By Colgate Women’s Games
Photos: Luke Schlaifer
Above Photos: Abigail Clue of Jamaica, Queens ran the fastest time in the Mid School 1500-meter run at the first Colgate Women’s Games preliminary meet.
New York, NY — Warm, cozy, and competitive were the conditions for the first preliminary session of the 49th Annual Colgate Women’s Games, held indoors on Sunday, December 29 at the Nike Track and Field Center at The Armory in Manhattan.
From throughout New York City’s five boroughs and municipalities across the Northeast U.S., an intergenerational mix of athletes and their supporters arrived to take part in this edition of The Games. There is still time to register for Colgate Women’s Games by completing an entry form online at colgatewomensgames.com before the second preliminary meet on Sunday, January 5. The entry form deadline for Preliminary Meet #2 is January 4 at 3 p.m. EST.
Colgate Women’s Games promotes athletic and academic excellence for young girls and women, giving athletes of all ages the opportunity to “showcase their talents, build confidence, and pursue their dreams.” To reach their educational goals, top point-scorers in the Colgate Women’s Games Finals will be awarded scholarships worth $2,000, $1,000, and $500, respectively.
Newark, New Jersey’s Chyann Smith doubled in the Mid School division’s 55-meter and 200-meter dashes. PHOTO CREDIT: Luke Schlaifer
After hosting the series outdoors for two years due to the pandemic, Colgate Women’s Games’ athletes, families, coaches and supporters were glad the Games are now held at the high-tech Nike Track and Field Center at The Armory, New York’s premier indoor track and field venue that hosts more than 100 track events annually. Following the second Preliminary Meet, the Semi-Finals take place Jan. 19, and the Finals will be held on Feb. 1.
“I got tired of that outdoor stuff, and the rain,” said Harriet Carter-Range of Brooklyn, a 30-Plus category shot-put contestant referring to the two seasons the Colgate Women’s Games were held at outdoor locations due to the pandemic. Despite the inclement weather, Carter-Range — who has participated in Colgate Women’s Games since the 1980s — made it to the shot-put finals in that first outdoors season. At the Dec. 29 preliminary meet, she finished in 10th place in the event, and was able to meet some of her longtime track and field acquaintances face-to-face. “Colgate is the only time I get to see some of my old friends,” she said.
Rising at 3 a.m., Cambridge Street Upper School seventh-grader Aniyah McCollin Skelton came from Boston to the Armory, where she competed in the Middle School 400-meter dash and Middle School 800-meter run.
Competing in her fourth Colgate Women’s Games, the Bronx’s Jennifer Thomas, an 8th grader at Ichan Charter School, won her heat in the Middle School 400. Asked how she got interested in track and field, she said “I had a lot of energy when I was young, and my mom thought the best outlet would be running.” She’s also running in the Middle School 55 and 200 dashes. She said her older sister, Jordan Thomas, is throwing in Colgate’s High School Shot Put.
Shatia Valerio is new to Colgate, but she placed first in both her heats (the Elementary B 55- and 200-meter dashes). “We are truly proud of her performance and can’t wait for next weekend to see if she will move on to the semifinals,” said her mother, Shatia Valerio. “For us, it’s all about the experience of being with such powerful young women showing her own hard work”.
Colgate Women’s Games Meet Director Cheryl Toussaint stands with Dylan McElhinney, Hunter College High School senior who is bound for Harvard University. PHOTO CREDIT: Luke Schlaifer
“I’ve loved Colgate since I first competed here as a freshman,” said Hunter College High School senior Dylan McElhinney, who is now a Colgate Women’s Games veteran. “I remember the first time I won a race. The officials were so sweet. They came over and hugged me. It’s like a family here,” said McElhinney, who won her heats in the High School 800-meter and 1500-meter runs. Upon graduation from high school, McElhinney will attend Harvard University where she’ll continue her running career along with her academic studies.
Brooklyn’s Mo Better Jaguars Track Team, members Khloe Khan of the Brooklyn Prospect Charter School and Morgan Bass of Bishop Loughlin H.S. won their heats in High School 55-meter dash. “My mom used to run at Colgate,” said Khan. “She grew up doing Colgate and now I’ve grown up doing it too.” Touting her running history, Bass says she’s made it to the Colgate Finals every year since first competing in elementary school.
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