Beat the Streets New York earns top-4 finishes at 2024 Beat the Streets National Duals

New York claimed fourth place in the boys and girls divisions.

Beat the Streets New York took fourth place in the boys and girls divisions at the third annual Beat the Streets National Duals on Thursday at Boston University Track & Tennis Center.

The Beat the Streets National Duals has served as a dual meet tournament competition between Beat the Streets chapters across the country since 2022. After two years in Chicago, Boston hosted the competition this year.

New York's boys team went 3-0 in pool play, with victories against Baltimore (39-28), Washington, D.C. (49-21) and Lancaster (43-25). New York then fell in the semifinals to Chicago (48-19) and in the third-place bout against Philadelphia (44-22). Chicago claimed the boys title for a third consecutive year, with a 38-27 win against Cleveland.

Cristian Cruz and Oumar Tounkara each went 5-0, with three technical falls and two falls, during the tournament for New York. Bilali Assoumanou had four wins (three tech falls, one fall) and Anthony Isaac had three victories (two tech falls, one fall), while seven others recorded two wins.

New York's girls team went 1-2 in pool play in the tournament, with a 42-32 win against Pennsylvania (Lancaster/Philadelphia). New York had lost by one match against Cleveland in the opening round, 34-32, and New England, 37-34. New York then fell 46-26 to Chicago in the third-place dual. Los Angeles won the girls title with a 37-28 victory against two-time champion New England.

Leona Gao was the lone New York girl to complete the tournament undefeated with a 4-0 mark. Gao won all her matches by fall under 2 minutes (1:16, :37, 1:50, 1:10) and only allowed two points during the tournament. Marielys Lugo and Lanxi Xu each had three wins. Lugo had two tech falls and a fall, and Xu had two falls and a tech fall.

Wrestling clinic, career panel

Before the competition, BTS students participated in a two-session wrestling camp led by high-level wrestlers. BTS National Social Ambassadors Sara McMann, Nathan Tomasello and Doug Zapf along with BTS Los Angeles Associate Director of Mentorship and Programming Mallory Velte and BTS New York alumnus/Program VISTA Lenny Merkin showcased their favorite wrestling techniques that they have used to find success on the international level in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling.

In between the wrestling sessions, BTS students engaged in a career panel with professionals in the construction industry from architects, lawyers and project managers. The panel shared how the sport of wrestling shaped their lives and the life lessons they learned - hard work, determination, perseverance, discipline, etc. - have played a role in their success.

College experience

BTS students had a glimpse of a college experience by staying in dorm rooms and eating at a dining hall on Boston University's campus. The students also competed at BU's Track and Tennis Center, where many world records have been set on the indoor track. For many students, it was the first time they spent time on a college campus and traveled away from home to another major city.

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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.