Beat the Streets New York Wrestling alumnus Sulayman Bah earns historic win at NCAA Division 1 Championships

The Bronx native earned the first victory for a Beat the Streets student-athlete at the men's college wrestling national tournament.

Sulayman Bah made history Thursday night at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, becoming the first Beat the Streets New York student-athlete to earn a victory at the NCAA Division I Men's Wrestling Championships.

Bah - a junior at Columbia University - entered the tournament as the No. 30 seed at 125 pounds. He opened with a hard-fought 9-5 loss to No. 3 Nic Bouzakis of Ohio State. In the consolation preliminary round, Bah bounced back in impressive fashion. The Bronx native racked up five takedowns en route to a dominant 17-4 major decision win against No. 33 seed Jace Schafer of Bloomsburg.

Bah's national tournament run ended in the next round with a 7-2 loss to No. 19 seed Kysen Terukina of North Carolina.

Bah earned an at-large selection by the NCAA Division I Men's Wrestling Committee to compete in the championship for the first time in his career. He finished his junior campaign with a career-high 25-16 record, improving his career total to 48-45.

Bah was not the only student-athlete representing Beat the Streets and New York City on the national stage. Brown University senior Alex Semenenko competed as the No. 25 seed at 285 pounds. The Brooklyn native dropped a close 2-0 decision to No. 8 seed Ben Kueter of Iowa, followed by a 9-1 major decision loss to No. 24 seed Connor Barket of Duke.

Bah and Semenenko each began their wrestling journeys in the Beat the Streets Junior League program, New York City's only elementary and middle school wrestling league. Bah started at M.S. 129 in The Bronx, and Semenenko at David A. Boody Jr. High School in Brooklyn.

Bah remained highly involved in BTS programs throughout high school, including participating in the transformative BTS Academy program. He later attended The Kiski School, where he earned National Prep All-American honors twice and became a three-time PAISAA State place winner.

Semenenko won a Greco-Roman junior national championship, placed third for Poly Prep at the National Prep Wrestling Championships and took second place for Staten Island Tech at the New York Public High School Athletic Association Individual Championship. He also built an accomplished career beyond wrestling. A standout judoka, he is a two-time U.S. Junior World Team member and represented the United States on the 2019 Cadet World Team. Now competing at the Senior level, Semenenko captured two Pan American Open titles in 2025.

Bah's victory marks a significant milestone for BTS, highlighting the organization's continued impact in developing NYC student-athletes and preparing them to succeed in all aspects of life. His journey from The Bronx to competing and winning on the national stage while attending Columbia University highlights the organization's commitment to preparing student-athletes for long-term success on the wrestling mat, in the classroom and in their future pursuits.

(Photos courtesy of Geoff Riccio/Riccio Productions)

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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.