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Wrestling MSU Athletics Communications

Bears Host Nationally Ranked Purdue on Sunday Afternoon

BALTIMORE, Md. (Dec. 10, 2025) -- As the holiday season approaches, the Morgan State Bears are gearing up for a tough test against a Big Ten power.

Morgan State will host the No. 26 Purdue Boilermakers on Sunday, Dec. 14, with action set to begin at 12 p.m. inside Hurt Gymnasium.

Fans can follow all the action live on FloWrestling.

SCOUTING No. 28 PURDUE
• Purdue (6-0) 
  Morgan State    Weight    Purdue
  Julian Dawson.   125   Jacob Macatangay / Ashton Jackson
  Jimmie Jones  133   Blake Boarman
  Marwan Nazeer  141   No. 30 Greyson Clark
  No. 31 Eugene Harney   149   Cole Solomey / Wyatt Krejsa
  Yannis Charles  157   No. 17 Stoney Buell / Isaac Ruble 
  Antoine Glasgow  / Joshua Greenwood   165   No. 4 Joey Blaze / Adrian Pellot
  Cortilius Vann  174   No. 16 Brody Baumann / Aiden Costello 
  Bryce Phillips  184   No. 26 James Rowley
  Eric Washington   197   No. 24 Ben Vanadia / Noah Weaver
  Rasheen Duncan   HWT   Hayden Filipovich
*Intermat Rankings (12/9/25)

• 26th-ranked Purdue (6-0) handled business, rolling past the Davidson Wildcats, 38-4, in the John M. Belk Arena on Sunday afternoon. The Boilermakers (6-0, 0-0 B1G) took nine of 10 matches, including six for bonus points, despite missing three ranked starters in the lineup — No. 4 Joey Blaze (165 lbs), No. 21 Stoney Buell (157), and No. 23 Greyson Clark (141).

• Leading Purdue's group of returning Big Ten standouts are junior No. 4 Joey Blaze at 157 pounds, junior No. 30 Greyson Clark at 141, senior No. 17 Stoney Buell (6-0) at 157, junior No. 16 Brody Baumann at 174, junior No. 26 James Rowley at 184, senior No. 24 Ben Vanadia at 197, and senior Hayden Filipovich at 285.

•  Tony Ersland enters his 12th season as head coach of the Purdue Wrestling team in 2025-26. In 2024-25, Purdue Wrestling had a major breakthrough in Coach Ersland's 11th season with its best team finish at the NCAA Championships (13th) since 1992. Its team score of 34.5 was the highest since 2003 (38). Purdue added two more All-Americans in Joey Blaze and Matt Ramos, the third and fourth of Ersland's tenure and the 62nd and 63rd all-time at Purdue. Sophomore Blaze finished as the NCAA runner-up at 157 pounds in Philadelphia, the program's youngest national finalist since at least 1950. Redshirt-senior Ramos finished fourth (125 lbs.) to become Purdue's first two-time All-American since Ben Wissel (2005-06) and the 12th multiple-time All-American in school history. He also tied Arnold Plaza's program record with 14 career NCAA tournament wins.

• Purdue traveled to the prestigious Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational the first weekend of December. Purdue put four wrestlers on the Cliff Keen podium, the team's most since 2021. Joey Blaze won the 2025 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational championship. The junior 165-pounder from Perrysburg, Ohio, became the seventh CKLV champion in Purdue history. Purdue finished tied for 10th out of 30 as a team with 56 points. 


NOTABLES
• Morgan State traveled to Willow Spring High School on Sunday (Dec. 7) for duals against No. 10 NC State and Davidson at the Journeymen Jostle. The Bears (0–6) opened with a 45–4 loss to the Wolfpack, highlighted by No. 32 Eugene Harney's dominant 12–2 major decision over Luca Felix. In the second matchup, Morgan State fell to Davidson 43–8. The Wildcats (2–5) used four pins and two forfeits to take control. The Bears' scoring came from No. 31 Javaan Yarbrough, who earned a third-period pin at 133, and Harney, who added an 8–1 decision at 149.
 

• Newcomers Eugene Harney, a Cincinnati, Ohio native, and Javaan Yarbrough, who hails from Akron, Ohio. Both have earned national recognition in their respective weight classes during their debut season with the Bears. Harney entered the rankings at No. 33 at 149 lbs (he's currently No. 31), boosted by his recent victory over No. 27–ranked Wynton Denkins. Although he suffered a setback against Kaden Cassidy last week and has previously lost to unranked opponents Layton Schneider and Kyle Schickel, Harney's strong 10-1 overall record keeps him firmly in the national conversation. Yarbrough debuts at No. 31 at 133 lbs, holding a 4-2 record through the early stages of the season. The duo joins senior standout Xavier Doolin, who remains ranked at No. 28 even though he has yet to compete this season. Once active, he will give the Bears another ranked weapon in the lineup.

• 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 joined Morgan after serving as the director of wrestling and head wrestling coach at Spire Academy since 2021.

• Morgan State was wrestling in its first competition in 25 years after the program was reinstated, making 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 State with the support of 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.
 
• The Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) announced a realignment of its dual meet divisions to create balance across the conference. As part of the update, Morgan State will now compete in the newly formed Liberty Division, alongside American, Army, Bucknell, Lehigh, and Navy. The conference will now recognize EIWA Dual Meet Champions in both the Liberty Division and the Independence Division, which includes Binghamton, Drexel, F&M, Hofstra, LIU, and Sacred Heart.
 
• Sophomore newcomer Eugene Harney, who claimed 2nd place at the Navy Classic, emerged as the standout performer for the Bears, clinching the team's sole victory of the night against Ohio's Carson Weber in a nail-biting 1-0 contest during the 149-pound bout at the Ohio Showcase. Fellow sophomore Javaan Yarbrough finished sixth at 133 pounds. Both made their first appearances at the Navy Classic, highlighting the Bears' promising start to the season.

• Morgan State head coach Kenny Monday has added five new student-athletes to the Bears' 2025-26 roster, bolstering the program's depth and competitiveness. The incoming class features four freshmen and one transfer, highlighted by Campbell transfer Eugene Harney. The freshman additions include Antoine Glasgow (Lilburn, Ga.), Marwan Mohammed Nazeer (Spånga, Stockholm), Rohan Bucknor (White Plains, Md.), and Bence Veress (Budapest, Hungary). "We are fired up about the new young men we added to our roster," said Monday. "Each one brings a unique skill set that adds depth and excitement to our team," signaling a promising outlook for the reinforced squad.


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 website 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 high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, 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.

 
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Players Mentioned

Yannis Charles

Yannis Charles

149 lbs
5' 9"
Freshman
Julian Dawson

Julian Dawson

125 lbs
5' 7"
Freshman
Joshua Greenwood

Joshua Greenwood

149 lbs
5' 8"
Freshman
Rasheen Duncan

Rasheen Duncan

HWT
6' 2"
Freshman
Xavier Doolin

Xavier Doolin

HWT
6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
Jimmie Jones

Jimmie Jones

125 lbs
5' 3"
Junior
Bryce Phillips

Bryce Phillips

184 lbs
6' 2"
Sophomore
Javaan Yarbrough

Javaan Yarbrough

125/133 lbs
5' 8"
Sophomore
Rohan Bucknor

Rohan Bucknor

141 lbs
5' 6"
Freshman
Antoine Glasgow

Antoine Glasgow

165 lbs
5' 11"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Yannis Charles

Yannis Charles

5' 9"
Freshman
149 lbs
Julian Dawson

Julian Dawson

5' 7"
Freshman
125 lbs
Joshua Greenwood

Joshua Greenwood

5' 8"
Freshman
149 lbs
Rasheen Duncan

Rasheen Duncan

6' 2"
Freshman
HWT
Xavier Doolin

Xavier Doolin

6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
HWT
Jimmie Jones

Jimmie Jones

5' 3"
Junior
125 lbs
Bryce Phillips

Bryce Phillips

6' 2"
Sophomore
184 lbs
Javaan Yarbrough

Javaan Yarbrough

5' 8"
Sophomore
125/133 lbs
Rohan Bucknor

Rohan Bucknor

5' 6"
Freshman
141 lbs
Antoine Glasgow

Antoine Glasgow

5' 11"
Freshman
165 lbs