Beat the Streets New York Wrestling student-athlete Eric Bocanegra qualifies for 2026 U20 World Championships

The New York native will represent Puerto Rico in Greco-Roman.

Beat the Streets New York Wrestling student-athlete Eric Bocanegra is heading to the 2026 U20 United World Wrestling Championships after earning a spot on Puerto Rico's Greco-Roman U20 World Team.

Bocanegra secured the 55-kilogram spot by defeating Jeremy Santiago two matches to one in a best-of-three championship series this past weekend. In addition to qualifying for U20 World Team, Bocanegra also earned a silver medal in the U23 division.

A New York native, Bocanegra began his wrestling journey in the Beat the Streets Junior League, New York City's only elementary and middle school wrestling league with the Harlem Jets in Manhattan. Now a junior at Blair Academy in New Jersey, Bocanegra recently capped off a strong high school season with a third-place finish at the National Prep Wrestling Championships. His rise through the sport of wrestling reflects years of dedication and development within the Beat the Streets program.

Bocanegra will represent Puerto Rico on the international stage for the first time at the 2026 U20 World Championships, set for August 16-23 in Bratislava, Slovakia.

### 

About Beat the Streets New York  

Beat the Streets Wrestling is a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing the full human and athletic potential of New York City’s urban youth through the sport of wrestling. Beat the Streets has pioneered a movement that now includes 110 individual wrestling programs, a youth league and the first girls high school league. Through wrestling, Beat the Streets instills discipline, perseverance, self-reliance, humility, and a strong work ethic, creating lifelong impact for more than 4,000 student-athletes while strengthening NYC’s wrestling culture. To learn more and support the mission, visit btsny.org/donate and follow Beat the Streets on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.