NATION’S BEST HEAD TO MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
FOR FINALE OF COLGATE WOMEN’S GAMES

Returning Champions and Promising Newcomers Remain
Undefeated in Each Division of 38th Annual Track and Field Series

Pratt Institute, Brooklyn (1/21)… From an initial field of more than 10,000 girls and young women from all over the East Coast, 210 of the nation’s best athletes have persevered through four preliminary meets and a semi-finals at Pratt Institute to earn spots in the Madison Square Garden finals of the Colgate Women’s Games to be held this Saturday, January 28th beginning at 10AM.

The 38th annual series featured some of the nation’s top talent from every age/grade division, with returning champions and local newcomers sharing the spotlight, including several who remain undefeated headed to Madison Square Garden.

In the shot put finals held earlier this week, Egypt Parker of Learning Tree Prep in the Bronx had her best toss of the year, 10.04M.  The 13-year-old newcomer to the Colgate Women’s Games dominated the Mid School division shot put all series.

Returning mid school champions who finished undefeated after Saturday were: Jameelah Muhammad of Philadelphia’s Harambee Institute of Science and Technology, won the 55 meters in 7.39; Tia Livingston of Quibbletown Middle School in Piscataway, took the 55-meter hurdles in 8.6;Brooklyn Broadwater, from Philadelphia’s AMY Northwest School, won the 400 Meters in 59.04; and Shayla Broughton of IS 202 in Brooklyn, cleared 5’2” to win the high jump.

An Elementary B high jump record was set this year when MyKhiyah Williams of Brooklyn’s Ocean Hill Collegiate Charter School cleared 4’8” in the second preliminary.  Williams, who repeated 4’8” in the final preliminary, and again at the semi finals, has raised the bar by six inches since last year when her best jump of 4’2” made her the Elementary A champion.

In the Elementary A division, Briana Brown of PS 6 in the Bronx had a perfect season, scoring double wins in the 55 meters and 200 meters each meet.  Her fist place finish in the 200 meters at the semi finals was also her season’s best, 29.72.

In the High School division, returning freshman Sandreeka Bancroft of Cardozo High School in Queens who holds the mid school record in the 55-meter hurdles, crossed the tape in 8.25 on Saturday.  Teammate Latisha Philson, a senior at Cardozo and the high school 55-meter hurdles record holder, chose the 55-meter dash this year and also finished undefeated after her 7.21 performance at the Semis. 

Kenae Taylor, another former mid-school champion, now a freshman at Philadelphia’s Engineering and Science High School, remained undefeated after finishing with her best race of the year in the 800 meters, (2:20.34).

Other notable high school leaders include Brooklyn’s Sandrae Farquharson of Medgar Evers College Prep, who won the 400 meters in 58.09; and the Bronx Strunkey twins, Ariel and Arianne of Holcombe Ruckers High school, who finished in first and second place in the 200 meters, in 25.74 and 25.77 respectively.

In the College/Open division, Amber Williams of Parsippany, NJ made it a perfect season scoring double wins each week in the 200 and 400 meters,  She finished won the 400 meters Saturday in 57.04.

Fred Thompson says the number of returning champions and promising newcomers that finished in first place this season are nearly perfectly balanced.  

“This is a great sign that the sport is alive and well, and that our meets are still attracting top talent, with performances that remain the national benchmarks to beat. The Madison Square Garden finals will spotlight some of the nation’s best athletes from every division.” 

Thompson also thanked the parents and coaches of all the participants for their support. “Every parent and coach that supported their kids by bringing them to Brooklyn each week, including hundreds that travelled great distances, should know that they’ve made an outstanding contribution to these kids that will have a positive impact throughout their lives,” he said.
The finals of the 38th annual Colgate Women’s Games will take place at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, January 28, 2012, where trophies and educational grants-in-aid from Colgate-Palmolive Company are awarded to top place finishers in each age/grade division.
The Big Apple Circus will provide entertainment during the intermission/track reconfiguration, at approximately 1PM. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS RETURN TO
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
 
 Double Header Event featuring the 38th Annual Colgate Women’s Games Finals
and U.S. Open Debut - Saturday, January 28, 2012

New York, NY (December 28, 2011) – Championship track and field returns to New York City in 2012, with the nation’s best amateur track stars and professional athletes set to showcase their talent during a double header event at the new and improved Madison Square Garden, Saturday, January 28, 2012. The first phase of Madison Square Garden's historic, three-year, top-to-bottom transformation debuted in October. This event will help kick-off the 2012 Olympic year and provide track and field fans a glimpse of the top athletes of all ages in the sport.

This exciting day of track and field begins with the 38th Annual Colgate Women's Games Finals, the finale of the nation's largest amateur track series for girls and young women. The Colgate Women’s Games has long served as a fostering environment for young athletic talent, having produced hundreds of national age/grade division champions and more than 20 Olympians.  

Following the Colgate Women's Games Finals, USA Track & Field will launch the first ever, U.S. Open event, part of the Visa Championship series.

"We’re happy to continue our long standing partnership with the Colgate Women’s Games and showcase the nation’s largest amateur track series for girls and young women,” said Joel Fisher, executive vice president, MSG Sports.   “Madison Square Garden has hosted track and field for nearly 100 years and has become the premier indoor destination for the sport.”

The Colgate Women's Games remain committed to providing an athletic competition that helps participating young girls and women develop a strong sense of personal achievement and self-esteem, while instilling the importance of education.

 “The goal of the Colgate Women’s Games is to empower girls and young women,” said Fred Thompson, Meet Director, Colgate Women’s Games. “Thousands of former participants have continued on through college and successful careers, and they inevitably return to tell us how the program had a significant positive effect on their lives.

For many, the Colgate Women’s Games are also the unofficial start of the indoor track season, providing a benchmark for young athletes everywhere. Competitors, coaches and fans follow results throughout the series at colgategames.com, and high school competitors are among the most heavily recruited female athletes by top colleges and universities throughout the nation.

Registration and participation in the Colgate Women’s Games is completely free.  Each week, girls and young women, from elementary school through college and beyond, compete within their own age/grade divisions for ribbons, medals and points. Four preliminary meets and a semifinal are held at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, and the six age/grade divisions are: Elementary A, Elementary B, Mid-School High School, College/Open and 30’s plus. 

Events include 55 meters, 55-meter hurdles, 200 meters, 400 Meters, 800 meters, 1500 meters, high jump and shot put. Top point scorers advance to the Finals at Madison Square Garden, where they compete for trophies and educational grants-in-aid from Colgate-Palmolive Company.

Tickets to the Colgate Women's Games Finals are free.  To order tickets, please visit www.colgategames.com, the MSG box office or www.ticketmaster.com.  For Colgate competitors, attendees, and families, we have created a 10% discount offer to the U.S. Open Track and Field event. Via Ticketmaster, enter code COLGATE to receive the discount, (a $1.25 fee may apply), or present your Colgate Women’s Games ticket stub at the Box Office window on the day of the event for the discount.

About The Madison Square Garden Company:
The Madison Square Garden Company is a fully-integrated sports, media and entertainment business. The company is comprised of three business segments: MSG Sports, MSG Media and MSG Entertainment, which are strategically aligned to work together to drive the company's overall business, which is built on a foundation of iconic venues and compelling content that the company creates, produces, presents and/or distributes through its programming networks and other media assets. MSG Sports consists of owning and operating sports franchises, including the New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Rangers (NHL), the New York Liberty (WNBA), and the Connecticut Whale (AHL). MSG Sports also features the presentation of a wide variety of live sporting events including professional boxing, college basketball, track and field and tennis, as well as MSG Action Sports, an action sports and lifestyle division. MSG Media is a leader in production and content development for multiple distribution platforms, including content originating from MSG's venues. MSG Media consists of the MSG Networks (MSG, MSG Plus, MSG HD and MSG Plus HD) regional sports networks and the Fuse Networks (Fuse and Fuse HD), a national television network dedicated to music. MSG Entertainment is one of the country's leaders in live entertainment. MSG Entertainment creates, produces and/or presents a variety of live productions including the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the Radio City Rockettes. MSG Entertainment also presents or hosts other live entertainment events such as concerts, family shows and special events in MSG's diverse collection of venues. These venues include Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the Theater at Madison Square Garden, the Beacon Theatre, the Chicago Theatre and the Wang Theatre. More information is available at www.themadisonsquaregardencompany.com.