- Brandon Cain
Beat the Streets New York honors 2023 award winners at Annual Benefit, Final X
BTSNY recognized the award winners for their accomplishments.
Beat the Streets New York honored its annual award winners for the 2023 season during its Annual Benefit, Final X, on Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
BTSNY Director of Programming Bob Seidel and Head Boys Coach Joe DeAngelo presented the winners with an award between Final X sessions.
Junior League Female Wrestler of the Year
Leona Gao of Christa McAuliffe School IS 187 (Brooklyn) won a Junior League City Championship in the girls division and took second in the standard division. Gao also earned the Girls Outstanding Wrestler Award at the Junior League City Championship.
Junior League Male Wrestler of the Year
Ronin Barro of Elite Wrestling Academy (Brooklyn) captured a standard division title at the Junior League City Championship.
High School Student Mentor of the Year
Pameshwar Seeram of Eagle Academy for Young Men in The Bronx helped coach his school's Junior League team, which won the standard division city championship. Seeram took second place at the PSAL Boys City Championships.
Male Student-Athlete of the Year
Sulayman Bah maintained a 4.0 GPA at Kiski Prep and earned his second National Prep All-American honor with an eighth-place finish. Bah will continue his wrestling career at Columbia University, where he will study computer science.
Female Student-Athlete of the Year
Ariel Ofri-Akman of Bronx Science High School had a 3.7 GPA and claimed four major wrestling titles this season: Eastern States Classic, NYC Mayor's Cup, and PSAL Girls City Championships in folkstyle and freestyle. Ofri-Akman will study physical education at East Stroudsburg University, where she will also wrestle.
Atlas Award (Boys Career Achievement)
Devone Bogie of Eagle Academy for Young Men in The Bronx took sixth place at Eastern States Classic, won his second PSAL Boys City Championship and took third at the New York state boys folkstyle tournament this year. Bogie's leadership and success on the mat helped Eagle Academy take fourth place at the state tournament. He also was a runner-up at the NYC Mayor's Cup and at the New York state Greco-Roman tournament.
Lady Liberty (Girls Career Achievement)
Alessandra Elliott of Tottenville (Staten Island) put New York City wrestling on the national stage once again when she claimed her second USA Wrestling Nationals All-American honors with a fifth-place finish in the junior division. Elliott won a U16 national championship in 2022. This year, she claimed titles at the NYC Mayor's Cup, PSAL Girls City Championships in folkstyle and freestyle, and New York state girls freestyle tournament. She also took second at NHSCA High School Nationals.
Elliott also became the first female student-athlete from the state of New York to sign with the D'Youville University women's wrestling program.
GRIT (Dedication Award)
Botensky Bauzile of Thomas Edison High School (Queens) won an NYC Mayor's Cup title and PSAL Boys City Championship. He also took eighth place at the New York state boys folkstyle tournament.
Davit Abjandadze of Edward R. Murrow High School (Brooklyn) won the PSAL Boys City Championship to qualify for the state tournament.
Junior League Coach of the Year
Penn Gottfried, the head coach at PS 5 Port Morris (The Bronx), guided his first-year program to third place in the standard division at the Junior League City Championships. Gottfried also had one individual city champion in Javier Polanco de la Rosa.
High School Girls Coach of the Year
Teddy Cook of Harry S. Truman (The Bronx) led the Mustangs to their fifth PSAL Girls Freestyle City Championships Dual team title. The Mustangs also took second at the NYC Mayor's Cup with two individual champions. Truman also had one champion and five finalists at the PSAL Girls Freestyle City Championship.
High School Boys Coach of the Year
Steve Santimauro, the head coach at James Madison High School (Brooklyn), guided the Golden Knights to a second-place finish at the PSAL Boys City Championships. Jordan Lee, Amir Avazov and Aidan Gubarev also claimed individual city titles for James Madison. Avazov and Gubarev also won NYC Mayor's Cup titles and took take fourth and eighth, respectively, at the boys folkstyle state tournament.
Assistant Coach of the Year
Yaro Radtsevich, an assistant coach at Brooklyn Tech High School, helped junior Leo Gao go from 0-2 at the 2022 PSAL Boys City Championships to winning the city title this year to qualify for the state tournament. Ana Lockard and Carolina Lockard also won PSAL Girls City Championships in folkstyle and freestyle, respectively.
Volunteer of the Year
Adam Kirsh, a former University of Pennsylvania wrestler, dedicates his time weekly to assist with coaching Training Center practices.