3 Beat the Streets matchups set for 2024 Beat the Streets Annual Benefit

BTS student-athletes Evin Gursoy, Isabella Lorenzana and Oumar Tounkara will compete in freestyle.

Three Beat the Streets student-athletes will compete in freestyle matches at the Beat the Streets Annual Benefit on Tuesday, June 4 at Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan. 

Evin Gursoy, a two-time NHSCA All-American and 2024 New York state champion in folkstyle and freestyle, will face Dunia Sibomana of Long Beach (NY), a 2022 New York state champion and 2024 NHSCA All-American. Sibomana also earned All-America honors at the 2022 USA Wrestling U15 and 2024 U17 age-group levels in freestyle. 

Isabella Lorenzana will compete against Caroline Biegel of DePaul Catholic (NJ) in a matchup of two 2024 NHSCA All-Americans. Biegel and Lorenzana took sixth and seventh place, respectively, at NHSCA but did not wrestle each other. Lorenzana is also 2024 16U Folkstyle All-American and New York freestyle state champion. Biegel, who took eighth place at the 2024 U.S. Open, is also a 2024 New Jersey freestyle state champion and three-time state medalist. 

Oumar Tounkara, a 2023 National Preps All-American and New York Greco-Roman state champion and 2024 NHSCA national champion, will face 2023 U16 freestyle national champion and 2024 Ohio state champion Grey Burnett of Perrysburg (OH). Both wrestlers are ranked in the top 10 of their respective weight classes by FloWrestling, with Tounkara at No. 9 at 106 pounds and Burnett at No. 5 at 113 pounds.

The boys matches will be contested at 120 pounds, while the girls match is at 235 pounds. 

The BTS matches will be followed by a 65 kilograms freestyle match between NCAA national champions Andrew Alirez (NCRTC/TMWC) and Jesse Mendez (Ohio RTC/TMWC). 

The BTS Annual Benefit will also feature a panel discussion on the benefits of wrestling led by bestselling author and podcast host Tim Ferriss with Neil deGrasse Tyson and 2012 Olympic champion and six-time World champion Jordan Burroughs. There will be a cocktail hour, a seated dinner where Olympic and World medalist wrestlers will dine with VIP guests, an awards ceremony for BTS students and coaches, and an auction filled with great experiences. 

The BTS Annual Benefit helps the organization raise more than $1 million each year to support youth wrestling programs, which empower young people in New York City. This year’s event will be the 14th BTS Annual Benefit. 

The event will start at 6 p.m. Eastern time. A variety of ticket packages, which include an option to attend the VIP after-party, are available at btsny.org. For more information on sponsorship opportunities or to donate auction items, email BTS Executive Director Brendan Buckley at bbuckley@btsny.org. 

###  

Since being founded in 2005, Beat the Streets has pioneered a movement that now includes 150 individual wrestling programs, a youth league and the first girls high school league.

BTS works to develop the full human and athletic potential of New York City urban youth and strengthen the city's wrestling culture. We aim to make a lifelong impact on student-athletes through the lessons learned on the wrestling mat -- discipline, perseverance, self-reliance, humility and a strong work ethic. Discover how you can make a meaningful contribution to our work at btsny.org/donate.