BALTIMORE, Md. (Feb. 22, 2024) — The Morgan State wrestling team is gearing up for their next big challenge as they prepare to face off against the University of Pennsylvania. The Bears' regular season finale is set to take place on Friday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. inside the iconic Palestra in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Friday's Morgan-Penn matchup will be streamed live on ESPN+.
The Bears are 2-18 on the season in dual competition, while Penn is 5-5 and 4-1 in the Ivy League.
SCOUTING PENN
• Penn finished the 2022-23 season with an overall dual record of 9-5, including a mark of 8-1 in Ivy League action. The Quakers went 7-0 at home, 2-3 on the road and 0-2 in duals held at a neutral site.
• Roger Reina is in his second stint overseeing the University of Pennsylvania wrestling program, and early returns are that #TheMovement is ready to achieve some of the lofty heights established during his historic first run from 1986-2005 that had him inducted into the Penn Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of Class VI in 2008. Reina has produced four straight nationally recognized recruiting classes following his return to the coaching ranks. His 2019 recruiting class was ranked No. 9 in the country by TheOpenMat.com, No. 14 by FloWrestling and No. 17 by Intermat following a 2018 group which was ranked No. 12 by WIN Magazine, No. 13 by TheOpenMat.com, No. 21 by FloWrestling and No. 24 by Intermat.
• The Quakers are celebrating the collegiate careers of seniors Michael Colaiocco, Cam Connor, Lucas Revano, Lukas Richie, Jake Stefanowicz, John Stout, Cole Urbas, and Malachi Wiley before the dual with the Bears.
• Seven Quakers sit in the Top 25 of the FloWrestling and Intermat rankings this week, with first-year Jude Swisher jumping at #23 from last week's #33 ranking. #6 Nick Incontrera leads Penn in the polls and is followed by #9 Michael Colaiocco, #17 CJ Composto, #20 Maximus Hale (184), #23 Swisher (149), #23 Lucas Revano (157), #25 Cole Urbas (197).
• Junior Nick Incontrera grabbed his 20th win of the season last week after taking down Princeton's Luca Pontone by tech fall, 19-4. Senior Lucas Revano could also reach the 20-win mark this weekend with a win against Morgan State.
NOTABLES
• Leading the return of NCAA Division I, Varsity-level men's wrestling to Maryland's largest Historically Black College or University (HBCU), Morgan State University announced the hiring of Kenny Monday as the Athletics Department's new men's wrestling coach, effective Aug. 24, 2022. Monday, the first Black wrestler in history to win an Olympic gold medal, is a National Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee, three-time Olympian and former NCAA All-American standout, who brings a championship-level coaching pedigree and an expansive yet impressive resume to a Bears' wrestling program looking to restart after a 25-year hiatus. Monday comes to Morgan after serving as the director of wrestling and head wrestling coach at Spire Academy, since 2021.
• Morgan was wrestling in its first competition in 25 years after the program was reinstated this season to make it the only HBCU with a Division I wrestling program.
• In October 2021, the University announced its plans to revive the men's wrestling program at Morgan with the support a $2.7-million gift from HBCU Wrestling (HBCUW), a new initiative reestablishing wrestling programs on HBCU campuses. The gift, which is among the largest received from a private donor to the University, provides funding for the program and supports up to nine full scholarships annually.
• Senior 165-pounder Jacob Marsh and freshman 174-pounder Cortilius Vann etched their names in program history as they both earned huge wins on December 10, 2023 when the Bears hosted No. 22 Maryland. The competition marked just the third dual match in over 25 years hosted by Morgan.
• Jacob Marsh, a transfer from Princeton, leads the Bears with a 14-12 overall record and has a 9-10 record in duals. Marsh represented Team USA at the U23 World Championships in Serbia in 2021.
• Morgan freshman Kingsley Menifee has an 8-7 winning record and won his first two matches at the Bobby Kaufman Open before falling to Bucknell's Mikey Bartush by a decision. He has won three of his last four matches at 184lbs.
• Makhare Rogers scored a 7-3 decision over West Virginia's Gahrett Dickerson at 133 pounds. With the win, Rogers improved to 1-2 overall and 1-0 in duals.
FOLLOW MORGAN STATE ATHLETICS IN CYBERSPACE
There are many ways to keep up with MSU athletics online and on the go:
• Visit www.morganstatebears.com, the official web site of Bears athletics, for news, schedules, stats, bios and more.
• Follow us on social media:
Facebook: /MorganStateBears
Twitter: @MorganStBears
Instagram: /MorganStateBears
ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 100 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.
