Masanosuke Ono is set to join Penn State’s lineup this season, but the biggest mystery around him isn’t whether he’ll wrestle - it’s where he’ll land.
The most obvious spot is 133 pounds, which lines up with the 61 KG class he uses in freestyle. Another option is 141, a move that would leave Marcus Blaze at 133 for Penn State.
Blaze also wrestles at 61 KG, so one of them will need to move up. That could make sense for Ono, especially with Blaze needing to hold his 61 KG weight for the Senior World Championships in Kazakhstan this fall.
Ono, 22, already owns a Senior World title, though he is not entered in this year’s tournament because he is focusing on folkstyle.
He got a look at competition in that style this past Saturday at Real American Freestyle 12, where he beat Ohio State’s Ben Davino, last year’s runner-up at 133, 4-0.
After the match, NSN spoke exclusively with Ono, and he made it clear the lineup slot is Penn State’s call, not his concern.
“If the coaches say, ‘hey, let’s go 157,” Ono said. “I need to do it. So, I mean, I don’t think about that, you know?”
Penn State won’t be sending him to 157, of course, with Tyler Kasak or PJ Duke both sitting there as options. Between them, they have three All-America finishes.
What Ono is really focused on is the switch from freestyle to folkstyle, and by his own admission, it has been a challenge.
“(Transitioning to folkstyle is) very difficult for me,” he said. “You know, I’ve done freestyle all my life.
So this last year, I’ve focused on folkstyle. And then, you know, like we have Marcus Blaze, Braeden Davis.
Like any coach, they take me down every time. So, you know, it’s hard for me, but I mean, that’s what I found.
I’m excited about competing in folkstyle. So it’s good.”
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