It's a dog-eat-dog world. I always want a wrestler to do what he or she feels is best for them. I will always support and stand behind that. BUT...that doesn't mean that I always have to like all aspects of it. It has always been a challenge to build a good strong team. It's never been easy, but with N.I.L. $$ & the transfer portal the way it is, it makes it more difficult now than ever.
The Bears earned their first EIWA champion last year and what a milestone that was seeing Eugene Harney at the top of the podium. What a statement that was for the reinstated program that once ruled the land of NCAA Division II, trying to make their mark in NCAA Division I. Yet they took a huge blow when Harney decided that he was going to continue his career at Pittsburgh.
I get it and I accept it. I'll be cheering for Harney to do well for the Panthers & have success in the ACC. Yet it also makes me grit my teeth to realize what these smaller DI schools have going against them. It's a never-ending cycle, that will probably get worse before it gets better. A team like Morgan State will either recruit an overlooked kid and/or develop someone, and then once the results come, as do the poachers. It's not a shot at anyone, but a reality being exposed. We know how vulnerable our wrestling programs are. Athletic Directors like Scott R Wetherbee & Dr. Micah Parker lick their lips & rub their hands together in anticipation to get rid of us. It's hard to justify getting rid of us when we're succeeding & fans are showing up to watch a successful wrestling program. Yet how can a team be built if every time a good wrestler comes along, a bigger team comes in to snatch him away?
We're not football and we're not basketball. These are things we do need to think about and do need to concern ourselves about. You wouldn't think a program like Morgan State, that put so much time, energy, money & resources into restoring their program would be in any danger, but you never know. I thought after all the work that Fresno State put into being reinstated that program was here to stay, and I couldn't have been more wrong about that.
The focus here is not all on Harney's departure. Yes, that is the negative but there are positives looking into 2026-2027 as well.
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| 157 Yannis Charles |
Talk about a guy coming alive at the right time. Yannis Charles entered the EIWA championships last year with a 2-8 record & he made the finals!! If that's not motivation, you tell me what is. Anxious to see if he can keep the momentum going as we head into '26-'27.
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| 165 Anthony Ferrari |
Between a brother who will be contending for an NCAA DI title in the toughest weight class in collegiate wrestling & another brother who seems to always be in the spotlight for one reason or another, Anthony often finds himself the forgotten Ferrari brother. It's been a challenge to find the right fit as he started off a LIU & then transferred to Campbell. My hope here is that Morgan State is finally the place he can call home, because I see a lot of potential in Anthony Ferrari. I think if he can stay focused and put all of his energy into his studies & the mat, we're looking at a multiple time NCAA DI qualifier for the Bears. He was 6th at last year's Southern Scuffle.
And my hope was WRONG!! - These Ferrari's are something else....he's headed to DII Newberry!
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