U.S. wrestlers won seven of nine matches against international stars from Iran, Korea and Canada in the Beat the Streets "United in the Square" event held in Times Square. The event consisted of one Greco-Roman match, two women's freestyle matches, four UWW Junior freestyle matches and two men's freestyle matches.
Returning World champions Jordan Burroughs, Helen Maroulis and Adeline Gray dominated their competition.
Burroughs, an Olympic champion and three-time World champion, crushed Iran's Pehman Yarahmadi 11-2 in the final match of the evening. The match was competitive early in the second period after Yarahmadi scored a takedown to cut the deficit to 3-2. But it was all Burroughs the rest of the way. He used his trademark blast double leg to score four points and take a 7-2 lead. A step out-point and takedown for Burroughs made the score 10-2. He added another late step-out point for a nine-point victory. It was Burroughs' sixth victory in six appearances at Beat the Streets events.
"It's always fun to be here," Burroughs said of wrestling in Times Square. "I never get more pumped than when everything is on the line. And although you guys might see it as an exhibition, I see it as a legacy builder. A lot of people out here are seeing me for the first time, maybe for the last time. I want to give them something to talk about."
Maroulis, a returning World champion and three-time World medalist pinned Samantha Stewart of Canada at 2:41. She scored four first-period takedowns to go up 8-0 and then secured the pin early in the second period.
"Sam is a great competitor," said Maroulis. "The Canadians ... It's awesome that they came down to battle us. We've had a lot of tough bouts with them before."
Gray, a three-time World champion, hammered Canada's Justina Di Stasio 11-0. She had trouble getting to her offense early in the match, and led just 2-0 at the break. Gray turned it up in the second period, though, scoring first off the shot clock before earning a takedown. She then transitioned to a leg lace, which she used to score four more points and go up 9-0. Gray then scored a takedown with two seconds left on the clock to secure the technical fall.
"It was a fabulous time," said Gray. "The energy here is unbelievable."
Olympian J'den Cox was impressive in beating Iran's Meisam Mostafa Joukar 10-5 at 86 kilos. The first period ended 1-1 after the wrestlers traded step outs. The action picked up significantly in the second period. Cox jumped out to a 5-1 lead after two takedowns. Joukar cut the deficit to 5-3 after scoring two more points off step outs. Cox responded with takedown and then picked up a point off a step out to go up 8-3. Joukar scored a takedown with just over a minute left, but still trailed 8-5. A late takedown by Cox put him up five points, which is how the match would end.
Olympic champion Kim Hyeon-Woo of Korea battles two-time World bronze medalist Andy Bisek of USA in the opening match of the Beat the Streets event in Times Square (Photo/T.R. Foley)The U.S. won three of four UWW Junior freestyle matches
At 60 kilos, Daton Fix, the nation's No. 4 wrestler in the class of 2017, claimed a second-period technical fall, 14-3, over Iran's Kheyrollah Ghahramani in a battle of Cadet World medalists. Fix started quickly, scoring a takedown off a slide-by and adding a trapped-arm gut wrench to lead 4-0. Ghahramani inched closer with a late first-period takedown. In the second period, after Ghahramani scored a point off a step out, Fix picked up a takedown and locked up a trapped-arm gut wrench and rolled it three times to open up the scoring and take a commanding 12-3 lead. He then put the match away with another takedown off a slide-by.
Mitchell McKee, a University of Minnesota signee, won a wild back-and-forth match on criteria, 8-8, over Iran's Peiman Biabani. The Iranian led 4-2 after the opening period, but McKee battled back, scoring a four-point move off a head pinch to go up 6-4. McKee extended his lead to 7-4 after a step-out point. Biabani cut the lead to 7-6 after a takedown off a duck under, and quickly added a gut wrench to take a one-point lead. McKee, though, was able to earn a reversal late to make the score 8-8 and give him the criteria victory.
Mark Hall, the nation's No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2016, picked up an 8-5 win over Iran's Ahmad Bazrighaleh in an action-filled match at 74 kilos. Bazrighaleh scored first with a takedown to go up 2-0. Hall was able to score a reversal and make the score 2-2 at the break. In the second period Hall scored a takedown to go up 4-2, and then added a two-point exposure from neutral to lead 6-2. Bazrighaleh used a reversal to cut the deficit to 6-4. A late exchange saw Hall get another two-point exposure, while Bazrighaleh was awarded a point.
The U.S. dropped its only UWW Junior freestyle match at 84 kilos where Junior World champion Mojtaba Goleij of Iran handled Zahid Valencia 10-1. Valencia, who attends Arizona State, scored the first point of the match off a step out, but Goleij dominated the rest of the way.
Fix, McKee, Hall and Valencia will compete in this weekend's UWW Junior World Team Trials in Irving, Texas.
Results:
Greco-Roman 75 kilos: Kim Hyeon-Woo (Korea) dec. Andy Bisek (USA), 3-0
Women's 53 kilos: Helen Maroulis (USA) pinned Samantha Stewart (Canada), 2:41
Women's 75 kilos: Adeline Gray (USA) tech. fall Justina Di Stasio (Canada), 11-0
Junior men's freestyle 55 kilos: Daton Fix (USA) tech. fall Kheyrollah Ghahramani (Iran), 14-3
Junior men's freestyle 60 kilos: Mitchell McKee (USA) dec. Peiman Biabani (Iran), 8-8
Junior men's freestyle 74 kilos: Mark Hall (USA) dec. Ahmad Bazrighaleh (Iran), 8-5
Junior men's freestyle 84 kilos: Mojtaba Goleij (Iran) dec. Zahid Valencia (USA), 10-1
Men's freestyle 86 kilos: J'den Cox (USA) dec. Meisam Mostafa Joukar (Iran), 10-5
Men's freestyle 74 kilos: Jordan Burroughs (USA) dec. Pehman Yarahmadi (Iran), 11-2
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