BALTIMORE, Md. (February 8, 2026) - The Morgan State wrestling team returns to action on Super Bowl Sunday afternoon for an Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) dual meet against American University at the Alan and Amy Meltzer Center in Washington, D.C. First match is set for 1 p.m.
American enters the matchup with a 5–8 overall record and a 1–3 mark in EIWA competition, while Morgan State looks to capture its first win of the season. The Eagles hold a 2–0 advantage in the all-time series, including a 30–15 victory over the Bears last season in Baltimore.
Fans unable to attend in person can catch all the action live on ESPN+.
When: Sunday, Feb. 8, 1 p.m. vs. American
Where: Washington, D.C. (Alan and Amy Meltzer Center)
How to watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: Takedown Live
Probable Lineups
SCOUTING AMERICAN
• The Eagles have a chance to right the ship at home, coming off losses to Army and Navy. AU split the dual against Army with five victories, but were beaten by bonus points to fall 22-17. Maximilian Leete had American's lone victory against Navy, a 7-2 decision.
• 10 AU wrestlers competed at the Edinboro Open last weekend, with three of them finishing on the podium. JJ Peace took first place at 125 for a second straight year, while Caleb Close finished in fifth at 197, and Gavin Cohen took sixth at 157.
• Leete is coming off a quality month of January, taking down four ranked wrestlers at the Southern Scuffle and winning two of his next three dual matches. The graduate senior is a win away from 70 in his career.
• Jason Borrelli enters his fifth season as the head coach of American University wrestling in 2025-26. Borrelli guided the program to its best season since 2011 last year, posting an 11-10 dual record while putting six wrestlers on the podium at the EIWA Championships. It was the third straight season of at least eight victories under Borrelli, adding an exclamation point to the turnaround he's launched since the team went 1-12 in his first season at the helm in 2021.
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 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 standout Eugene Harney, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, has earned national recognition at 149 pounds during his debut season with the Bears. Harney previously debuted in the rankings at No. 33 on Dec. 2, 2025, and now moves up to No. 28 in the latest InterMat poll, and is ranked No. 31 in the Flowrestling poll. His jump comes after an impressive West Coast swing last weekend, where he recorded a pin in each of his bouts against California Baptist and Cal Poly. Most recently, Harney scored the decisive takedown in overtime to earn a win against Lehigh's Carter Bailey. With those victories, Harney improved his overall record to 22–4 on 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.
• The Black Wrestlers Association (BWA) announced the recipients of its second annual scholarship awards, with Morgan State University wrestling freshman Marwan Nazeer named among this year's honorees. A native of Stockholm, Sweden, Nazeer shared his thoughts on the meaning of the honor and what it symbolizes for both himself and others with similar backgrounds.
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.
