Harney and Charles Advance to Finals Following Opening Day of EIWA Championship

Gallery

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 6, 2026) -- Eugene Harney and Yannis Charles delivered a historic performance for Morgan State University on Friday, advancing to the championship finals of the 2026 EIWA Championships after a dominant opening day at Bender Arena in Washington, D.C.

The pair powered through the bracket with clutch wins to become the first Bears to reach the EIWA finals since the program joined the conference, putting Morgan State in position for potential NCAA Tournament qualification.

No. 1 seed Eugene Harney continued his impressive run at 149 pounds, advancing to the finals and improving his record to 27–4 while moving closer to becoming the first wrestler from Morgan State University to qualify for the NCAA Division I Tournament. In the quarterfinals, Harney defeated No. 8 seed Pat Phillips of Franklin & Marshall College, scoring a single-leg takedown with just 10 seconds remaining in the opening period. He added an escape in the second and controlled the remainder of the bout to secure a 5–0 victory with riding time.

Harney carried that momentum into the semifinals against No. 4 seed Kaeman Smith of the United States Naval Academy, where he dominated in an 18–3 technical fall. After Smith recorded a late first-period escape, Harney reeled off the next 11 points to seal the commanding win. Harney will face No. 2 seed Riley Bower of Bucknell University in the championship final.

No. 12 seed Yannis Charles recorded three victories at 157 pounds to emerge as one of the day's biggest surprises and earn a spot in the finals.

Charles opened his day with a 10–4 decision over No. 5 seed Luke Nichter of Drexel University, using two first-period takedowns to set the tone before adding another late in the third to secure his spot in the quarterfinals. He followed with a gritty 9–7 decision against No. 4 seed Fin Nadeau of Binghamton University, jumping out to a 5–1 lead in the opening period and sealing the match with a key takedown in the third.

In the semifinals, Charles met top-seeded Jonathan Ley of the United States Naval Academy in a chaotic bout. Charles first battled through an eye poke and was later slammed off the mat onto the hardwood floor with 1:38 remaining in the first period. Following a referee review, Ley was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct, giving Charles a point. Charles was then taken to the back for concussion protocol, and after a lengthy delay, officials ruled he could not continue. The penalty point proved decisive, sending Yannis Charles to the finals of the 2026 EIWA Championships with a 1–0 victory over Jonathan Ley of the United States Naval Academy. Charles will face No. 2 seed Logan Rozynski of Lehigh University in the championship bout.

Four other wrestlers from Morgan State will have opportunities to reach the podium on Saturday at the 2026 EIWA Championships. No. 9 seed Bryce Phillips will face No. 7 seed Ethan Wilson of Drexel University in the 184-pound seventh-place match, while No. 10 seed Josh Greenwood will take on No. 11 Austin Craft of host American University in the 165-pound seventh-place bout. At 133 pounds, No. 11 seed Treshaun Tecson also remains alive with a seventh-place match against No. 4 seed Mason Leiphart of Franklin & Marshall College.

Meanwhile, No. 7 seed Cort Vann will wrestle No. 5 seed Andrew Christie of Army West Point in the consolation semifinals, with the winner advancing to the third-place match.

Competition resumes Saturday at 10:00 am with the consolation semifinals and seventh-place matches. Fans can watch the EIWA Championship with a FloWrestling subscription and/or view free live results on FloArena. Links to both the broadcast and live results can be found on AUEagles.com.

EIWA Championship Day One Standings | Results
1. 123.5 points - Lehigh
2. 112 - Bucknell
3. 101 - Navy
4. 90.0 - Army West Point
5. 84.0 - Drexel
6. 72.5 - American
7. 69.0 - Binhamton
8. 58.0 - Morgan State
9. 55.5 - Franklin & Marshall
10. 34.5 - Hofstra
11. 7.5 - LIU
12. 5.0 - Sacred Heart

NCAA Championships

Each weight class has an allocation of spots from the NCAA, and a wrestler who finishes among that group earns a berth to the Nationals, to be held March 19-21 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Once the automatic-qualifying spots have been determined over each conference tournament nationally this weekend, the NCAA will announce at-large invitations and final brackets early next week.

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.

Print Friendly Version