BALTIMORE, Md. (Feb. 21, 2025) -- This Sunday presents a crucial moment for the Morgan State wrestling team as they journey to Washington D.C. for their regular season finale. The Bears are set to clash with American University on the mat in a pivotal EIWA conference showdown.

The clash between the Bears and the Eagles promises to be an intriguing matchup, as both teams are desperately searching for positive momentum as they prepare for postseason competition. The Bears, riding the high of a recent come-from-behind victory against Sacred Heart, are determined to carry that momentum and finish the season strong with back-to-back wins. On the other side, the Eagles are coming off a frustrating 50-3 loss to No. 1 ranked Penn State on Saturday (Feb 22) inside Rec Hall at University Park, Pennsylvania.

The match will mark 'Senior Day' for Morgan as they honor three seniors who will be participating in their final home match. The seniors will be acknowledged during a special presentation prior to the start of the match.

Fans unable to attend in person can catch all the action live on www.morganstatebears.com - here.

SCOUTING AMERICAN
•  American most recently suffered a 50-3 loss to No. 1 ranked Penn State on Saturday. Raymond Lopez scored a 5-3 decision over Kyison Garcia for the Eagles' only points of the match.  

•  The American wrestling team has a 10-10 overall record and are 1-4 in EIWA action. The team's conference lone victory came against Bucknell where they battled to a 23-18 win on Senior Day at Bender Arena.

•  Morgan State and American faced each other last season on February 4th in The Nation's Capitol. In that matchup, American secured a 29-13 victory over the Bears at Bender Arena. Despite the loss, Julian Dawson, Jack Marsh and Nate Kendricks recorded a wins against the Eagles to highlight the matchup.

• After 13 successful seasons as head wrestling coach at Stanford University, Jason Borrelli, the 2021 WIN Dan Gable National Coach of the Year, switched coasts and was named the head coach for American University wrestling on April 13, 2021. For a second year in a row, the Eagles won eight duals in 2023-24 which was Borrelli's third season with the program. That total matches the most dual wins in the past 13 years. Borrelli had a wrestler compete at the NCAA Championships for a second straight year as Maximilian Leete placed fifth at EIWAs to earn an automatic spot at 133 pounds.

SENIOR DAY
The atmosphere at Saturday's match will be particularly poignant as Morgan celebrates 'Senior Day,' a tradition dedicated to honoring the graduating players who have contributed so much to the program. This year, the spotlight shines on three exceptional seniors: Kevin Lopez, Darrien Roberts, and Nate Kendricks.

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.

• Last season, 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.

• The Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association has approved the addition of Morgan State as its newest member institution. Morgan is the 12th member of the EIWA, the oldest wrestling conference in the nation.

• The EIWA announced Wednesday a division-based regular season dual schedule.  The 12 EIWA member programs will be grouped into divisions of seven and five for the 2024-25 season. A full divisional dual meet schedule will launch for 2025-26. Kyle Borshoff, Binghamton University Head Wrestling Coach & EIWA Coaches Association President says, "Creating two divisions within the EIWA provides the opportunity for member teams to establish dual meet consistency and create exciting rivalries that our fans can count on seeing year in and year out. Creating the Independence and Patriot divisions allows us to highlight the excitement that surrounds the dual meet portion of our season, as all of our teams work to establish themselves as divisional champions."

• Among the athletes to watch this season is sophomore Kingsley Menifee, an 184-pounder returning healthy after an injury sidelined him last year. Menifee has already demonstrated his potential with impressive matches against top-ranked wrestlers, establishing himself as one of the team's more seasoned competitors. Also poised for a strong season is sophomore Shawn Ryncarz, a 133-pounder who had an outstanding year last season.

• The coaching staff has been busy recruiting and welcoming Myrin Nixon, a promising 140-pounder from Great Bridge High School who excelled in high school.

• With former standout Jake Marsh's departure, several individuals are expected to step into leadership roles this season. Senior Darrien Roberts, a 170-pounder who transferred from the University of Oklahoma, is anticipated to take on significant leadership responsibilities. "He is going to fill those shoes," Monday stated.

• Junior Xavier Doolin, a transfer from the University of Northern Colorado, will also play a key role in guiding younger wrestlers. Monday emphasized the importance of Doolin's leadership, stating, "He brings valuable leadership experience from competing against high-level players, and we expect big things from him. Our goal is to help every wrestler achieve their best performance. With Darrien being a senior, we want him to have his best season ever in college." Doolin currently ranks No. 6 in the EIWA and has an 11-4 overall record and is 7-1 in duals. 

Season tickets and individual match tickets are now on sale for the 2024-25 Morgan State wrestling season - Click here

 

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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.