PSAL wrestles hard at states, three nearly place

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PSAL wrestles hard at states, three nearly place
Division II records highest-ever team finish

ALBANY, New York (February 28^th, 2011) – The New York State Federation of Secondary School Wrestling Championships were held Friday and Saturday February 25^th and 26^th at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY. The New York City Public Athletic League qualified 15 wrestlers in each of the two Divisions. Full results are available at www.beat-the-streets.org.

PSAL Wrestling Commissioner Larry Cantor said, "First off, I am so proud of our guys. They really wrestled their hearts out and showed that New York City can compete on the state level. We should take a lot of confidence from this tournament heading into the spring season and going into next year, as well."

The three best-performing student-athletes were Allen Cornelius, a Senior from Hostos Lincoln who competed at 130 lbs. in Division II, Jorje Jimenez, a 145 lbs. Junior from Lehman in Divison I, and Brooklyn Tech 215 lbs. Junior Patryk Kopczynski. They paced the way for the PSAL contingent by winning two matches each and advancing to the placing round of their respective weight classes.

Winning one match each were Cheick Ndiaye (Brooklyn International - 96 lbs. Division II), Abubakarr Sow (Brooklyn International - 119 lbs. Division II), Deuly Espinal (Grand Street Campus - 125 lbs. Division I), McZiggy Richards (Wingate - 189 lbs. Division I), and Faheem Simpson (Eagle Academy - 285 lbs. Division II).

Both PSAL teams finished with 10 points and placed 11^th out of 12 teams in their respective divisions. This marks the highest finish for the PSAL in the eight year history of the small-school Division II tournament.

The PSAL first competed at the state tournament in 1981 and has finished in the bottom two every year except 2005, when the large-school Division I team recorded its highest-ever finish, placing 10^th of 12. Prior to 2004, there was only one division at the state tournament.

The 2011 PSAL team was represented by:

Large School – Division I

·         96 lbs – Josh Antoine – Grand Street Campus

·         103 lbs – Kevin Ramkishun – Brooklyn Tech

·         112 lbs – Santo Curatolo - Tottenville

·         119 lbs – Vlad Mordach – Brooklyn Tech

·         125 lbs – Deuly Espinal – Grand Street Campus

·         130 lbs – William Vera – William C. Bryant

·         135 lbs – Ahmed Elsayed – Wingate

·         140 lbs – Camilo Rodriguez – Curtis

·         145 lbs – Jorje Jimenez – Herbert Lehman

·         152 lbs – Mujeeb Ghafari – Curtis

·         160 lbs – NaQuann Cobb – Newtown

·         171 lbs – Anatoliy Anchakov – Grand Street Campus

·         189 lbs – McZiggy Richards - Wingate

·         215 lbs – Patryk Kopczynski – Brooklyn Tech

·         285 lbs – Covie Mitchell – Grand Street Campus

Small School – Division II

·         96 lbs – Cheick Ndiaye – Brooklyn International

·         103 lbs – Aridis Duran – Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy

·         112 lbs – Paul Schoenberg – Baruch

·         119 lbs – Abubakarr Sow – Brooklyn International

·         125 lbs – Orpheus Rambharose – Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy

·         130 lbs – Allen Cornelius – Hostos

·         135 lbs – Adis Radoncic – Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy

·         140 lbs – Trevor Alston – Eagle Academy

·         145 lbs – Xavier Thomas – Eagle Academy

·         152 lbs – Iger Ostreni – Petrides

·         160 lbs – Michael Elassad – Petrides

·         171 lbs – Robert Kowalik – Petrides

·         189 lbs – Matthew Dove – Petrides

·         215 lbs – Alex Aronovich – Petrides

·         285 lbs – Jaheem Simpson – Eagle Academy

About Beat the Streets

Beat the Streets Wrestling, Inc. works directly with the New York City Department of Education in a public-private partnership to help New York City's student-athletes achieve their athletic and personal 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 personal responsibility, physical fitness, education, and teamwork. The goal of fostering strong, dedicated, and optimistic kids is delivered through tutoring, after-school programs, mentoring, and coaching. More information can be found at www.beat-the-streets.org.

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