A landmark day of wrestling and international cooperation was capped by an historic evening of celebration and philanthropy on Wednesday as USA Wrestling and Beat The Streets Wrestling, Inc., a youth development organization that believes wrestling is the superlative tool for nurturing boys and girls into capable young men and women, teamed to raise a record of $1.5 million for the organization. It began with “The Rumble on the Rails,” a pair of dual meets featuring top squads from USA, Iran and Russia, powerhouses in the sport, held at Grand Central Terminal, followed by the annual Beat the Streets Awards Gala at Bryant Park Grill.
Team USA dominated Russia on the evening card, winning eight of nine matches in an event broadcast live on Universal Sports. The USA men’s freestyle team got things rolling by sweeping all five of their matches, as Coleman Scott, Logan Stieber, Brent Metcalf, David Taylor and Jordan Burroughs earned wins. Helen Maroulis won her women’s freestyle event, and Kendrick Sanders and Ben Provisor took Greco-Roman matches, with Evgeni Saleev salvaging the final match for the Russians. Earlier in the day, Iran defeated the USA, 6-1 in a men’s freestyle dual in the same venue, with four-time NCAA champion Kyle Dake winning for the Americans.
The event showed unique cooperation between the three nations as part of the Keep Olympic Wrestling movement. Although their governments do not always agree, the wrestling leaders in these nations have a strong working relationship.
“The success of ‘The Rumble on the Rails’ and Beat The Streets Awards Gala show the strength and solidarity of the sport of wrestling, top to bottom and across international lines,” said Mike Novogratz, Beat The Streets Chairman. “The entire community has come together in support of the dual goals of regaining Olympic status in 2020 and helping Beat the Streets in its critical work of benefiting disadvantaged and at-risk youth through this great sport.”
The Gala also honored a host of athletes and contributors to wrestling during the evening. They included:
Become Your Own Dream Scholarship • Rosemary Flores, Curtis
Junior League Wrestler of the Year • David Berkovich, Elite Wrestling Club
Female Student-Athlete Award Winner • Kim Cardenas, Petrides
Male Student-Athlete Award Winner • Kevin Tynes, Brooklyn Tech
Lady Liberty Award Winner • Rosemary Flores, Curtis
Atlas Award Winner • Adis Radoncic, Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy
Junior League Coach of the Year • Tim Prugar, New Heights Academy
Boys High School Assistant Coach of the Year • John Cichon, Petrides
Boys High School Coach of the Year • Chris Milani, Cardozo HS
Girls High School Coach of the Year • Chris Alena, Curtis
Man of the Year • Kyle Dake, Cornell University