Beat the Streets Champion Repeats Gold Medal Finish in Virginia Beach at Esteemed 2025 NHSCA High School Nationals Tournament; 4 other Student-Athletes earn All-American Status

The most talented high-school and middle school wrestlers traveled from states across the country as they competed at the National High School Coaches Association’s (NHSCA) High School Nationals tournament for a chance to earn a National Championship at the annual and esteemed national tournament High School Nationals operated by the NHSCA and presented by ASICS, both official partners of the Beat the Streets National movement.

This year, 40 middle school and high school student-athletes and 9 BTS coaches represented Baltimore, D.C., New York City, and New England and traveled to Virginia Beach to compete for a National title. BTS athlete Oumar Tounkara repeated his 1st Place finish from last year and was crowned a National Champion in the 113lb Junior Division bracket this year. Tounkara, from BTS NYC, won 5 matches, including 2 pins and a technical fall on his way to earning gold.

Four other athletes earned All-American status this year including New England’s Isael Perez who went 6-1 and earned 3rd place after his return to the tournament where he earned 6th place in 2023. BTS New York City’s Ana Carolina Mindlin Lockard and Isabella Lorenzana both achieved All-American with a 5th place finish this year with Lorenzana earning AA status two years in a row and improving upon her 7th place finish last year. Last but not least, BTS Baltimore’s Deagan Bishop secured four wins on her journey to 7th place while Andrew Isom fought hard to earn All-American honors but fell short, losing in the blood round.

Since 2017, the NHSCA has partnered with Beat the Streets National to support the wrestling journeys of BTS student-athletes by providing excelling BTS student-wrestlers and coaches scholarshipped opportunities to test themselves and compete against high-level competition from across the country. In the last 3 years, including this past weekend, BTS has had 19 All-American placements at the NHSCA High School Nationals tournament, 7 of which have been girls. Through positive wrestling experiences and off-the-mat enrichment programming, BTS and its partners look to support BTS student-athletes to become champions in life.

“We are proud to sponsor the Beat the Streets athletes and coaches to attend the NHSCA High School Nationals and assist in promoting new opportunities to their athletes,” shared NHSCA CEO Bobby Ferraro, “We love the mission of Beat the Streets and are hopeful to continue to be a solutions partner for their organization.” Beat the Streets National Director of Operations, Jon Guevara expressed his gratitude to NHSCA, “We are so grateful to NHSCA for their support and the opportunity to compete at such a high level. This has been a positive learning experience for BTS youth. They demonstrated courage, strength, skill, and resilience and we are proud of their efforts.”

National Champion Oumar Tounkara
Graphic Credits: Alex Almeyda
Photo Credit: Levi Ventura

National Champion Oumar Tounkara reflected on the growth in his mindset and confidence between last year’s tournament and this year’s performance:

“Coming to the tournament as the 1 seed and compared to last year coming in as the 7 seed, I wouldn’t say there was a difference—I just had confidence going into every match and had it built in my head that nobody could compete with me in that bracket. I won it last year, and this year going into the tournament, I already felt super confident that I was gonna win. Plus, I had the top seed, so I just went into all my matches with one goal: dominating my opponents and letting it all fly. Everything went as planned.”

Fellow All-Americans also shared powerful reflections on their journeys, challenges, and takeaways from the tournament:

“The minute the ref called the pin in my All-American match, I was flooded with a lot of emotion. It was the culmination of all the work I put in this past year. I’m excited to get back in the room and work even harder.”
— Ana Carolina Mindlin Lockard

“Having to work through an injury during my quarters to win it and continue wrestling in the tournament was really difficult, but I’m glad I did it and was able to learn a lot. I knew I could’ve done a lot better, which makes me excited for next year, and I’m so thankful for the opportunities Beat the Streets has given me.”
— Isabella Lorenzana

“Going into this weekend, I wasn’t feeling great about competing—I was extremely nervous. But the people around me, along with my friends and coaches back home, helped me push through the struggles. One thing that stuck with me from my coaches was: ‘Take it one match at a time. Stay focused on what’s in front of you, not the past or the distant future.’ Even though I was scared, I don’t regret competing. I learned a lot from both my wins and my losses.”
— Deagan Bishop