Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541276
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 5 47 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 3 Speaking of Ono … The Japanese superstar com- mitted to Penn State in March after claiming U20 and Senior World cham- pionships in 2024. Ono has been with PSU off and on ever since, and now a few of the unknowns surrounding his addition have been answered. Perhaps the biggest of those un- knowns concerned his eligibility. Ac- cording to Penn State's official roster, he's a junior. That means he could red- shirt this year — which is expected — before using his two seasons of eligibil- ity in 2026-27 and '27-28. Penn State lists Ono at 133 pounds. He wrestled at the Bill Farrell Memo- rial international tournament Nov. 7-8 at 57 kilograms, or 125 pounds, but his future as a folkstyle competitor appears to be at either 133 or 141. He earned both of his international gold medals at 61 kg (134.1 pounds). When Ono was asked by FloWres- tling why he chose the Nittany Lions, he said, "Just because Penn State is the best in the world. Penn State will help me." 4 There will be a battle at heavyweight Lucas Cochran is back for his senior season with the Nittany Lions, and he's at a new weight. After checking in at 197 pounds last year, Cochran is now listed at 285. That means he will battle redshirt freshman Cole Mirasola for the right to replace Greg Kerkvliet, a five-time All-American and the 2024 national champion. It should be a great battle, and just like at 141 pounds, it may not be decided until later in the dual meet season. Sanderson and his staff have proven over the years that they are never in a rush to set their full lineup. They will take as much time as they need to feel as though they have the best starting 10 for the postseason. 5 A few random observa- tions • In addition to the starting battles mentioned above, Penn State will be looking for either freshman PJ Duke or junior Tyler Kasak to claim the 157-pound spot. • Redshirt freshman Cael Nasdeo has joined Nagao and Davis in bumping up from 133 to 141 pounds. • Redshirt freshman Joe Sealey is go- ing back down to 157 after being listed at 165 last year. Classmate Ty Watson is now up at 165 after being listed at 157 during the 2024-25 season. ■ PSU Trio Wins Gold At U23 World Championships Penn State wrestlers won four medals at the U23 World Championships, helping Team USA claim the men's freestyle team title Oct. 20-27 in Novi Sad, Serbia. Three Nittany Lions returned to State College with gold medals. Senior Levi Haines won the 79-ki- logram bracket, junior Mitchell Mesenbrink took gold at 74 kg, and sophomore Luke Lilledahl was first at 57 kg. In addition, freshman PJ Duke finished third at 70 kg. Lilledahl faced Japan's Yuta Kikuchi in the final, taking a 2-0 lead after two shot-clock violations. He clinched the match with a single-leg takedown in the final minute, winning 4-0 for the third age- group gold medal of his career. The former Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) standout finished the tourna- ment with a 4-0 record. Haines pulled off a couple of early 4-point moves en route to an 11-1 technical fall over Ibrahim Yaprek of Turkey in the final, finishing his tournament run with a 4-0 record. Messenbrink went 5-0 in Serbia, with the last of those victories coming by technical fall, 12-2, in the gold medal match against Muhammed Ozmus of Turkey. Duke pinned Davit Margaryan of Armenia in the closing seconds of the first period to win the bronze medal match. The incoming freshman went 4-1 at the tournament. Three other Penn State wrestlers competed in Serbia. Sophomore Rocco Welsh was seventh at 86 kg, while sophomore Josh Barr placed 10th due to an injury default at 92 kg. Freshman Marcus Blaze didn't place at 65 kg. — Greg Pickel 2025-26 PENN STATE ROSTER Name Elig. Wt. Home High School/Last College Josh Barr So. 197 Davison, Mich. Davison Sam Beckett Gr. 165 Harleysville, Pa. Souderton/Stanford Marcus Blaze Fr. 133 Perrysburg, Ohio Perrysburg Dawson Bundy R-Fr. 285 St. George, Utah Desert Hills Lucas Cochran Sr. 285 Perry, Utah Box Elder Asher Cunningham Fr. 174/184 State College, Pa. State College Hayden Cunningham R-Fr. 141 State College, Pa. State College Braeden Davis Jr. 141 Belleville, Mich. Dundee Sean Degl Fr. 165/174 Mahopac, N.Y. Iona Prep Nate Desmond Fr. 125 Bethlehem, Pa. Bethlehem Catholic PJ Duke Fr. 157 Slate Hill, N.Y. Minisink Valley Mason Ellis Fr. 184/197 Gurley, Ala. Madison County Kyison Garcia So. 133 South Jordan, Utah Mountain Ridge Levi Haines Sr. 174 Arendtsville, Pa. Biglerville William Henckel Fr. 174 Southbury, Conn. Blair Academy Tyler Kasak Jr. 157 Doylestown, Pa. Bethlehem Catholic Luke Lilledahl So. 125 St. Charles, Mo. Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) Mitchell Mesenbrink Jr. 165 Hartland, Wis. Arrowhead/Cal-Baptist Cole Mirasola R-Fr. 285 Jackson, Wis. West Bend Connor Mirasola R-Fr. 197 Jackson, Wis. West Bend Aaron Nagao Jr. 141 La Habra, Calif. Esperanza Cael Nasdeo R-Fr. 141 Williamsport, Pa. Williamsport Masanosuke Ono Jr. 133 Matsue City, Japan Tosu Technical Dalton Perry Fr. 149 Renovo, Pa. Central Mountain Connor Pierce Jr. 149 Erie, Pa. Harbor Creek Joe Sealey R-Fr. 157 Bear Creek Twp., Pa. Wyoming Seminary Shayne Van Ness Jr. 149 Somerville, N.J. Blair Academy Ty Watson R-Fr. 165 Centre Hall, Pa. Penns Valley Brock Weiss R-Fr. 149 Jersey Shore, Pa. Jersey Shore Rocco Welsh So. 184 Waynesburg, Pa. Waynesburg Central/Ohio State