Helen Maroulis gets her hand raised after winning a world title in Paris (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)NEW YORK -- Helen Maroulis, who captured America's heart by winning gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, two-time World silver medalist Alli Ragan and U.S. World Team member Tamyra Stock will compete for Team USA against Team Nigeria at the annual Beat the Streets Benefit, May 17 at Pier 17/Seaport District in lower Manhattan.
Maroulis, who will be making her sixth straight Beat the Streets (www.btsny.org) appearance, has a perfect 5-0 record in BTS competition and recently joined the staff as a Student-Athlete Mentor and Coach Educator. Her gold medal match victory came at 53kg against Japanese superstar Saori Yoshida, as Maroulis became the first American to win a gold medal in women's wrestling. A Rockville, Md., native, Maroulis is also a two-time World champion and now lives and trains in New York.
Ragan, who has made five straight U.S. Senior World Teams, placed second in the Worlds the past two years while also winning the Pan American Championships in 2017. She is also a two-time U.S Open. Champion, a two-time Junior World medalist and two-time WCWA women's college national champion at King University. The Carbondale, Ill., native now lives in Colorado Springs, Colo. and Iowa City, Iowa.
Stock, the reigning 2017 U.S. World Team Trials champion, also won the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials but did not compete in Rio because the U.S. did not qualify at her weight. She became the first American athlete to win back-to-back golds in the prestigious Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix in Russia. She won two WCWA titles for Wayland Baptist University. The Katy, Texas, native (nee Mensah) now resides in Colorado Springs, Colo.
"There is no greater American champion than Helen Maroulis, and we're excited that she is making yet another appearance at Beat the Streets Annual Benefit," said Brendan Buckley, Executive Director, Beat the Streets Inc. "Combined with her new, formal role with BTS New York, Helen is making a difference in the lives of young wrestlers, and this event will be another opportunity for fans to see her in action on the mat."
Nigeria is the first African nation to compete at a Beat the Streets Benefit. The opponents from Nigeria for the U.S. trio will be as follows:
57 kg - Helen Maroulis vs. Odunayo Adekuoroye
59 kg - Alli Ragan vs. Bisola Makanjuola
68 kg - Tamyra Stock vs. Blessing Oborududu
Maroulis faces one of the most successful and popular athletes on Team Nigeria. Adekuoroye was a 2017 World silver medalist and 2015 World bronze medalist. She competed in the 2016 Olympic Games, and is coming off a gold-medal effort at the Commonwealth Games.
Ragan's opponent is a rising young talent for Team Nigeria. Makanjuola was a 2018 African champion and won a silver medal at the 2017 African Championships.
Stock faces a veteran star in Oborududu, who competed in both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. She is an eight-time African Champion, and has also won the All-Africa Games. Like Adekuoroye, Oburududu is fresh off a victory at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
The Team USA men and their international opponents will be announced soon.
This year will mark the first time that Beat the Streets has held its annual event at Pier 17/South Street District. In 2013, the event dubbed "The Rumble on the Rails," was hosted in historic Grand Central Terminal and featured dual meets between Team USA, Russia and Iran. Playing an important role in the international Keep Olympic Wrestling effort, this historic wrestling event gained international media coverage and helped wrestling retain its status on the Olympic Games program.
Coverage will be available live and on-demand exclusively on FloWrestling.com. To access live and on-demand coverage of the Beat the Streets New York City Annual Benefit, visit FloWrestling.com and become a PRO subscriber. A subscription unlocks access to premium content across the entire FloSports network, as well as the matches from the Beat the Streets program starting at 2:30 p.m. ET on May 17. Watch the event across all screens by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Roku or Apple TV 4.
This will be the ninth straight year in which a major international-style wrestling competition will be hosted as part of the Beat the Streets Benefit activities. In 2010, an all-star challenge featuring top U.S. wrestlers was held on the USS Intrepid, an aircraft carrier docked on the west side of Manhattan. Times Square has been the venue for the 2011, 2012 and 2014-2017 events.
This year, top Beat the Streets youth wrestlers will take the mat showcasing their skills in exhibition matches beginning at 2:30 p.m. to kick off the NYC Benefit. For the third straight year, the Benefit will feature the PSAL Girls Freestyle Dual Meet Championships finals, showcasing the two top New York City girl's freestyle wrestling high school teams from the spring girl's freestyle season. Then it's Team USA vs. an international squad at 6:00 p.m. and super match between Jordan Burroughs and Italy's Frank Chamizo with video highlights and special guest appearances followed by the Beat the Streets Benefit Celebration.
Tickets are required for entry and can be purchased by visiting www.btsny.org, calling 212-777-5702 or emailing Joe DelConte at jdelconte@btsny.org.
The Benefit Celebration at Pier 17 will follow the wrestling competition. This unique and electrifying annual event helps Beat the Streets raise significant funds to further its mission. Whether it's providing a safe, constructive outlet for our urban youth, fighting childhood obesity, empowering women, or uniting entire nations, wrestling teaches persistence, dedication, and the value of working hard to achieve one's goals and creates opportunities for personal and universal growth. BTS currently serve over 3,000 student-athletes every year.
2018 Beat the Streets Wrestling Schedule
The Seaport District/Pier 17, New York City, May 17, 2018
2:30 p.m. - Beat the Streets Youth Exhibition Matches
4:45 p.m. - New York City Girls Freestyle Dual Meet Championships Finals
6:00 p.m. - World Class Wrestling to include:
• Team USA vs. Nigeria in women's freestyle
57 kg - Helen Maroulis (USA) vs. Odunayo Adekuoroye (Nigeria)
59 kg - Alli Ragan (USA) vs. Bisola Makanjuola (Nigeria)
68 kg - Tamyra Stock (USA) vs. Blessing Oborududu (Nigeria)
• Team USA vs. TBA in men's freestyle
• Super Match - Jordan Burroughs (USA) vs. Frank Chamizo (ITA)
Followed by Annual Benefit Celebration, Pier 17
About Beat the Streets
The mission of Beat the Streets is to develop the full potential of the urban youth and to strengthen the culture of New York City wrestling. BTS works directly with the New York City Department of Education in a public-private partnership to bring the life changing sport of wrestling to over 3,000 New York City student-athletes to help them achieve their personal and athletic goals. Through the operation of wrestling programs in middle and high schools in the five boroughs, BTS and the DOE provide a safe, positive atmosphere in which disadvantaged and at-risk youth can learn the essential life lessons of grit, personal responsibility and teamwork, physical fitness and nutrition, and life-long learning. The goal of fostering strong, well-rounded student-athletes is delivered through coaching, after-school programs, life skills workshops, and summer camps. More information can be found at www.btsny.org.
About USA Wrestling
USA Wrestling is the National Governing Body for the Sport of Wrestling in the United States and, as such, is its representative to the United States Olympic Committee and United World Wrestling, the international wrestling federation. Simply, USA Wrestling is the central organization that coordinates amateur wrestling programs in the nation and works to create interest and participation in these programs. It has over 220,000 members across the nation, boys and girls, men and women of all ages, representing all levels of the sport. Its president is Bruce Baumgartner, and its Executive Director is Rich Bender. More information can be found at TheMat.com
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