
The Nittany Lions will add Masanosuke Ono to their roster for the 2025 season. Ono announced his decision to join the program on FloWrestling Radio Live Monday morning.
The newest Nittany Lion is one of the best in the world at the 61 kg weight class in freestyle and should allow him to transition seamlessly to the 133-pound weight class in folkstyle wrestling at Penn State. Ono won the gold medal at the 2024 World Wrestling Championships and recently defeated former Iowa wrestler Spencer Lee — a three-time NCAA champion — in a 59.5 kg freestyle matchup.
Ono should slot in as a starter right away for Penn State, assuming he makes the transition from freestyle to folkstyle relatively seamlessly. The 21-year-old is expected to have two years of eligibility, but Penn State could potentially petition for additional years.
He joins a lineup that will return a national champion in Mitchell Mesenbrink along with several other key wrestlers — like Levi Haines, Josh Barr, Tyler Kasak and Luke Lilledahl, among others — that helped contribute to a new scoring record at the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
