The nine star wrestlers join Olympic and two-time World champion Jordan Burroughs (74 kilos) and World silver medalist Helen Maroulis (55 kilos), who were announced by Beat the Streets and USA Wrestling as the first two U.S. competitors last week.
The purpose of this event is to elevate the profile of wrestling and to raise funds to support the operation of over 140 youth development wrestling programs in New York City, serving nearly 3,000 student-athletes.
The U.S. lineup features many of the most popular and successful athletes competing today. In total, the entire U.S. team accounts for 14 NCAA titles, four Hodge Trophy awards, 12 U.S. Open titles, six World Team berths, six Junior World medals plus an Olympic gold medal, an Olympic bronze medal, two Senior World titles and a Junior World gold medal.
Randi Miller was a 2008 Olympic bronze medalist, joining Olympic champion Burroughs as an Olympic medalist on the team.
The team will feature five athletes who won the recent 2014 U.S. Open in Las Vegas, Burroughs, Maroulis, Kennedy, Metcalf and Miller. Multiple U.S. Open champions on the team include Maroulis (five times), Burroughs (three times) and Miller (two times).
Past NCAA champions on the squad include three-time champions Ruth of Penn State and Stieber of Ohio State plus two-time champions Taylor of Penn State, Oliver of Oklahoma State, Metcalf of Iowa and Burroughs of Nebraska. Taylor won the Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation's best college wrestler two times, while Metcalf and Burroughs were also past Hodge Trophy winners.
The team will feature two talented young athletes who are making their mark. Nahshon Garrett, who is a two-time All-American and 2014 NCAA finalist from Cornell, is 20 years old. High School senior Kyle Snyder, a 2013 Junior World champion, is just 18 years old.
The World All-Stars roster is still being finalized, and will feature Olympic, World and Continental medalists from around the world. Additionally, exhibitions involving the young Beat the Streets athletes prior to the international competition will be announced as they are set. The Beat the Streets children will take to the mat at 4 p.m., followed by Team USA vs. the World at 5:30 (match order TBD). The evening concludes with the Beat the Streets Award Gala at 7:30 p.m. at Best Buy Theater (1515 Broadway).
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 btsny.org/gala. Fans can join the conversation about the event on Twitter by utilizing #BTSGalaTSQ.
The world-class competition has twice before been held in Times Square. Last year the event moved to historic Grand Central Terminal, where it was also a huge success. Dubbed "The Rumble on the Rails," it featured dual meets between Team USA, Russia and Iran and was an important part of the international Keep Olympic Wrestling effort, which resulted in wrestling retaining its status on the Olympic Games program.
This will be the fifth straight year in which a major international-style wrestling competition will be hosted as part of the Beat the Streets Gala 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. In 2011, the United States defeated World champion Russia, 5-2, the first sports event ever held in historic Times Square. In 2012, another U.S. vs. Russia dual meet was held in Times Square, along with the U.S. Olympic Team Wrestle-off for the 60-kilo position on the U.S. Olympic Team in men's freestyle. All of these events have been great showcases for international wrestling and have received
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