Morgan State wrestling fell short in a pair of dual matches Sunday afternoon against the Glenville State Pioneers and the Bucknell Bison.
In their year two home opener, the Bears looked to gain momentum against two opponents coming in off of a loss.
“I think we have to go back to the drawing board and identify some weak areas that the team is struggling with,” Kenny Monday, Morgan’s head coach said.
The showdown against the Pioneers proved to be a tough test for the Bears, who battled but ultimately came up short in a 27-12 defeat.
Morgan freshman 125-pounder, Treshaun Tescon earned a dominant 10-4 victory over Glenville State’s Colton Drousias. Afterward, the Bears would lose the next five matches.
“I think some of those situations were just having better grit, better fight, and some confidence,” Monday said. “I think [Glenville] didn’t really surprise us, a lot of those guys, their older guys, it’s a D-2 school with D-1 wrestlers”.
Redshirt senior Darrien Roberts would later secure a close win in a 5-4 contest in the 174-pound match against Hayden Pummel.
In the heavyweight division at 285 pounds, redshirt junior Xavier Doolin defeated Devin Gauldin in statement fashion by pinfall.
Tescon and Doolin asserted their dominance against the Bison, winning their matchups in decisive fashion in front of the spirited home crowd. Still, the Bison defeated the Bears 35-8.
“It felt good to hear everybody that was here supporting us even though we’re losing it feels good to get the crowd involved still,” said Doolin.
Coach Monday seems optimistic about the future and identified ways the Bears can improve in the early season.
“Getting off the mat, a little more fight in some situations. We got a lot to work on but it’s early in the season, I think our conditioning can be a little better,” Monday said.
The Bears will travel to Bethlehem, PA to face their first Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) opponent of the season, Lehigh University. The match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. on Friday Nov. 15.
“[Lehigh] they’re a tough competitor and they’re a top 20 team, it’s much legacy at Lehigh so I’m excited to be able to go and compete with a team like that, I think it’s a great experience for our guys,” said Monday.
