Beat the Streets match previews for Taylor, Flores, Dieringer v Davis
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by Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
David Taylor, one of the most popular athletes in U.S. men’s freestyle, takes on the No. 3 wrestler in the world at 74 kg, Livan Lopez of Cuba, in Times Square.
Over the next few days, TheMat.com will be taking a little closer look at each of the Beat the Streets “Salsa in the Square” matchups that will occur in Times Square on Thursday, May 21. Each of these previews will feature a biography of the wrestlers, as well as previous meetings on the mat.
We continue the previews today with U.S. men’s freestyle star David Taylor as well as New York City native and women’s freestyle prospect Rosemary Flores, along with their opponents in Times Square. We also look at the Special Challenge Match between Div. I NCAA champion Alex Dieringer and Div. II NCAA champion Joey Davis.
Men’s freestyle 74 kg/163 lbs. – David Taylor (USA) vs. Livan Lopez Azcuy (Cuba)
This should be another fun and exciting match between two talents who have not yet met. Livan Lopez of Cuba is a tremendous athlete, an Olympic bronze medalist and a three-time World medalist. He was a top star at 66 kg early in his career, and has jumped to 74 kg the last two seasons and continued to be dominant. Lopez has lost twice to No. 1 American Jordan Burroughs in the past year, first at the 2014 Pan American Championships and then at the 2015 World Cup. In the World rankings, Lopez is one spot behind Burroughs at No. 3.
David Taylor is among the most popular American wrestlers, the winner of the 2015 U.S. Open. The previous two seasons, he lost to Burroughs in the Open finals twice and had an intense series in the 2014 World Team Trials, with some of the matches having close outcomes. He has tremendous technical skills, and uses his height to his advantage in his offensive attack. Since his college career ended, after winning two NCAA titles and two Hodge Trophies for Penn State, Taylor has been testing himself internationally. This winter, he dropped bouts to two Russian World champions, Denis Tsargush and Khetik Tsabolov, at the Yasar Dogu in Turkey. At the 2013 University World Games, he only lost to Tsargush. Taylor is getting even more seasoned because of these battles.
Taylor has past experience at Beat the Streets events, scoring a pin over tough Magomed Kurbanaliev of Russia at the Rumble On the Rails in Grand Central Terminal in 2013. That pin fired up the American crowd, something that Taylor has been doing for his entire career. Lopez wrestles with a flair himself, with impressive athletic and technical skills. Fans will enjoy this match.
Livan López Azcuy (Cuba)
Current UWW World ranking: No. 3
2012 Olympic Bronze medalist… Second in 2013 World Championships… Third in 2011 and 2014 World Championships…2014 Central American and Caribbean Games champion…2011 Pan American Games champion… Second in 2014 Pan American Championship… Third in 2015 Cerro Pelado International (Cuba)…2012 Cerro Pelado International champion (Cuba)… Third in 2015 Granma Cup (Cuba)… Fifth in 2012 Mongolian Open…Born January 24, 1982…Age 33
David Taylor, State College, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC)
2015 U.S. Open champion…. Second in 2014 World Team Trials… Second in 2013 and 2014 U.S. Open… Third in 2013 World University Games… Fifth in 2015 Yasar Dogu International (Turkey)… Third in 2013 U.S. World Team Trials… 2013 University Nationals champion… Competed in 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials… 2010 University Nationals champion… Eighth in 2007 FILA Junior World Championships… Second in 2008 and 2010 FILA Junior World Team Trials… Third in 2010 FILA Junior Nationals… 2007 Junior Nationals champion in both styles… 2006 Cadet Nationals champion in both styles… 2005 Cadet Nationals champion in freestyle and second in Greco-Roman… 2005 FILA Cadet Nationals champion in both styles… 2012 and NCAA Champion for Penn State… 2012 and 2014 Dan Hodge Trophy winner as nation’s top college wrestler… Second in 2011 and 2013 NCAA Championships… Four-time Ohio state high school champion… College: Penn State… High School: St. Paris, Ohio (St. Paris Graham)… Born: December 5, 1990… Age: 24
No Previous Matchup
Women’s freestyle 60 kg/132 lbs. – Rosemary Flores (USA) vs. Yekelin Stornell Elastigue (Cuba)
With the growth and development of the Beat the Streets New York program, it is fitting that one of its youth alumni has returned to compete in a Beat the Streets Gala event as a Senior athlete. Rosemary Flores was the first Beat the Streets athlete, regardless of gender, to win a national title when she claimed both the Cadet National and Junior National titles in Fargo, N.D. in 2011. Since then, the Curtis High School grad has continued to improve, and is now a two-time WCWA women’s college All-American.
Flores wrestled in a youth match as part of a Beat the Streets Gala in Times Square when she was in high school. Now she returns to take on a Cuban opponent on her home turf in New York. Rosemary has never faced Yaquelin Stornell, so it will be an interesting matchup which will be hard to predict. Flores wrestles with a hard-nosed style, and has a devastating headlock, and will wrestle with pride and passion against the Cuban opponent.
Flores is a work in progress, with high goals on the college and international levels. She is an up and comer. The same can be said for all of Cuba’s women’s wrestlers. In a nation which has developed champion men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman athletes, building a women’s program is very promising. Cuba is a world power in women’s judo, another combat sport, so it is very possible that its wrestling program can also develop nicely. The Flores v. Stornell match is a look to the future, when U.S. and Cuban women compete more often at all age levels.
60 kg/132.3 lbs – Yaquelin Stornell Elastigue (Cuba)
2014 Granma Cup champion…2013 Cerro Pelado International champion…Third in 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games...Born April 25, 1984…Age 31
Rosemary Flores, Staten Island, N.Y. (Campbellsville Univ.)
Fourth in 2015 WCWA Women’s College Nationals for Campbellsville University… Third in 2014 WCWA Women’s College Nationals… Fourth in 2015 University Nationals… Fifth in 2014 University Nationals… Third in 2012 and 2013 Junior Nationals… Second in 2012 Body Bar FILA Junior Nationals… Second in 2012 USA Wrestling Junior Folkstyle Nationals… 2011 Junior Nationals champion… 2011 Cadet Nationals champion… Second in 2011 and 2012 Body Bar FILA Cadet Nationals… Competed for Curtis High School on Staten Island, N.Y… First Beat the Streets New York athlete to win a national title… Mayors Cup champion… Competed in Times Square as a high school BTS athlete… Born April 13, 1995… Age: 20
No Previous Matchups
Special Challenge Match - NCAA Div. I champion Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) vs. NCAA Div. II champion Joey Davis (Notre Dame College)
This match is intriguing because it asks a simple question. Can a star Div. II wrestler beat a star Div. I wrestler in the prime of their college career? Because the NCAA no longer lets Div. II and Div. III national champions to advance to the Div. I tournament, the only way to find out is during Open college tourneys, and in the off-season at USA Wrestling freestyle and Greco-Roman events.
There is some great examples of lower Division wrestlers beating Div. I wrestlers. Consider heavyweight star Carlton Haselrig of Pitt-Johnstown, who won three Div. II national titles, then followed with three Div. I national titles. How about Trenton State’s star 190 pounder Tom Martucci, who won the Div. III nationals, then came back a few days later to win the Div. I nationals? People sometimes forget that Olympic champion Jeff Blatnick of Springfield was a Div. II national champion, who was also an All-American on the Div. I level. Back in the day, the lower division stars got their chance to test those in Div. I.
Joey Davis has been a star in Div. II wrestling for Notre Dame College in Ohio, winning three national titles without a single loss. He is taking on a huge challenge against Alex Dieringer of Oklahoma State, who has two Div. I titles and a third-place finish as a freshman. Dieringer also has an amazing freestyle pedigree, a 2013 Junior World silver medal, and numerous age-group national titles. Dieringer wrestles with power, technical skill and confidence, and only seems to get better over time. Yet Joey Davis has won every time he has stepped on a college mat. He is serious about showing what he has against a Div. I star, What better place for this showdown to happen than on the streets of New York in historic Times Square? Davis has nothing to lose, really, so we can expect him to throw everything he has at Dieringer. You have to give Dieringer credit for taking on this match, in the spirit of helping promote the sport. Congrats to both wrestlers for agreeing to this match.
Alex Dieringer, Port Washington, Wis. (Oklahoma State)
2013 UWW Junior World silver medalist… 2012 UWW Junior World Team member... 2014 and 2015 NCAA Div. I champion for Oklahoma State… Third in 2013 NCAA Championships… 2012 and 2013 FILA Junior World Team Trials champion… 2011 Junior Nationals champion in both styles… 2010 Junior Nationals freestyle champion and third in Greco-Roman… 2010 Junior Folkstyle Nationals champion… 2009 Cadet Nationals champion in Greco-Roman at 130 pounds and in freestyle at 135 pounds… Three time state champion at Port Washington High School… Second in state as sophomore… Son of David and Cindy Dieringer… Born: June 6, 1993… Age 21…
Joey Davis, Compton, Calif. (Notre Dame College)
2013, 2014 and 2015 NCAA Div. I champion for Notre Dame College… 110-0 college record… Two-time California state champion for Sante Fe High School… son of Joey Davis and Gina Woods…Born December 29, 1993… Age: 21
Over the next few days, TheMat.com will be taking a little closer look at each of the Beat the Streets “Salsa in the Square” matchups that will occur in Times Square on Thursday, May 21. Each of these previews will feature a biography of the wrestlers, as well as previous meetings on the mat.
We continue the previews today with U.S. men’s freestyle star David Taylor as well as New York City native and women’s freestyle prospect Rosemary Flores, along with their opponents in Times Square. We also look at the Special Challenge Match between Div. I NCAA champion Alex Dieringer and Div. II NCAA champion Joey Davis.
Men’s freestyle 74 kg/163 lbs. – David Taylor (USA) vs. Livan Lopez Azcuy (Cuba)
This should be another fun and exciting match between two talents who have not yet met. Livan Lopez of Cuba is a tremendous athlete, an Olympic bronze medalist and a three-time World medalist. He was a top star at 66 kg early in his career, and has jumped to 74 kg the last two seasons and continued to be dominant. Lopez has lost twice to No. 1 American Jordan Burroughs in the past year, first at the 2014 Pan American Championships and then at the 2015 World Cup. In the World rankings, Lopez is one spot behind Burroughs at No. 3.
David Taylor is among the most popular American wrestlers, the winner of the 2015 U.S. Open. The previous two seasons, he lost to Burroughs in the Open finals twice and had an intense series in the 2014 World Team Trials, with some of the matches having close outcomes. He has tremendous technical skills, and uses his height to his advantage in his offensive attack. Since his college career ended, after winning two NCAA titles and two Hodge Trophies for Penn State, Taylor has been testing himself internationally. This winter, he dropped bouts to two Russian World champions, Denis Tsargush and Khetik Tsabolov, at the Yasar Dogu in Turkey. At the 2013 University World Games, he only lost to Tsargush. Taylor is getting even more seasoned because of these battles.
Taylor has past experience at Beat the Streets events, scoring a pin over tough Magomed Kurbanaliev of Russia at the Rumble On the Rails in Grand Central Terminal in 2013. That pin fired up the American crowd, something that Taylor has been doing for his entire career. Lopez wrestles with a flair himself, with impressive athletic and technical skills. Fans will enjoy this match.
Livan López Azcuy (Cuba)
Current UWW World ranking: No. 3
2012 Olympic Bronze medalist… Second in 2013 World Championships… Third in 2011 and 2014 World Championships…2014 Central American and Caribbean Games champion…2011 Pan American Games champion… Second in 2014 Pan American Championship… Third in 2015 Cerro Pelado International (Cuba)…2012 Cerro Pelado International champion (Cuba)… Third in 2015 Granma Cup (Cuba)… Fifth in 2012 Mongolian Open…Born January 24, 1982…Age 33
David Taylor, State College, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC)
2015 U.S. Open champion…. Second in 2014 World Team Trials… Second in 2013 and 2014 U.S. Open… Third in 2013 World University Games… Fifth in 2015 Yasar Dogu International (Turkey)… Third in 2013 U.S. World Team Trials… 2013 University Nationals champion… Competed in 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials… 2010 University Nationals champion… Eighth in 2007 FILA Junior World Championships… Second in 2008 and 2010 FILA Junior World Team Trials… Third in 2010 FILA Junior Nationals… 2007 Junior Nationals champion in both styles… 2006 Cadet Nationals champion in both styles… 2005 Cadet Nationals champion in freestyle and second in Greco-Roman… 2005 FILA Cadet Nationals champion in both styles… 2012 and NCAA Champion for Penn State… 2012 and 2014 Dan Hodge Trophy winner as nation’s top college wrestler… Second in 2011 and 2013 NCAA Championships… Four-time Ohio state high school champion… College: Penn State… High School: St. Paris, Ohio (St. Paris Graham)… Born: December 5, 1990… Age: 24
No Previous Matchup
Women’s freestyle 60 kg/132 lbs. – Rosemary Flores (USA) vs. Yekelin Stornell Elastigue (Cuba)
With the growth and development of the Beat the Streets New York program, it is fitting that one of its youth alumni has returned to compete in a Beat the Streets Gala event as a Senior athlete. Rosemary Flores was the first Beat the Streets athlete, regardless of gender, to win a national title when she claimed both the Cadet National and Junior National titles in Fargo, N.D. in 2011. Since then, the Curtis High School grad has continued to improve, and is now a two-time WCWA women’s college All-American.
Flores wrestled in a youth match as part of a Beat the Streets Gala in Times Square when she was in high school. Now she returns to take on a Cuban opponent on her home turf in New York. Rosemary has never faced Yaquelin Stornell, so it will be an interesting matchup which will be hard to predict. Flores wrestles with a hard-nosed style, and has a devastating headlock, and will wrestle with pride and passion against the Cuban opponent.
Flores is a work in progress, with high goals on the college and international levels. She is an up and comer. The same can be said for all of Cuba’s women’s wrestlers. In a nation which has developed champion men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman athletes, building a women’s program is very promising. Cuba is a world power in women’s judo, another combat sport, so it is very possible that its wrestling program can also develop nicely. The Flores v. Stornell match is a look to the future, when U.S. and Cuban women compete more often at all age levels.
60 kg/132.3 lbs – Yaquelin Stornell Elastigue (Cuba)
2014 Granma Cup champion…2013 Cerro Pelado International champion…Third in 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games...Born April 25, 1984…Age 31
Rosemary Flores, Staten Island, N.Y. (Campbellsville Univ.)
Fourth in 2015 WCWA Women’s College Nationals for Campbellsville University… Third in 2014 WCWA Women’s College Nationals… Fourth in 2015 University Nationals… Fifth in 2014 University Nationals… Third in 2012 and 2013 Junior Nationals… Second in 2012 Body Bar FILA Junior Nationals… Second in 2012 USA Wrestling Junior Folkstyle Nationals… 2011 Junior Nationals champion… 2011 Cadet Nationals champion… Second in 2011 and 2012 Body Bar FILA Cadet Nationals… Competed for Curtis High School on Staten Island, N.Y… First Beat the Streets New York athlete to win a national title… Mayors Cup champion… Competed in Times Square as a high school BTS athlete… Born April 13, 1995… Age: 20
No Previous Matchups
Special Challenge Match - NCAA Div. I champion Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) vs. NCAA Div. II champion Joey Davis (Notre Dame College)
This match is intriguing because it asks a simple question. Can a star Div. II wrestler beat a star Div. I wrestler in the prime of their college career? Because the NCAA no longer lets Div. II and Div. III national champions to advance to the Div. I tournament, the only way to find out is during Open college tourneys, and in the off-season at USA Wrestling freestyle and Greco-Roman events.
There is some great examples of lower Division wrestlers beating Div. I wrestlers. Consider heavyweight star Carlton Haselrig of Pitt-Johnstown, who won three Div. II national titles, then followed with three Div. I national titles. How about Trenton State’s star 190 pounder Tom Martucci, who won the Div. III nationals, then came back a few days later to win the Div. I nationals? People sometimes forget that Olympic champion Jeff Blatnick of Springfield was a Div. II national champion, who was also an All-American on the Div. I level. Back in the day, the lower division stars got their chance to test those in Div. I.
Joey Davis has been a star in Div. II wrestling for Notre Dame College in Ohio, winning three national titles without a single loss. He is taking on a huge challenge against Alex Dieringer of Oklahoma State, who has two Div. I titles and a third-place finish as a freshman. Dieringer also has an amazing freestyle pedigree, a 2013 Junior World silver medal, and numerous age-group national titles. Dieringer wrestles with power, technical skill and confidence, and only seems to get better over time. Yet Joey Davis has won every time he has stepped on a college mat. He is serious about showing what he has against a Div. I star, What better place for this showdown to happen than on the streets of New York in historic Times Square? Davis has nothing to lose, really, so we can expect him to throw everything he has at Dieringer. You have to give Dieringer credit for taking on this match, in the spirit of helping promote the sport. Congrats to both wrestlers for agreeing to this match.
Alex Dieringer, Port Washington, Wis. (Oklahoma State)
2013 UWW Junior World silver medalist… 2012 UWW Junior World Team member... 2014 and 2015 NCAA Div. I champion for Oklahoma State… Third in 2013 NCAA Championships… 2012 and 2013 FILA Junior World Team Trials champion… 2011 Junior Nationals champion in both styles… 2010 Junior Nationals freestyle champion and third in Greco-Roman… 2010 Junior Folkstyle Nationals champion… 2009 Cadet Nationals champion in Greco-Roman at 130 pounds and in freestyle at 135 pounds… Three time state champion at Port Washington High School… Second in state as sophomore… Son of David and Cindy Dieringer… Born: June 6, 1993… Age 21…
Joey Davis, Compton, Calif. (Notre Dame College)
2013, 2014 and 2015 NCAA Div. I champion for Notre Dame College… 110-0 college record… Two-time California state champion for Sante Fe High School… son of Joey Davis and Gina Woods…Born December 29, 1993… Age: 21
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