Two more Florida sprinters have been added to the roster for the Adidas Dream 100. Boyd Anderson junior Shayla Sanders and Lake Wales senior Octavious freshman will join Marvin Bracy at the race in New York. Freeman is a seven-time state champion and the national leader in both the 100 and 200. Sanders, finished 3rd at last year's 4A state meet in the 100 and currently has the third fastest time in the U.S. this year.
We tried contacting all three to see how they felt to be invited to this prestigous event and what they were looking forward to the most. Here is what they had to say:
Marvin Bracy (Jr. @ Boone) - "It's quite an honor to be invited. I feel even more special because I was the first person to get an automatic bid. I'm looking forward to just running in New York because I've never been there and also getting to hang out with the pros. Maybe they can teach me a few tips."
Octavious Freeman (Sr. @ Lake Wales) - "I feel like its actually a meet where I'm able to be pushed and I have to be serious. It's not a meet you just go and play at you have to be focused. I feel like to be at this meet it's one of the biggest things and I've never seen New York so that is something new. I feel like its an honor to run against the top runners in high school."
Shayla Sanders (Jr. @ Boyd Anderson) - "When they first told me I was suprised. This is a great experience for me to run against the other top sprinters in the country so that will give me a chance to see where I stand since this is the first year they are adding the Dream 100. I want to see if my time will drop to an 11.2 or 11.3 at least. It's very exciting because I've never been to New York or ever flown on a plane so that will be something I am looking forward to as well."
Full Press Release:
11 prep stars added to ‘Dream’ fields at adidas Grand Prix
NEW YORK CITY (April 27, 2011) – Eleven high school track stars, including eight who have run fast enough to currently be ranked among the Top 3 in the country at distances ranging from 100 meters to 3200 meters, have been added to the fields for the High School Dream Mile and Dream 100 at the adidas Grand Prix on June 11, meet organizers and adidas have announced.
Among the newest athletes are Octavious Freeman, ranked #1 in the U.S. this season at both 100 and 200 meters; Aaron Ernest, whose wind-aided time of 10.17 seconds is the fastest 100 meters this season under all conditions; Ammar Moussa, the U.S. leader at 3200 meters; and Amy-Eloise Neale and Shelby Houlihan, the fastest girls in the mile and 1500 meters, respectively, in the country so far this season.
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. To date, four superstar athletes ranked #1 in the world for 2010 – Blanka Vlašić, Tyson Gay,Jeremy Wariner and Jessica Ennis – have been announced, along with “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-TIX-TRAC.
In the Girls’ Dream 100, Freeman will be joined by Shayla Sanders. In addition to her top rankings this season, Freeman (Lake Wales, Fla.) is a seven-time Florida State Champion and 2010 national outdoor champion at both 100 and 200 meters. Her personal-best 100-meter time of 11.16, set last year, is one of the fastest in high-school history. Sanders (Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.) ranks #3 in the nation this season at 100 meters under all conditions, and was third in the 2010 FHSAA 4A state meet.
In the Boys’ Dream 100, Ernest (Homewood, Ala.), a silver medalist at 100 meters in the 2010 AAU Junior Olympics and #2 in the nation this year at 200 meters in all conditions, will face Bradley Sylve (Port Sulphur, La.) and Adonis Saunders (Olathe, Kan.) Sylve, a two-time Louisiana state champion at 100 meters, has the second-fastest time in the country this year, a wind-aided 10.18, while Saunders earned his spot in the Dream 100 by defending his 100-meter title at the Kansas Relays last weekend after anchoring his high school team to a 4x100-meter victory. Saunders is the 2009 Kansas 6A state champion at 100 and 200 meters.
Returning to the Boys’ Dream Mile will be Moussa (Arcadia, Calif.), a two-time member of the U.S. team for the World Junior Cross Country Championships and the 2010 Gatorade Cross Country Athlete of the Year in California. Making their debuts will be Elias Gedyon (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Matt Carpowich (Torrey Pines, Calif.). Gedyon is a three-time Division 2 California Cross Country Champion, the 2010
California champion at 1600 meters and a member of the U.S. squad for the 2010 World Junior Championships at 1500 meters, while Carpowich has the #2 U.S. mile time so far this year at 4:07.15.
In the Girls’ Dream Mile, Neale and Houlihan will be making their debuts. In addition to their nation-leading times, Neale (Snohomish, Wash.), just a sophomore, is the reigning Washington State 3A Cross Country Champion and 2A/3A/4A 1600m and 3200m champion, and Houlihan (Sioux City, Iowa) is the reigning Iowa State Cross Country Champion and 2009 state runner-up at both 800 and 1500 meters. Returning to the Dream Mile is Eleanor Fulton (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), a five-time Colorado 5A Track and Field State Champion, 2010 Gatorade Colorado Girls Track Athlete of the Year and sixth-place finisher in the steeplechase at the 2009 World Youth Championships.
Three more winners from the 2011 Kansas Relays – Colleen Quigley (St. Louis, Mo.), Daniel Everett (Westminster, Mo.) and Peyton Chaney (St. Louis, Mo.) – will be added to the field pending achievement of the qualifying standards, Quigley and Everett in the mile and Chaney in the 100.
Previously announced athletes include Lukas Verzbicas (Orland Park, Ill.), Jantzen Oshier (Mission Viejo, Calif.), Edward Cheserek (Newark, N.J.), Jim Rosa (Plainsboro, N.J.) and Joe Rosa (Plainsboro, N.J.) in the Boys’ Dream Mile; Maddie Meyers (Seattle, Wash.), Alli Billmeyer (San Diego, Calif.) and Ajee Wilson (Neptune, N.J.) in the Girls’ Dream Mile; and Marvin Bracy (Orlando, Fla.)andRemontay McClain (Covina, Calif.) in the Boys’ Dream 100.
Fields for the Dream Mile and Dream 100 are drawn from the winners of three qualifying meets in the adidas Golden Stripes series, 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.comand the event’s pages on Facebookand Twitter. 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, will begin at 1 p.m. on June 11.
For even more coverage on the Dream Mile and Dream 100, visit www.adidasgoldenstripes.com.