Beat the Streets Academy's Oumar Tounkara wins 2nd NHSCA national title

Ana Carolina Mindlin Lockard earned All-America honors with a fifth-place finish.

Oumar Tounkara is a two-time national champion.

The Beat the Streets Academy student-athlete from The Bronx defeated Kiyan Simon on Alabama 10-1 to claim the 113-pound title in the senior division at the National High School Coaches Association tournament Sunday at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. Tounkara won the 106-pound junior crown last year.

Tounkara, who started wrestling in middle school in the BTS Junior League, had two falls and a 16-1 technical fall in 2:20 to advance to the semifinals. Tied 7-7 in the final minute of his semifinal match, he scored a takedown with 20 seconds remaining to secure his spot in the finals. He scored two takedowns on his way to lift his second national title.

"I just had confidence going into every match," Tounkara said. "I had it built in my head that nobody could compete with me."

3 more All-Americans

Ana Carolina Mindlin Lockard achieved her goal of becoming an All-American by taking fifth at 145 pounds in the girls division. The BTS Academy student-athlete set the goal after falling one match shy of earning All-American honors a year ago.

Mindlin Lockard scored two falls within 1 minute and 30 seconds of each match to reach the quarterfinals. She dominated with an 11-3 lead before scoring a fall to secure a spot in the semifinal round and All-American honors.

"When the ref called the pin, I was flooded with a lot of emotion," Mindlin Lockard said. "It was the culmination of all the work I put in this past year. I'm excited to get back in the (BTS Training Center wrestling) room and work even harder."

Mindlin Lockard dropped her next two matches but rebounded to end her tournament strong with a 16-2 major decision for fifth place.

BTS Academy alumna Isabella Lorenzana, who moved to California in the summer, claimed her second career All-America honor with a fifth-place finish at 235 pounds in the girls division. Lorenzana took seventh a year ago.

Eric Bocanegra Jr., a BTS Junior League alumnus, also claimed All-America honors by taking eighth place at 106 pounds in the sophomore division. Bocanegra had two falls then fell 7-5 in the quarterfinals. He rebounded with a 9-5 decision to secure All-American honors before dropped his next two bouts.

Seven more BTS and Public Schools Athletic League student-athletes earned at least one victory at the tournament: Tristan Levin (junior); Matthew Velez, Tysun Gilliard, Firdavs Ahmadzoda, Connor Justesen and Jayden Kiell (senior); and Jacqueline Jackson (girls). BTS Academy and Junior League alumnus Kimoni Giles also had two wins (junior).

Photo by Levi Ventura/LeviVenturaMedia.com

About Beat the Streets 

Since being founded in 2005, Beat the Streets has pioneered a movement that now includes 150 individual wrestling programs, a youth league and the first girls high school league.

Beat the Streets works to develop the full human and athletic potential of New York City urban youth and strengthen the city's wrestling culture. Beat the Streets aims to make a lifelong impact on student-athletes through the lessons learned on the wrestling mat -- discipline, perseverance, self-reliance, humility and a strong work ethic. For more information about Beat the Streets, visit btsny.org and follow Beat the Streets on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and X.