University of Minnesota Athletics
Mitch McKee Set to Wrestle at Beat the Streets
5/16/2016 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Incoming Gopher Mitch McKee, the four-time Minnesota state champion and recently crowned UWW junior freestyle national champ, will wrestle in the star-studded field at Beat the Streets "United in the Square" event this Thursday night in Times Square.
On a night that will celebrate wrestling and the positive impact the sport has on young men and women, the main event will pit junior- and Olympic-level American grapplers against opponents primarily from world wrestling powerhouse Iran. McKee is one of four junior wrestlers representing the U.S. in the event.
McKee is slated to wrestle freestyle at 60 kilograms in the USA lineup, taking on Peiman Biabani from Iran. Like McKee, Biabani is an accomplished junior wrestler. He captured the 2015 Asian junior championship and also won gold at the Dan Kolov tournament in Bulgaria earlier this year, a senior-level event.
In addition to McKee, junior standouts Daton Fix (55kg), Mark Hall (74kg) and Zahid Valencia (84kg) will take on wrestlers from Iran during Thursday night's matches.
Five American Olympians will be on the mat in Times Square as well. In men's freestyle, Jordan Burroughs (74kg) and J'Den Cox (86kg) will take on Iranian opponents. In women's freestyle, Helen Maroulis (53kg) and Adeline Gray (75kg) will take on a pair of Canadians. Finally, in a special exhibition of Greco-Roman, Andy Bisek (75kg) will take on Olympic champion Kim Hyeon-Woo from South Korea.
The main event matches will begin at 5:30 p.m. Central on Thursday night. Prior to these matches, the celebration will feature youth exhibition matches and the New York City Girls' Freestyle Dual Meet Championship final. Following the action on the mat, Beat the Streets will hold its annual gala.
Fans can watch the event live on Flowrestling.org. Streaming video requires a FloPRO subscription. An update on McKee's results will be available to those who follow Gopher Wrestling on Twitter, and a brief recap will be shared right here on GopherSports.com after the event.
all of the activity on Thursday night is part of the annual fundraising and celebratory gala for Beat The Streets. The mission of Beat the Streets (BTSW) is to develop the full human and athletic potential of urban youth and strengthen the culture of New York City wrestling. BTSW works directly with the New York City Department of Education in a public-private partnership to help New York City's student-athletes achieve their personal and athletic goals. Through the operation of wrestling programs in middle and high schools in the five boroughs, BTSW and the DOE provide a safe, positive atmosphere in which disadvantaged and at-risk youth can learn the essential life skills of physical fitness, teamwork, and self-empowerment. The goal of fostering strong, dedicated, and optimistic kids is delivered through coaching, after-school programs, and summer camps.
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