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42nd Annual Colgate Women's Games Draws Pre-Holiday Packed HousePublished by
Thousands of East Coast Track and Field Stars And Hopefuls, Set Fast Pace In Early Start to Indoor Track SeasonBrooklyn , NY – Pratt Institute (Dec. 18-20): New and familiar faces shared the spotlight this weekend as the nation’s largest track and field series for women, the Colgate Women’s Games, enjoyed an early season start at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Thousands of girls from all over the East Coast, including newcomers and returning track stars helped set a fast pace for an early opening to the indoor track season. In the High School Division competition on Friday, student athletes from Brooklyn’s Paul Robeson’s recent PSAL champion relay team took first place in three different events. Alyssa Sandy won the 55 Meter-hurdles in 8.03; Latoya Stewart placed first in the 200 Meters in 26.01 and Amanda Crawford took first in the 400 Meters in 58.21. Returning Shot Put champion, Egypt Parker of St. Catherine’s School of the Bronx, wowed the crowd with her opening week toss of 13.59.
In Saturday’s Mid School competition, Brianna Brown of Bronx Latin Middle School, scored a double win, by placing first in the 55 meters in 7.20, and a 200 meters win in a very fast 26.06, matching her personal best of last year’s entire season. Lauryn Heskin of Floral Park Memorial Middle School in Queens also scored double wins in distance races with an outstanding 800 meters performance, 2:20.48; and a 1500-meter win in 4:51.36.
Meet Director Cheryl Toussaint said some of the best times and performances from each division are especially impressive this early in the season, when many student athletes may be first experiencing high level talent or their first indoor meets. “All three days of competition included a packed house of participants, family and fans, as we often see when our series begins around the holiday’s when thousands of extended families come together, enjoying themselves and making new friends,” said Toussaint.
The next preliminary meets are also scheduled around a holiday weekend, when the High School competition will take place on Thursday, December 31st, 2015 - New Year’s Eve. All other divisions will resume on their normally scheduled weekend days, Saturday and Sunday, January 2, and 3, 2016.
In total, four preliminary meets and a semi-finals at Pratt determine finalists who will compete at the New Balance Track and Field Center at The Armory, New York Finals on Saturday, February 13, 2016, where trophies and educational grants-in-aid from Colgate-Palmolive Company are awarded to top place finishers in each grade division.
The Colgate Women’s Games have produced more than twenty Olympians, hundreds of age/grade division national champions, and countless changed lives. Each year, High school participants are among the most heavily recruited athletes by colleges and universities across the nation. Coaches, recruiters, athletes and fans can follow scores each week at Colgategames.com. |