Morgan State Wrestling’s Charles and Harney Make Postseason History at NCAA Championships

Brackets

CLEVELAND, Ohio (March 19, 2026) -- Morgan State wrestling made history this week, competing in the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships for the first time in 27 years (since 1997). Redshirt freshman Eugene Harney and junior Yannis Charles represented the Bears as the program's first national qualifiers since its reinstatement as the nation's only Division I HBCU wrestling program.

Held at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the double-elimination tournament began Thursday afternoon, with matches taking place throughout the day.

Charles, who earned an at-large bid, was the first Bear to step onto the mat. Entering as the No. 33 seed in the 157-pound weight class, he faced No. 32 seed Jeb Prechtel of Bellarmine in the pigtail bout.

Charles jumped out to a commanding 12–2 lead before Prechtel, the Southern Conference champion, managed an escape to make it 12–3 heading into the next period. The match tightened in the third as Prechtel continued to battle back, but Charles maintained control, extending his advantage and fending off a late push to secure a 15–10 victory. With the win, Charles advanced to face No. 1 seed P.J. Duke of Penn State.

Later in the afternoon, Harney, an automatic qualifier after his strong showing at the EIWA Wrestling Championships, took the mat as the No. 18 seed in the 149-pound weight class. He faced No. 15 seed Ryder Block of the University of Iowa and battled through a hard-fought seven-minute bout.

Harney fell behind early, trailing 3–0, but responded with an escape to cut the deficit to 3–1. In the second period, he added another escape to make it 3–2, keeping the match within reach. However, a late takedown by Block extended the lead to 6–2 heading into the final period.

In the third, Block continued to build his advantage with riding time, while Harney managed another escape to make it 7–2. Despite several strong leg attacks, Harney was unable to break through, as Block consistently fought off scoring opportunities. A late takedown, combined with the riding time point, sealed an 11–2 decision in favor of the Hawkeye wrestler.

A few moments later on Mat #5, Charles faced the formidable No. 1 seed PJ Duke, a freshman (19–1) who earned the top seed after a major decision over defending NCAA champion Antrell Taylor of the University of Nebraska in the Big Ten 157-pound final.

Charles was taken down early in the opening 30 seconds of the bout, falling behind 3–0, and quickly found himself trailing 6–0. Duke controlled the remainder of the match, ultimately finishing with a pin at 1:56, securing a 9–2 lead at the time of the fall.

With his earlier loss, Harney moved into the evening's consolation bracket, where he faced No. 31 seed Ryan Michaels of Edinboro.

Harney initially trailed 4-2 after a takedown by Michaels, but a Coach's Challenge from Morgan State resulted in the call being overturned. Following the review, the match was reset to 0-0 with 2:08 remaining in the first period.

Harney responded with a three-point takedown to take control, but Michaels answered with a reversal. Harney added an escape to regain a 4-2 lead heading into the end of the period.

In the second, Harney extended his advantage with a two-point takedown to go up 8-2. Michaels closed the gap with a three-point move to make it 8-4, but Harney countered with an escape to push the lead to 9-4 with under a minute remaining. Despite a late push from Michaels, Harney held on to secure a 9-7 victory. Harney will face No. 16 seed Jacob Frost of Iowa State

Almost immediately after Harney's match, Charles took to Mat #2 for a consolation preliminary bout against No. 16 seed Cael Swenson of South Dakota State.

Swenson struck first with a three-point takedown and continued to build his advantage, extending the lead to 7-1 with additional control. Charles responded with a three-point takedown to cut into the deficit, but Swenson answered quickly with an escape, followed by a tough mat return for another takedown.

Swenson controlled the action down the stretch, adding riding time to seal a 12-4 major decision and bring Charles' postseason to a close.

Friday's sessions are set for 12 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday's sessions will begin at 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

PIGTAIL BOUT RESULT
157 - #33 Yannis Charles (Morgan State) dec. #32 Jeb Prechtel (Bellarmine), 15-10

FIRST ROUND RESULTS
157 - #1 PJ Duke (Penn State) pinned #33 Yannis Charles (Morgan State), 1:56
149 – #15 Ryder Block (Iowa) major dec. #18 Eugene Harney (Morgan State), 11-2

CONSOLATION ROUND 1 MATCHUP
157 - #16 Cael Swenson (South Dakota State) major dec. #33 Yannis Charles (Morgan State), 12-4
149 – #18 Eugene Harney (Morgan State) dec. #31Ryan Michaels (Edinboro), 9-7

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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.

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Players Mentioned

Yannis Charles: 149 lbs; 5' 9"; Freshman

Eugene Harney: 149 lbs; 5' 7"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Yannis Charles
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: 149 lbs

Eugene Harney
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: 149 lbs