Mendez top Alirez in battle of NCAA champions to cap Beat the Streets Annual Benefit at Ziegfeld Ballroom

In a much-anticipated bout between the last two NCAA champions at 141 pounds, Ohio State Buckeye Jesse Mendez outlasted Northern Colorado’s Andrew Alirez in a tight, 4-1, freestyle contest at Ziegfeld Ballroom, the site of the 2024 Beat the Streets Annual Benefit.

The two haven’t faced one another previously, which appeared evident in a match that presented itself as a feeling out process for potential high-caliber battles to come next college season and beyond.

Mendez took a 1-0 lead to the break thanks to an activity time point. Alirez returned the favor in the early stages of the second frame to knot things up, 1-1. Mendez opened the offensive scoring by driving Alirez off the mat, picking up a step out point and a 2-1 advantage. The Buckeye iced the match at the buzzer by countering an Alirez desperation attempt for an additional two points.

Both Alirez and Mendez were top performers at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials at 65 kg and boast elite freestyle chops. Mendez earned a silver medal at last year’s U20 World Championships and holds the No. 4 rank on the U.S. Senior National Team. Alirez was a NCAA champion in 2023 at 141 pounds, while Mendez took the same honor in 2024.

In addition to the NCAA champions bout, three high school exhibitions were contested under the freestyle rules set featuring Beat the Streets NYC products against top-flight opponents.

Reigning 16U freestyle national champion and Ohio high school state champion Grey Burnett from Perrysburg, Ohio, picked up a 14-4 technical fall over Oumar Tounkara representing Bronx, N.Y. Burnett opened up a competitive 6-4 match with a second period takedown-to-lace combination to end the contest early.

New York high school state champions Evin Gursoy from Brooklyn, and Dunia Sibomana-Rodriguez of Long Beach, put together the most exciting match of the evening. Points were aplenty throughout the contest, but it was Gursoy who ultimately found the edge in a 16-6 technical fall win. Gursoy ended the match in the second frame with a takedown-to-gut wrench combination.  

Isabella Lorenzana of Queens made quick work of New Jersey’s Caroline Biegel in the opening bout of the evening between freestyle state medalists in women’s wrestling. Lorenzana engaged with an arm throw and secured a pin right out of the gate, which set the tone for a sensational run-of-show in The Big Apple.

The Beat the Streets Annual Benefit has served as a significant fundraising event for Beat the Streets NYC each summer for the past 15 years. The organization noted on its website it raised nearly $650k at this year’s event, with funds directly supporting Beat the Streets NYC on its mission to make a lifelong impact on New York City’s urban youth through wrestling.

Those unable to attend the event in person may still make a general contribution to Beat the Streets NYC at BTSNY.com.