Masanosuke Ono Poised to Make Penn State Wrestling Debut vs. Bloomsburg

The Nittany Lions begin the 2026-27 season seeking their sixth straight NCAA wrestling title.

Penn State wrestler Masanosuke Ono lifts the championship trophy at the NCAA Wrestling Championships at Rocket Arena. | Mark Wogenrich | Penn State on SI

More than 18 months after committing to the Penn State wrestling team, Masanosuke Ono is poised to make his NCAA wrestlng debut Thursday. Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said that Ono, the 2024 Senior World frreestyle champion at 61 kg, "possibly" could be in the lineup at 133 pounds when the Nittany Lions host Bloomsburg at Rec Hall in their 2026-27 season opener.

Ono's debut is among the most anticipated in college wrestling this year, although Sanderson wouldn't commit to it definitively. The head coach said that Nate Desmond, who went 7-0 last season, could wrestle at 133 in Penn State's opener as well. Either Ono or Desmond will replace Marcus Blaze, the returning NCAA and Senior World bronze medalist who is moving up to 141 pounds this season.

Ono, however, is the most intriguing new wrestler for Penn State, which has won an NCAA-record 86 consecutive matches dating to 2000. The Japanese wrestler has a deep freestyle resume but little competitive experience in folkstyle. After winning the 2024 world title at age 20, Ono has wrestled only occasionally and has not entered a folkstyle match tournament with the Nittany Lions.

"The transition from freestyle to folkstyle, that's a tough transition," Sanderson said at his weekly press conference in State College. "That's why you haven't seen it a whole lot. ... He's a great wrestler. He's put in a lot of effort and focus on his folkstyle wrestling. He can wrestle folkstyle. I don't see him getting taken down a whole lot."

This summer, Ono provided Penn State fans a glimpse of his skill, defeating Ohio State's Ben Davino 4-0 at Real American Freestyle's RAF12 event in Cleveland. Davino was the NCAA runnerup at 133 pounds last season, when he defeated Blaze in the semifinals.

The match was Ono's first in the U.S. since he defeated Spencer Lee in a 2025 freestyle exhibition in Iowa. Lee recently won the Senior World title at 57 kg, defeating former Penn State All-American Roman Bravo-Young in the final.

"I want to do folkstyle more because I like folkstyle more than freestyle right now," Ono told reporters at an event in Japan in May. "I was world champ maybe two years ago, but I know freestyle like 95 percent but folkstyle, that I don't know. So I mean, I just I'm excited [to] compete [in] folkstyle more than freestyle right now."

Ono won the 2024 world title by outscoring the wrestlers in his bracket 55-2, defeating the reigning Olympic and world champions in the process. Sanderson has raved about Ono's skill since last season, which the wrestler spent learning the nuances of folkstyle wrestling.

"He's really, really good, obviously," Sanderson said. "He's a very humble guy, very coachable, very grateful. He's very like-minded and fits in our program really well."

Penn State wrestling news and notes

Penn State Nittany Lions wrestler Marcus Blaze pulls off his shirt before his 133-pound semifinal match against Ohio State’s Ben Davino at the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships at Rocket Arena. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

There's other movement in the Penn State lineup, though it will take time to settle. Blaze won't wrestle Thursday night vs. Bloomsburg as he makes the transition from 133 to 141 pounds. Blaze recently won bronze at the 2026 Senior Worlds at 61 kg, which translates to about 134 pounds.

"We felt like it was a good move for him and obviously a good move for our team as well," Sanderson said.

Penn State doesn't expect two-time NCAA champion Levi Haines to return for a fifth year. The NCAA recently won a court victory in Colorado that restricts many Class of 2022 athletes from competing for a fifth season.

Haines is one of them. He will not be eligible this season unless he files or joins a separate lawsuit against the NCAA. Haines, who went 99-4 at Penn State and won four Big Ten titles at Penn State, recently won his first Senior world title.

Without Haines in the lineup, Sanderson said he expects Mitchell Mesenbrink, the two-time defending NCAA champion at 165 pounds, to move up to 174. PJ Duke, who placed fourth at nationals last year at 157 pounds, will wrestle at 165, Sanderson said.

"I don't really understand that whole process [with Haines] and I haven't followed it as closely as maybe I should," said Sanderson, who recently scolded the NCAA for its inconsistent eligibility rules. "It doesn't make a lot of sense to give some kids a year and not give some kids a year. We're trying to figure out how to proceed."

Two Penn State wrestlers, including one former starter, will not compete this year as they pursue mission trips. Sanderson said that Cole Mirasola and William Henckel will take a year off from competition. According to the NCAA, mission trips are among the few exemptions athletes can use to extend their eligibility calendar beyond five years.

Mirasola was Penn State's starting heavyweight last year, going 17-6 at heavyweight and qualifying for NCAAs. Henckel went 9-0.

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