New York, NY |  A College of Staten Island harrier made her mark in an iconic forum this week, as CSI newcomer Kharyn Ethridge took the gold medal at the Colgate Women’s Games held at The Armory in Manhattan in the 1,500-meter race, becoming the first CSI Track & Field star to ever medal in the race.  

The Colgate Women’s Games is the nation’s largest amateur track series open to all girls from elementary school through college and beyond. This year marked the 45th anniversay of the Games, and competitors participate in preliminary meets and a semi-finals to determine finalists who competed for trophies and educational grants-in-aid from Colgate-Palmolive Company.  The Games’ goal is to provide an athletic competition that helps the participating young girls and women develop a strong sense of personal achievement, self-esteem, instill the importance of education and provide a training ground for those who might not otherwise participate in an organized sport.

Ethridge participated in the 1,500-meter race over a series of six weeks, leading to a semifinal and final round.  Competitors earned points depending on how they finished in the races each week, and at the end of the Final race, points were tabulated and winners were crowned.  There were six divisions of racers, with Ethridge competing in the College/Open Division.  Ethridge placed first in the race in five out of the six weeks of competition.  In the Final race of the competition, Ethridge placed first again with a time of 5:01.81, besting Tyesha James of Kingsborough Community College, who came in at 5:05.28, and Alison Briggs of SUNY – Geneseo, who came in at 5:18.78.  Lehman College tandem Glory Odeh and Shanique James registered fifth and sixth, respectively.

Ethridge’s finest performance during the six-week stretch of competition was actually in the Semifinal round of races, when she posted a time of 4:59.90.  It marked the only sub-five minute time by any of the competitors at any time.  Ethridge’s most recent run was at the NYC Division III Invitational where she ran the 800-meter race, posting a 12th-place finish among 71 competitors.

CSI’s next meet will be at the Yale Invitational on Saturday at 10:00 am in New Haven, Connecticut.