Evin Gursoy repeats as New York state wrestling champion
The Brooklyn native is the first Public Schools Athletic League student-athlete to win multiple Division 1 state titles.
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Evin Gursoy has made history yet again.
Gursoy became the first state wrestling champion in Midwood High School history last year. On Saturday, he became the first Public Schools Athletic League student-athlete to win multiple Division 1 state titles with a 4-0 win over Nico Rivera of Mohonasen at 124 pounds at the New York Public High School Athletic Association Individual Championship at MVP Arena. He outscored his four opponents 29-0 at the tournament.
Gursoy is the second PSAL student-athlete to win two state titles after Nathanel Rose of Eagle Academy for Young Men in The Bronx won two Division 2 state titles in 2014 and 2015.
The tournament marks the end of Gursoy's high school career, which is the most accomplished in PSAL history as a two-time state champion and four-time state medalist (3, 2, 1, 1).
Staten Island trio take 8th
Gursoy wasn't the only one to make history as a trio of PSAL student-athletes from Tottenville High School on Staten Island claimed state medals.
Tristan Levin (116 pounds), Connor Justesen (170) and Jayden Kiell (190) all claimed eighth place. They are the first state medalist from Tottenville since Leo Rabinovich took fifth in 2018. Levin will look to become Tottenville's first two-time state medalist next year in his senior year.
It is the first time in PSAL history that one school has had three Division 1 state medalists in the same year. Eagle Academy for Young Men in The Bronx holds the record with four state medalists in one year in 2023.
Beat the Streets student-athletes show out
Four of the 13 PSAL student-athletes who are active in the Beat the Streets program advanced to the second day of competition but fell one win shy of earning a medal.
Matthew Velez of Thomas Edison (D1-101), Kerolos Gorgy of Edward R. Murrow (D1-215) and Tysun Gilliard of Eagle Academy (D2-124) all suffered a first-round loss but rebounded with two wins in the consolation round. Gorgy and Velez are also part of the BTS Academy program.
Fellow BTS Academy member Aiden Brito of Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy (D2-190) advanced to the quarterfinals then dropped his next two bouts. Brito, a junior, said he has already made a goal to claim a third-straight city title and his first state medal next year.
Edward Chin of James Madison (D1-145) and Qudir Lloyd of Eagle Academy (D2-101) each had two wins, while Lazare Chikhradze of Franklin D. Roosevelt (D1-285) and Yusuf Abdali of Robert F. Kennedy (D2-170) had one. Chin, Chikhradze and Abdali are all part of the BTS Academy.
PSAL PLACE-WINNERS
Division 1
116: Tristan Levin (Tottenville) - 8th Place
124: Evin Gursoy (Midwood) - 1st Place
170: Connor Justesen (Tottenville) - 8th Place
190: Jayden Kiell (Tottenville) - 8th Place
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 the urban youth and strengthen the NYC 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.