Penn State Wrestling is currently basking in the glory of its invincible streak this season. However, wrestler Masanosuke Ono is conspicuous by his absence. Ono is the U20 wrestling world champion and also won the gold medal in the men’s 61kg freestyle at the 2024 World Championships in Tirana, Albania.
Penn State Wrestling Head Coach Cael Sanderson Explains The Reason For Masanosuke Ono’s Absence
Recently, in a chat with reporters, Penn State Wrestling head coach Cael Sanderson explained the reason for Ono’s absence from the Penn State wrestling squad this season. He praised the wrestler for his abilities as he stated,
“He’s just a great person, obviously, a real good wrestler. We’re excited to get him in the lineup in the future. And he’s very motivated. He really wants to kick butt folk style And he’s really good. But, yeah, just the kind of person he is. The energy is as good as it gets.”
The head coach further explained that Ono is suffering from some health issues, though he didn’t get into the specifics.
“So just always good attitude, good energy. And, yeah, it’s fun to watch him because he’s getting pretty dang good in both style, putting that. So I don’t know if he’s… Yeah, he’s probably not gonna be able to compete this year. He just kind of has some health issues that kind of double that.”
The Penn State Nittany Lions are arguably one of the most successful teams in collegiate wrestling. Since 2022, under the tutelage of Cael Sanderson, they have not lost at any major college wrestling tournament, be it the Big Ten Conference tournament or even the coveted NCAA Wrestling Championships.
The Nittany Lions have swept the team championships at the NCAA Wrestling Championships four consecutive times. Coach Sanderson wants to increase the tally to five in a row, and by the looks of it, his students are well on track to claim another NCAA title.
They commenced their 2025 campaign on November 14 against the Oklahoma University wrestlers, who were swept 45-0. Since then, the Nittany Lions wrestlers have faced 12 squads and won all duels without major resistance.
The lone exception was their last duel against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who put up some resistance before ultimately going down 12-26, denying the Nittany Lions a comprehensive victory. Next up, Sanderson’s squad will face Michigan on Friday, Feb 6, at 6 p.m. ET.
