#Joe Aragona

[michigantopnews]

Michigan Lawmaker Blasts $4,500 Coffeemaker in Budget Battle!

Michigan’s projected revenue increase reignites budget debates. Rep. Joe Aragona calls for cutting waste, boosting road funding, and returning surplus to taxpayers.

State Rep. Joe Aragona criticizes past spending and calls for reforms to eliminate waste, prioritize infrastructure, and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. Rep. Aragona Criticizes Past Spending, Calls for Accountability CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — State Rep. Joe Aragona, R-Clinton Township, strongly opposed increased spending following Michigan’s latest revenue projections from the…

[theultimatefan]

2018 Olympic Bronze Medalist J’den Cox Headlines Additions To Complete Beat the Streets ‘Grapple At The Garden’ Lineup May 6 At Hulu Theater

J’den Cox, who won bronze at 86 kg the 2016 Olympics in Rio, will take on Princeton’s Patrick Brucki at the “Grapple at the Garden” Beat the Streets (BTS) benefit, May 6 at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. The marquee matchup is part of today’s announcement of five new matchups for the 10th annual event, completes the lineup of scheduled matches at 13.

Cox, a three-time NCAA Champion at Missouri (2014, 2016-17), has competed in two of the past three BTS events: 2018 and 2016, the year in which he burst onto the international wrestling scene and rode that success through the U.S. Olympic Trials and World Qualifier all the way to the bronze in Rio. Since winning his Olympic medal, Cox won a World bronze medal in 2017 and became a World champion in 2018. In his three years on the international scene, Cox has won a World or Olympic medal all three times.

Brucki completed his sophomore season last month 33-3 at Princeton, becoming the 11th Tiger to gain All-America status and placing fourth at 197 lbs. in the NCAA Championships. A former Illinois state high school champion, the Orland Park native ranked as high as No. 3 this year and went 10-1 against ranked competition before the NCAA Championships.

“We are excited that a great champion like J’den Cox will be returning to Beat the Streets as a featured match on our already amazing card,” said Brendan Buckley, Beat the Streets Inc Executive Director. “And we couldn’t be more pleased with the rest of the newly announced matches that really make the evening an unbelievable experience for everyone.”

The other matches announced today include:

Nathan Tomasello vs. Jack Mueller, 57 kg

Jordan Oliver vs. Joseph McKenna, 65 kg

David Taylor vs. Drew Foster, 86 kg

Nick Gwiazdowski vs. Derek White, 125 kg

Taylor, a 2018 World champion, will battle 2019 NCAA champion Foster from Northern Iowa. Gwiazdowski, a two-time World bronze medalist, faces 2019 NCAA runner-up Derek White of Oklahoma State. Oliver and McKenna, top Olympic hopefuls at their weight class, have both won age-group World freestyle medals for Team USA. Tomasello, a past NCAA champion for Ohio State and Mueller, a 2019 NCAA runner-up for Virginia, also have extensive freestyle achievements.

The five matchups enhance an already impressive slate that includes previously announced featured bouts between 2012 Gold Medalist Jordan Burroughs and 2008 Olympian Ben Askren; 2016 Gold Medalist Kyle Snyder vs. Canada’s Nishan Randhawa; two-time National Champion Yianni Diakomahlis (Rochester, N.Y.) vs. Bajrang Punia (India); a match between current NCAA champion Nick Suriano (Paramus, N.J. / Rutgers Univ.) and 2018 World bronze medalist Joe Colon (Clear Lake, Iowa / Univ. of Northern Iowa); women’s bouts between 2018 World Silver Medalist Sarah Hildebrandt (Granger, Ind.) and Canada’s Dana Weicker, and 2018 Senior World Championships Bronze Medalist Mallory Velte (Sacramento, Calif.) vs. Linda Morais, also of Canada; an all-New Jersey matchup between James Green (Willingboro) and Anthony Ashnault (South Plainfield); and a battle of local State Champions in Jo Jo Aragona (Pope John XXIII HS/New Jersey) vs. Adam Busiello (Eastport-South Manor HS/New York).

The full list of matches and weight classes announced to date is available below; the order is still to be determined. “Grapple at the Garden” supports Beat the Streets (www.btsny.org), the largest grassroots inner city wrestling program in the United States, serving as both a fundraiser for the organization and to celebrate its athletes as they compete on the biggest stage in the center of the world.

Tickets for the evening’s action are available now via TicketMaster, priced starting at $30 at https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/3B005668AA091B69. A variety of donation packages which include “Grapple in the Garden” tickets are also available at https://www.btsny.org/bts-events or by emailing molalde@btsny.org, beginning at $1000. Doors open on May 6 at 5:30 p.m., with the main event starting at 6 p.m.

For the fifth straight year, FloSports will provide live and on-demand coverage on FloWrestling.com.

2019 Beat the Streets “Grapple at the Garden” May 6, 2019 Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York

(Order TBD) Sarah Hildebrandt vs. Diana Weicker, 53 kg (W)

Mallory Velte vs. Linda Morais, 62 kg (W)

Jo Jo Aragona vs. Adam Busiello, 138 lbs.

Nathan Tomasello vs. Jack Mueller, 57 kg

Nick Suriano vs. Joe Colon, 61 kg

Jordan Oliver vs. Joseph McKenna, 65 kg

Bajrang Punia (IND) vs. Yianni Diakomihalis, 65 kg

James Green vs. Anthony Ashnault, 70 kg

Jordan Burroughs vs Ben Askren, 74 kg

David Taylor vs. Drew Foster, 86 kg

J'den Cox vs. Patrick Brucki, 92 kg

Kyle Snyder vs. Nishan Randhawa (CAN), 97 kg

Nick Gwiazdowski vs. Derek White, 125 kg

[theultimatefan]

U.S. Women Stars Sarah Hildebrandt, Mallory Velte Take On Canadians At Beat the Streets ‘Grapple At The Garden’ May 6

Two standout women will represent Team U.S.A. at next month’s “Grapple at the Garden” Beat the Streets (BTS) benefit when 2018 World Silver Medalist Sarah Hildebrandt and 2018 Senior World Championships Bronze Medalist Mallory Velte battle top opponents from Canada as part of a stellar set of matches in the 10th annual event on May 6 at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. Hildebrandt will take on Dana Weicker, while Velte will square off against Linda Morais.

Hildebrandt (Granger, Ind.), who won titles at the Final X and US Open last year, is also a two-time WCWA champion for King (Tenn.) University and has twice been a member of the U.S. World Team. Her bout with Weicker will be a rematch of the 2018 World Championship 53kg semifinal bout in Budapest, won by Hildebrandt, 10-0. Weicker went on to take the bronze medal, and the Nova Scotia native also took gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Queensland, Australia.

Velte (Sacramento, Calif.), the bronze medalist at last year’s World Championships at 62kg, toppling Lais Nunes of Brazil in the third-place match. She placed third in the 2016 US Olympic Team Trials and is a two-time U.S. World Team member. Before winning three WCWA national titles at Simon Fraser Univ. in Burnaby, Canada, she was a two-time California CIF girls state champion in 2012 and 2013. She also won two University Nationals titles. Her opponent, Morais, from Ontario, represented Canada well as a bronze medalist at the 2016 World Championships and a two-time (2016, 2018) World University Championship gold medalist.

The matchups are the latest additions to a world-class lineup that includes featured bouts between 2012 Gold Medalist Jordan Burroughs and 2008 Olympian Ben Askren; a match between current NCAA champion Nick Suriano (Paramus, N.J. / Rutgers Univ.) and 2018 World bronze medalist Joe Colon (Clear Lake, Iowa / Univ. of Northern Iowa); an all-New Jersey matchup between James Green (Willingboro) and Anthony Ashnault (South Plainfield); and a battle of local State Champions in Jo Jo Aragona (Pope John XXIII HS/New Jersey) vs. Adam Busiello (Eastport-South Manor HS/New York).

“Grapple at the Garden” supports Beat the Streets (www.btsny.org), the largest grassroots inner city wrestling program in the United States, serving as both a fundraiser for the organization and to celebrate its athletes as they compete on the biggest stage in the center of the world.

Tickets for the evening’s action are available now via TicketMaster, priced starting at $30 at https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/3B005668AA091B69. A variety of donation packages which include “Grapple in the Garden” tickets are also available at https://www.btsny.org/bts-events or by emailing molalde@btsny.org, beginning at $1000. Doors open on May 6 at 5:30 p.m., with the main event starting at 6 p.m.

For the fifth straight year, FloSports will provide live and on-demand coverage on FloWrestling.com.

Beat the Streets, Inc. will invite select members of the 2018 U.S. Men’s Freestyle World Team, which placed second in the 2018 World Championships and won seven World medals, as well as select top USA women’s wrestlers.

Beat the Streets Benefit competitions, which began in 2010, have since become a major showcase of the best of international wrestling. This unique and electrifying annual event has helped Beat the Streets raise millions of dollars to support local youth wrestling programs which empower young people in New York City.

The first Beat the Streets Benefit was held on the U.S.S. Intrepid, an aircraft carrier docked on the west side of Manhattan. Since then, the benefit has taken place at other notable New York City spots like Grand Central Station and Times Square.  Team USA has faced off against teams from around the world including Japan, Cuba, Russia and Iran. Last year, the competition was hosted at the new Pier 17 in the Seaport District and included the highly anticipated Burroughs vs. Frank Chamizo match.

The 2018 U.S. World Team, which competed in Budapest, Hungary, featured 2018 World champions Kyle Dake, David Taylor and J’den Cox, 2018 World silver medalist Kyle Snyder, and 2018 World bronze medalists Joe Colon, Jordan Burroughs and Nick Gwiazdowski. Burroughs and Snyder are both multiple Olympic and World champions. Others on the USA team included 2016 World champion Logan Stieber, two-time World bronze medalist James Green and 2017 World silver medalist Thomas Gilman.

New York City’s Madison Square Garden is one of the most famous sporting and entertainment venues in the world. The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden is an impressive venue with the capacity to seat over 5,000. The theater has hosted notable wrestling events including the 1998 Goodwill Games wrestling competition and the 2017 Grapple at the Garden college wrestling event.

[theultimatefan]

NCAA Champion Suriano vs. World Bronze Medalist Colon Added To May 6 At Beat the Streets Card

The depth of world-class-level matches on the 10th annual “Grapple at the Garden” Beat the Streets (BTS) benefit lineup was increased today as the organization announced a bout between current NCAA champion Nick Suriano (Paramus, N.J. / Rutgers Univ.) and 2018 World bronze medalist Joe Colon (Clear Lake, Iowa / Univ. of Northern Iowa) at 61kg. The bout is part of what is shaping up be a historic night of wrestling on May 6 at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden.

Suriano was Rutgers’ first national wrestling champion (45 minutes before his teammate, Anthony Ashnault, who will also wrestle at BTS, did the same), taking the 133-lb. division in overtime last month over rival Daton Fix of Oklahoma State. The win capped the junior’s second straight appearance in the finals in a season which included a Big Ten championship, 29-3 record and second straight All-America honors.

Colon, an injury replacement at the 2018 World championships at 61kg, defied the odds and won bronze in Budapest. As a senior at UNI in 2013-14, Colon finished 35-2 after a 27-4 campaign as a redshirt sophomore. His postcollegiate career has included a second place finish at the US World Team Trials in 2015 and a 2018 U.S. Open title. He currently trains in Fresno, Calif., where he also serves as volunteer assistant coach at Fresno State University.

The matchup will be part of an already standout slate that includes featured bouts between 2012 Gold Medalist Jordan Burroughs and 2008 Olympian Ben Askren; an all-New Jersey match between James Green (Willingboro) and Anthony Ashnault (South Plainfield); and a battle of local State Champions in Jo Jo Aragona (Pope John XXIII HS/New Jersey) vs. Adam Busiello (Eastport-South Manor HS/New York).

“Grapple at the Garden” supports Beat the Streets, the largest grassroots inner city wrestling program in the United States, serving as both a fundraiser for the organization and to celebrate its athletes as they compete on the biggest stage in the center of the world.

Tickets for the evening’s action are available now via TicketMaster, priced starting at $30 at https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/3B005668AA091B69. A variety of donation packages which include “Grapple in the Garden” tickets are also available at https://www.btsny.org/bts-events or by emailing molalde@btsny.org, beginning at $1000. Doors open on May 6 at 5:30 p.m., with the main event starting at 6 p.m.

For the fifth straight year, FloSports will provide live and on-demand coverage on FloWrestling.com.

Beat the Streets, Inc. will invite select members of the 2018 U.S. Men’s Freestyle World Team, which placed second in the 2018 World Championships and won seven World medals, as well as select top USA women’s wrestlers.

2019 Beat the Streets “Grapple at the Garden” May 6, 2019 Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York

(Matches scheduled to date, Order TBD) Jordan Burroughs vs Ben Askren James Green vs. Anthony Ashnault Jo Jo Aragona vs. Adam Busiello Nick Suriano vs. Joe Colon

[theultimatefan]

State Champions Aragona (N.J.), Busiello (N.Y.) To Battle In High School Match At Beat the Streets ‘Grapple At The Garden’ May 6 At Hulu Theater

The first youth matchup for the 2019 “Grapple at the Apple” Beat the Streets (BTS) benefit is set, and it’s a battle of State Champions, as Jo Jo Aragona (Pope John XXIII HS/New Jersey) will take on Adam Busiello (Eastport-South Manor HS/New York) as two of the top 138 lb. wrestlers in the country take to the mat on Monday, May 6, at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. The bout will precede the main event that evening, featuring stars of Team USA vs. NCAA Champions. The 10th annual event, which supports BTS, the largest grassroots inner city wrestling program in the United States, serves as both a fundraiser for the organization and to celebrate its athletes as they compete on the biggest stage in the center of the world.

Aragona, who has committed to attend Rutgers University next year, ranks #1 in the country, according to InterMat, He is the reigning New Jersey State Champion and three-time State medalist. He earned New Jersey Herald and NJAC Wrestler of the Year honors, and with a 158-6 record (42-0 this year) has the most wins in Sussex County, N.J. history. Aragona was also the winner of the “Who’s #1” event by FloWrestling.

Busiello claimed five straight New York State Championships (the only Suffolk County wrestler ever to accomplish the feat), and is currently rated #4 in the nation by InterMat. The Sag Harbor, N.Y., native, who will attend Arizona State in the fall, chalked up a 280-8 record including three consecutive undefeated seasons in earning five Section I championships. He also won four straight “Super 32” titles, becoming the first high school division wrestler to do so.

“It’s exciting to have two of the best wrestlers in the world as well as State Champions in Jo Jo and Adam as part of a celebration of the sport,” said Beat the Streets Executive Director Brendan Buckley. “New Jersey and Long Island are hotbeds of the sport, and fans can get a glimpse of the future as well as the present with what will be a standout lineup of the best of USA Wrestling and NCAA stars.”

The bout will be part of a festive BTS evening. Tickets are available now via TicketMaster, priced starting at $30 at https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/3B005668AA091B69. A variety of donation packages which include “Grapple in the Garden” tickets are also available at https://www.btsny.org/bts-events or by emailing molalde@btsny.org, beginning at $1000. Doors open on May 6 at 5:30 p.m., with the main event starting at 6 p.m.

For the fifth straight year, FloSports will provide live and on-demand coverage on FloWrestling.com.

Beat the Streets, Inc. will invite select members of the 2018 U.S. Men’s Freestyle World Team, which placed second in the 2018 World Championships and won seven World medals, as well as select top USA women’s wrestlers. The competing athletes from USA Wrestling and NCAA schools will be announced at a later date.

Beat the Streets Benefit competitions, which began in 2010, have since become a major showcase of the best of international wrestling. This unique and electrifying annual event has helped Beat the Streets raise millions of dollars to support local youth wrestling programs which empower young people in New York City.

The first Beat the Streets Benefit was held on the U.S.S. Intrepid, an aircraft carrier docked on the west side of Manhattan. Since then, the benefit has taken place at other notable New York City spots like Grand Central Station and Times Square.  Team USA has faced off against teams from around the world including Japan, Cuba, Russia and Iran. Last year, the competition was hosted at the new Pier 17 in the Seaport District and included the highly anticipated Burroughs vs. Chamizo match.

The 2018 U.S. World Team, which competed in Budapest, Hungary, featured 2018 World champions Kyle Dake, David Taylor and J’den Cox, 2018 World silver medalist Kyle Snyder, and 2018 World bronze medalists Joe Colon, Jordan Burroughs and Nick Gwiazdowski. Burroughs and Snyder are both multiple Olympic and World champions. Others on the USA team included 2016 World champion Logan Stieber, two-time World bronze medalist James Green and 2017 World silver medalist Thomas Gilman.

New York City’s Madison Square Garden is one of the most famous sporting and entertainment venues in the world. The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden is an impressive venue with the capacity to seat over 5,000. The theater has hosted notable wrestling events including the 1998 Goodwill Games wrestling competition and the 2017 Grapple at the Garden college wrestling event.