Japanese World Champion Masanosuke Ono signs with Penn State wrestling

World champion wrestler Masanosuke Ono signed and enrolled with Penn State Monday. It was made official as Ono posted on Instagram.

He will wrestle folkstyle after wrestling freestyle his whole life, winning a world title for Japan in 2024. He’s expected to be 133 or 141 pounds at the collegiate level.

Ono’s world title in 2024 included a win over two-time NCAA champion Vito Arujau (Cornell) in the semifinals. Now, he’s ready to take on American wrestling full-time in the Big Ten.

“I signed to Penn State University to wrestle for the Nittany Lions!,” Ono wrote on Instagram. “I am excited to learn folkstyle and to compete for PSU! I will work to become an NCAA champion and I am eager to work with Coach Cael, Coach Cody, Coach Nick Lee, and Coach Cunningham. I love State College and the culture in the wrestling room at Penn State. I am excited to compete for all the great PSU wrestling fans!”

Ono, who turned 21 this year, will have full eligibility since he did not ever wrestle collegiately in the United States. He made waves earlier this year when he started training at the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club and eventually beat three-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee (Iowa) in the main event of FloWrestling: Night in America in February.

Ono beat Lee 3-2 and is now 20-3 as a professional freestyle wrestler. The win was notable considering Lee was coming off a Silver Medal at last year’s Olympics.

Masanosuke Ono joins Penn State Wrestling

Ono is just the latest big name to join Penn State. The Nittany Lions won their 12th NCAA title in the last 14 years under Cael Sanderson this past weekend.

So, adding talent is nothing new. 184 pounder Carter Starocci even finished his career as the first and only five-time NCAA champion.

But it’s onto the next thing as Starocci described it. That’s what head coach Sanderson instilled in his wrestlers, particularly his five-time champ.

“It means a lot to me, but as for me, I never want to down play the moment, but I mean it’s always cool but one thing that Coach Cael really instills in us this is all just preparation for the next thing, you know what I mean,” Starocci said Saturday night. “In God’s eyes, I don’t think he looks at anyone different if you’re national champ or not.

“I feel he kind of goes off your character and who you are as a person. All this is just preparation for that. I mean, it’s important because obviously I’m here doing it and I love to do it. But I think it ends at that. I don’t think it’s anything more or anything less.”