Nation's Best Female Track Talent Heads to Madison Square Garden Finals of the 36th Annual Colgate Women's Games

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.