NATION'S BEST FEMALE TRACK TALENT HEADS TO
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN FINALS OF THE 36TH ANNUAL
COLGATE WOMEN'S GAMES, SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2010
Semi-Finals Saw Fierce Competition Between Ladies
from Age 5 to 65
|
| Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY (January 23rd) — From
an initial field of more than 11,000, some 450 girls and young
women from elementary school through college and beyond, persevered
through four preliminary meets at Pratt, in order to make Saturday’s
Colgate Women’s Games Semi-Finals. Aware that there are only 240
slots for next Saturday’s Madison Square Garden Finals, the athletes—ranging
in age from 5 to 65—brought their A games to the Pratt Institute’s
indoor track.
In a stunning upset, Joanne Imbert of Valley
Stream Central High School cleared 5’8” to steal the high school
high jump competition from Catherine McAuley’s Phyllis
Francis, who cleared 5’6”. Another Long Island athlete,
Olicia Williams of South Huntington, impressed
Games officials by taking the high school 400 Meters in 57.15
seconds.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn’s Adrienne Alexander of Bishop
Loughlin out-threw Teaneck’s Apresha Hampton
in the high school shot put competition, throwing 12.92 Meters
in answer to Apresha’s 12.33. Fellow Bishop Loughlin student,
Kali Kendall won the 1500 Meters in 4:44.71 seconds,
while Benjamin Cardozo’s Claudia Francis took
the Games’ other distance run, the 800 Meters, in a time of 2:14.13.
Whitney Fountain of the Bronx’s Pelham Prep Academy
finished the 200 Meters clear ahead of her competition, with a
time of 25.17 seconds.
In other sprint news, Chamique Francis of Queens
won this week’s 55 Meters in 7.18 seconds and fellow Cardozo student
Lateisha Philson took the 55 Meters Hurdles with
a performance of 8.23. All of this weekend’s first place athletes
advance to the Finals.
Saturday's elementary school performances were also outstanding.
Elementary B 400 Meters runner Sharyl Reaves
secured her place at next week’s Finals. Along with her mother,
Sharyl flew from Valencia, California for the third time in the
last month, just to compete at the Colgate Women’s Games.
This semi-finals determined who will compete for trophies and
educational grants-in-aid from the Colgate-Palmolive Company at
Madison Square Garden on Saturday, January 30th.
The Colgate Women's Games attract more than 11,000 participants
each year who compete within their own age/grade divisions: Elementary
A, Elementary B, Middle School, High School, College/Open and
30's Plus.
The Games have produced 22 former Olympians and hundreds of age/grade
division national champions. Coaches, college recruiters, participants,
family and friends can follow scores and results each week at
colgategames.com.
Pictures are available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/74215313@N00/
|
