byLarry Ederadidas Grand Prix continues to add more prep superstars to the adidas Golden Spikes dream fields, scheduled for June 11, 2011. Note that Blanka Vlasic will be jumping as well!
6 more prep stars set for adidas Grand
Prix ‘Dream’ fields
NEW YORK CITY (May 19, 2011) – Six more
of the best high-school track stars in America, including five athletes ranked
#1 or #2 in the country, have accepted invitations to compete in the High
School Dream Mile and Dream 100 at the adidas Grand Prix on June 11, meet
organizers and adidas announced today. Tynia
Gaither will compete in the 100, while Lindsay
Crevoiserat, Kayla Beattie, Haley Pierce, Angel Piccirillo and Omar
Kaddurah join the fields in the mile.
In its seventh year as one of the
premier track-and-field events in the world, the adidas Grand Prix, at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island, is the
sixth stop on the international Samsung Diamond League circuit. Six athletes
ranked #1 in the world for 2010 – Blanka
VlaÅ¡ić, Tyson Gay, Jeremy Wariner, Jessica Ennis, Allyson Felix and Bershawn “Batman” Jackson – are among the superstars announced to
date, along with new Jamaican sprint sensation Nickel Ashmeade and
“Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius,
the 400-meter Paralympic gold medalist hoping to compete in the 2012 Olympic
Games. Tickets are available at the event website, www.adidasgrandprix.com, or by calling 1-877-849-8722.
In the sprint, Gaither (Kissimmee,
Fla.) won a silver medal for her native Bahamas at 200 meters in the Youth
Olympic Games last summer. She is a three-time Florida 4A
state champion in the 100 meters, and two-time state champ in the 200 meters.
Ranked #1 under all conditions in the U.S. (23.17) in the 200, Gaither is #2 in
the 100 (11.41). She will attend the University of Georgia in the fall.
In the girls’ mile, Crevoiserat
(Glastonbury, Conn.) is currently ranked #2 in the U.S. in the mile (4:48.25)
after a stellar indoor season that saw her ranked in the top 10 nationally at
five distances: 1000, 1500, mile, 3000 and 3200. She will attend the University
of Connecticut in the fall. Beattie (Woodstock, Ill.) is currently #2 in the
nation at 3200 meters (10:06.15) and #3 at 1600 meters (4:48.97). The 2010 2A
state cross-country and 3200-meter champion is headed to the University of
Iowa, while Pierce (Wilmington, Del.) owns 10 state titles going back to 2009,
including four indoors and out at 3200 meters, and is currently ranked #1 in
the U.S. at 3000 meters (9:16.35)
and #2 at 1600 meters (4:41.19). Piccarillo (Homer City, Pa.), the
reigning indoor mile state champion, ran 4:48.83 to win the Penn Relays mile, a
time that ranks her #3 in the nation.
Kaddurah (Grand Blanc, Mich.) is the
2010 indoor and outdoor state 1600-meter champion and #1 in the nation at 1500
meters (3:47.61). He will compete for Georgetown University next year.
The six join the
following athletes previously announced:
– Octavious Freeman (Lake Wales, Fla.) and Shayla Sanders (Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.)
in the Girls’ Dream 100;
– Marvin Bracy (Orlando, Fla.), Remontay McClain (Covina, Calif.), Aaron Ernest (Homewood, Ala.), Bradley Sylve (Port Sulphur, La.) and Adonis Saunders (Olathe, Kan.) in the
Boys’ Dream 100;
– Ajee Wilson (Neptune, N.J.), Maddie Meyers (Seattle, Wash.), Alli Billmeyer (Torrey Pines, Calif.), Amy-Eloise Neale (Snohomish, Wash.), Shelby Houlihan (Sioux City, Iowa) and Eleanor Fulton (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) in the High School Girls’
Dream Mile;
– Lukas Verzbicas (Orland Park, Ill.), Edward Cheserek (Newark, N.J.), Jim Rosa (Plainsboro, N.J.), Joe Rosa (Plainsboro, N.J.), Jantzen Oshier (Mission Viejo, Calif.),
Ammar Moussa (Arcadia, Calif.), Elias Gedyon (Los Angeles, Calif.), and
Matt Carpowich (Torrey Pines,
Calif.) in the High School Boys’ Dream Mile.
Fields for the High School Dream Mile
and Dream 100 are drawn from the winners of three qualifying meets in the adidas Golden Stripes series, as long
as the winners meet qualifying standards, as well as from at-large bids. The
first meet, the adidas Meet of Champions, was held on March 26; the second, the Kansas Relays in Lawrence, Kan., was April 20-23. The third
and final meet will be the Golden South Classic in Orlando, Fla., on May 27-28.
In addition to the opportunity to compete in a world-class international track
event, athletes in the Dream Mile and Dream 100 will also have the chance to
receive coaching from mile legend Jim
Ryun and Olympic gold medalist Maurice
Greene.
All of the latest news, photos and
additional information on the adidas
Grand Prix can be found at www.adidasgrandprix.com and the event’s pages on Facebook and Twitter. Use the hashtag #agpnyc when referencing or searching for the event. In addition,
media accreditation is now available at www.adidasGrandPrix.com, under Media. The application deadline
is Wednesday, June 1. The adidas Grand
Prix, part of the Visa Championship Series and the Samsung Diamond League,
will begin at 1 p.m. on June 11.
For even more coverage on the High
School Dream Mile and Dream 100, visit www.adidasgoldenstripes.com.
About
Icahn Stadium
Icahn Stadium, a state-of-the-art facility on Randall’s Island featuring a
400-meter Mondo track and covered seating for spectators, is the premier
outdoor track-and-field venue in New York City. It was built by the Randall’s
Island Sports Foundation (RISF) in partnership with New York City Department of
Parks. The facility is programmed, operated and maintained by RISF.
