Team USA Lineup Set For 'Salsa in the Square' Vs Cuba In Times Sq. May 21 With Beat the Streets Gala

NEW YORK - May 13, 2015 - PRLog -- Beat the Streets Wrestling, Inc. and USA Wrestling today announced the U.S. lineup and the match pairings for the “Salsa in the Square,” as top competitors for Team USA and the Cuban National Team will compete in a dual meet featuring all three Olympic wrestling styles.

The USA vs. Cuba Dual meet will be held in historic Times Square on Thursday, May 21, this time back in the Duffy Square location at 46th Street in Manhattan. It is one of the most impressive and iconic settings in the history of Olympic wrestling.

This will be the first time that a dual meet between a U.S. team and a Cuban team in an Olympic sport will take place in the United States since the historic change in USA and Cuban political relations earlier this year. It is also the first time that a Cuban wrestling team will compete in New York City in a dozen years, since the successful 2003 World Freestyle Wrestling Championships were held at Madison Square Garden.

The American team announced today is loaded with talent. Included on the U.S. roster is 2012 Olympic champion and two-time World champion Jordan Burroughs at 74 kg in men’s freestyle.

A pair of Olympic medalists will compete in women’s freestyle, 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Clarissa Chun at 48 kg and 2008 Olympic medalist Randi Miller at 69 kg. Chun was also a World champion in 2012.

The U.S. team also includes a pair of two-time World medalists, Tervel Dlagnev at 125 kg in men’s freestyle and Helen Maroulis at 55 kg in women’s freestyle. Dlagnev won World bronze medals in 2009 and 2014. Maroulis was a World silver medalist in 2012 and a World bronze medalist in 2014.

Other World medalists on the American roster include Andy Bisek at 74 kg in Greco-Roman and Jake Herbert at 84 kg in men’s freestyle.

Four of the athletes on Team USA have won the Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation’s top college wrestler: Jordan Burroughs, Jake Herbert, Brent Metcalf at 66 kg and David Taylor at 74 kg. Taylor won the Hodge Trophy twice.

Combined, the USA team accounts for a combined 17 NCAA titles, including two-time champions Brent Metcalf (Iowa), David Taylor (Penn State), Jordan Burroughs (Nebraska), Jake Herbert (Northwestern) and Tervel Dlagnev (Nebraska-Kearney), along with NCAA champion Tony Ramos (Iowa).

Among the NCAA champions in the event are two top current stars. There is a special challenge match between the reigning NCAA Div. I national champion Alex Dieringer of Oklahoma State and reigning NCAA Div. II national champion Joey Davis of Notre Dame College. Dieringer is a two-time NCAA champion. Davis is a three-time NCAA champion, and has not yet lost a college wrestling match.

The event also features a four-time WCWA women’s college national champion, Helen Maroulis, who won her titles for Simon Fraser (3x) and Missouri Baptist (1x).

One of the women’s matches will feature a New York City native and a product of the Beat the Streets program, who is currently a star on the college level, Rosemary Flores at 60 kg. Flores competed for Curtis High School on Staten Island, and wrestled in Times Square during the Beat the Streets youth matches while she was in high school. She attends Campbellsville University, where she is a two-time All-American, placing third in the 2014 WCWA Women’s College Nationals and fourth in the 2015 WCWA Nationals.

The U.S. lineup features nine athletes who won 2015 U.S. Open national titles in Las Vegas this past weekend: Ramos, Metcalf, Taylor, Herbert, Dlagnev and Maroulis, plus Greco-Roman champions Spenser Mango at 59 kg and Andy Bisek at 75 kg, plus freestyle champion Kyle Snyder at 97 kg.

The Cuban Wrestling Federation has announced its lineup of stars last week. The Cuban team features four past medalists in men’s freestyle: 2012 Olympic bronze medalist and three-time World medalist Livan Lopez Azcuy at 74 kg in men’s freestyle, three-time World medalist Reineris Salas Perez at 86 kg, plus 2014 World bronze medalist Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez at 57 kg and Javier Cortina Lacerra at 97 kg. The women’s freestyle and Greco-Roman athletes are a mix of veteran stars and exciting young talents. Combined, the team has won 11 Pan American individual gold medals and four Junior World medals.

USA Wrestling will be publishing detailed previews of each of the USA vs. Cuba matchups, including in depth biographies, on its website TheMat.com in the upcoming week.

Top Beat the Streets middle school and high school students will take the mat showcasing their skills in exhibition matches beginning at 3:45 pm to start the evening. The Beat the Streets youth match pairings will also be announced shortly.

The USA vs. the World dual requires a ticket for reserved seating in Times Square, but is an outdoor event. Pedestrians and non-ticket holders are encouraged to watch. Admission tickets may be bought in advance at www.btsny.org or 212.245.6570. A ticket is required for the Gala. More details are available at http://www.btsny.org/gala

The Gala Celebration will follow the wrestling competition at Best Buy Theater. This unique and electrifying annual event helps Beat the Streets(BTS) raise significant funds to further its mission.

SALSA IN THE SQUARE, USA VS. CUBA DUAL PAIRINGS
Men’s freestyle
57 kg/125.5 lbs. – Tony Ramos (USA) vs. Yowlys Bonne Rodriguez (Cuba)
65 kg/143 lbs. – Brent Metcalf (USA) vs. Franklin Maren Castillo (Cuba)
74 kg/163 lbs. – Jordan Burroughs (USA) vs. Luis Esteban Quintana Martinez (Cuba)
74 kg/163 lbs. – David Taylor (USA) vs. Livan Lopez Azcuy (Cuba)
86 kg/189 lbs. – Jake Herbert (USA) vs. Reineris Salas Perez (Cuba)
97 kg/213 lbs. – Kyle Snyder (USA) vs. Javier Cortina Lacerra (Cuba)
125 kg/275 lbs. – Tervel Dlagnev (USA) vs. Andres Ramos Dinza (Cuba)
Women’s freestyle
48 kg/105.5 lbs. – Clarissa Chun (USA) vs. Yusneylis Guzman Lopez (Cuba)
55 kg/121 lbs. – Helen Maroulis (USA) vs. Yamilka del Valle Alvarez (Cuba)
60 kg/132 lbs. – Rosemary Flores (USA) vs. Yekelin Stornell Elastigue (Cuba)
69 kg/152 lbs. – Randi Miller (USA) vs. Yudari Sanchez Rodriguez (Cuba)
Greco-Roman
59 kg/130 lbs. – Spenser Mango (USA) vs. Maykel Anache Lamout (Cuba)
75 kg/165 lbs. – Andy Bisek (USA) vs. Yurisandi Hernandez Rios (Cuba)
Special Challenge Match
NCAA Div. I champion Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) vs. NCAA Div. II champion Joey Davis (Notre Dame College)

“Salsa In The Square,” Beat The Streets Wrestling Schedule
At New York, May 21, 2015
3:45 p.m. – Beat the Streets Exhibition Matches in Duffy Square at 46th Street
5:45 p.m. – World Class Wrestling: Team USA vs. Team Cuba at 46th Street
7:30 p.m. – Gala Celebration at Best Buy Theater at 1515 Broadway