13 Feb USA Track & Field Foundation awards Elite Athlete Development Grants to 64 athletes
PITTSBURGH – The USA Track & Field Foundation has awarded grants totaling $269,000 to 64 elite track & field athletes announced Foundation Executive Director Tom Jackovic and Chairman Bob Greifeld. The Foundation plans to award over $1,000,000 in grants in 2018, which is a new record.
In an effort to simplify the USATF Foundation’s Elite Athlete Development Grant program, there will be shift in the grant award schedule for this year and subsequent years. In 2018, the USATF Foundation will award another round of Elite Athlete Development grants following USATF Outdoor Championships in July. In addition, the Foundation will also award Stephen A. Schwarzman grants at that time. The Stephen A. Schwarzman grants are the Foundation’s largest grants and were positively received last year. Moving forward, the Foundation will award the majority of all grants in the summer following the USATF Outdoor Championships.
The 2018 track & field season does not include an international World Competition so many athletes will utilize this year to rebuild and to focus on training and strategy. The athletes will use the funds for medical care, equipment and travel expenses as they prepare for the USATF Outdoor Championships in Des Moines, Iowa this summer.
“We are very pleased to be ableto support these amazing athletes in reaching their performance goals in 2018 and beyond. The new grant schedule should give recipients more financial flexibility and allow them to better focus on training and performance,” stated Foundation Director Ismail Amin.
61 talented athletes will be awarded Elite Athlete Development Grants from the Foundation in the amount of $4,000.
SPRINTERS/HURDLERS & MULTIEVENT
JASMIN STOWERS, 100H
SHARIKA NELVIS, 100H
KYRA JEFFERSON, 200M
JAIDE STEPTER, 400H
GEORGANNE MOLINE, 400H
BARBARA NWABA, HEPTATHLON
RONNIE BAKER, 100M
TJ HOLMES, 400H
BRYON ROBINSON, 400H
QUINCY DOWNING, 400H
DEVON WILLIAMS, DECATHLON
JEREMY TAIWO, DECATHLON
JARRET EATON, 110H
MARCUS CHAMBERS, 400M
VERNON NORWOOD, 400M
KYLE CLEMONS, 400M
STEVEN BASTIEN, DECATHLON
MIDDLE/LONG DISTANCE AND RACE WALK
SARA VAUGHN, 1500M
HANNAH FIELDS, 1500M
CHRISHUNA WILLIAMS, 800M
ALLIE KIEFFER, MARATHON
SHADRACK KIPCHIRCHIR, 10K
ABBABIYA SIMBASSA, 10K
CRAIG ENGELS, 1500M
JOHNNY GREGOREK, 1500M
STANLEY KEBENEI, STEEPLE
DREW PIAZZA, 800M
SHANNON OSIKA, 1500M
AMANDA ECCLESTON, 1500M
STEPHANIE GARCIA, 5K/STEEPLE
BEN BLANKENSHIP, 1500M
COLBY ALEXANDER, 1500M
ERIK SOWINSKI, 800M
MASON FERLIC, STEEPLE
MARIA MICHTA-COFFEY, RACE WALK
THROWERS, JUMPERS
WHITNEY ASHLEY, DISCUS
MONIQUE RIDDICK, SHOT PUT
MASON FINLEY, DISCUS
ALEXANDER YOUNG, HAMMER
DARRELL HILL, SHOT PUT
TORI FRANKLIN, TRIPLE JUMP
QUANESHA BURKS, LONG JUMP
SHA’KEELA SAUNDERS, LONG JUMP
KATHRYN NAGEOTTE, POLE VAULT
MORGANN LELEUX, POLE VAULT
BRYAN MCBRIDE, HIGH JUMP
ANDREW IRWIN, POLE VAULT
DONALD SCOTT, TRIPLE JUMP
RYAN WHITING, SHOT PUT
KELSEY CARD, DISCUS
SHELBI VAUGHAN, DISCUS
KARA WINGER, JAVELIN
JASMINE TODD, LONG JUMP
BRITTANY SMITH, SHOT PUT
FELISHA JOHNSON, SHOT PUT
SAM MATTIS, DISCUS
RODNEY BROWN, DISCUS
ANDREW EVANS, DISCUS
SEAN DONNELLY, HAMMER
MICHAEL HARTFIELD, LONG JUMP
CONOR MCCOLLOUGH, HAMMER
Also receiving an Elite Athlete Development Grant as a part of the USATF Foundation’s Adopt an Athlete Program are the following three athletes:
AMANDA BINGSON, HAMMER – $10,000
WAVERLY NEER, MIDDLE DISTANCE – $10,000
STEPHANIE SCHAPPERT, 1500M – $5,000
Additionally, all of these athletes will have the opportunity to appear at various schools and community venues across the country in the USA Track & Field Foundation’s Run With US! program. In each Run With US! event, Olympic athletes and Olympic hopefuls inform kids on what it means to be a professional athlete and how setting goals and making healthy choices have impacted their lives. The program provides an opportunity for the athletes to give back to their community.