Twenty five years later, Morgan State University’s wrestling team is back

By Ariyana Griffin& Special to the AFRO Morgan State University’s (MSU) wrestling team has made a comeback after a 25-year hiatus, making it the only historically Black college or university (HBCU)& to offer a Division 1 men’s wrestling program.& The sport was cut from MSU during the 1996-1997 season due to lack of funding. The organization, HBCU Wrestling, donated $2.7 million to the institution to restart the program, supporting its goal to diversify the sport and provide opportunities to HBCU students.& HBCU Wrestling is “committed to restoring and establishing women’s and men’s wrestling programs at historically Black colleges and universities.” They execute this by pledging “to make up to a 10-year commitment to NCAA-sanctioned wrestling programs,” along with providing “scholarship opportunities, coaches with salaries comparable to top programs and competitive operating budgets,” according to information released by the organization.& This opportunity opened the doors for the highly decorated wrestler, Kenny Monday, to become the head coach for the team. Monday is a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and earned an Olympic Gold medal in 1988 and a silver medal in 1992.& Morgan State University wrestler Kingsley Menifee competes on behalf of the institution at 184 pounds. Courtesy...