Quartet of students receive first Verizon Youth Progress Awards

College-bound student-athletes Billie-Jo Grant, Sarah J. McClellan, Adam Perkins and Daniel Sieczkiewicz are the first recipients of the inaugural Verizon Youth Progress Award, but the $5,000 scholarships aren't the only perk of their awards. Introduced at USA vs. The World at the Penn Relays - Presented by Verizon - on April 26, the four winners had the chance of a lifetime to meet USA Track & Field's top stars. They had a memorable experience watching from the infield of Franklin Field as Team USA swept the competition in front of a crowd of 39,783 spectators.

In addition to getting a first-hand look at the events on the track at the Penn Relays, Grant, McClellan, Perkins and Sieczkiewicz had the opportunity to attend the USA vs. The World athlete meeting on Friday night, April 25, where they were introduced to world-class athletes from 15 countries, including Olympic and World Championships gold medalists. They also observed press conferences and other events at the Penn Relays.

The Verizon Youth Progress Award was established by Verizon, the sponsor of USA Track & Field's highly touted Verizon Youth Series, and USA Track & Field to assist high school seniors who participate in track & field and/or cross country. The Award will help students take their training as well as their studies to the collegiate level. Grant, McCelllan, Perkins and Sieczkiewicz were selected among hundreds of applicants based on their academic record, participation in the sport of track & field/cross country, educational aspirations, goals, recommendations, unusual circumstances and financial need.

Billie-Jo Grant, who is headed to the University of Arizona to study psychological sciences, started participating in the discus throw during her freshman year of high school, thanks to persistence of her high school track coach in Oceana, California. She is an all-around athlete who loves to play all team sports, but her favorite is track & field. This year, she aspires to win the state and national girls' discus throw championships. She would like to surpass the 200-feet mark in the near future, and the Olympic Games are her ultimate goal.

Witnessing the team spirit displayed at the USA vs. the World provided some inspiration for Grant. "It was exciting to see how the U.S. supports their athletes," said Billie-Jo. "I believe the effort you put into something is what you get out of it and that's what these athletes did at the Penn Relays."

Sarah J. McClellan is headed to Morehead State University (Ky.) and is eager to be part of the women's track team. The Dayton, Ohio, native in her spare time volunteers with the 4-H Agricultural club, a community service organization. She looks forward to sharing her experiences as one of the first Verizon Youth Progress Award recipients. "I was impressed with the races and know that's the level I will be on next year competing," said Sarah. "Everything has been overwhelming since the first phone call from Verizon, [USATF Director of Elite Athlete Programs] Mike Conley and USATF to the one-on-one attention given to all of us."

Adam Perkins plans to be a middle distance specialist at the University of Arkansas, where he will study pre-chiropractic and pre-med next year. Adam got an early start in track in grade school, where students had to run a mile in physical education class. He realized how good he could be after beating the older eighth grade students. From then on he has participated on several local track clubs in the Kansas City area.

A resident of Liberty, Mo., Perkins aspires to be invited to this year's Nike Prefontaine Classic as a prepster. The 2002 USA Junior Nationals 1500m runner-up looks forward to also compete at the USA Junior Championships and Pan Am Junior Championships this summer. He is striving to qualify for the 2004 Olympic Trials en route to pursuing his ultimate goal of making the USA Olympic team. One of the things he is most excited about is the recent television coverage track & field has received with USATF's Golden Spike Tour. The TV exposure allows him to study the running styles and forms of other top athletes.

"This has been a great experience to see what the (Penn) Relays are about, as well as supporting my future teammates," said Adam. "I'm honored to receive the Verizon Youth Progress Award. Alan Webb's 2001 performance [3:53 in the mile as a high schooler] set the precedent, which is really helping distance running," Adam continued. "I am looking forward to be a part in the growth and help the U.S. win medals at future championships."

Daniel Sieczkiewicz has plans to compete in the 800m and 1500m next year at Boston University, where he will pursue a degree in physical therapy. "Penn was awesome, the college events and the fans were great," said Daniel. "I've seen some of the meets on TV, but did not know how serious and focused the athletes were in preparation for each race." The Westerly, R.I., native did not get serious in track and field until his junior year in high school. He now hopes to run sub-four minutes in the mile and make the NCAA Championships in 2004, as well as running in the Boston Marathon.

All recipients of the Verizon Youth Progress Award have a cumulative 3.0 grade point average (4.0 scale) or higher and have participated as athletes in a Verizon Youth Series track and field or cross country event within the past year: the 2001 or 2002 Junior National Track & Field Championships, USATF Youth Athletics Championships, USATF Junior Olympic Track & Field National Championships and the USATF Junior Olympic Cross-Country National Championships. They all reside in, or attend school, in an area served by Verizon Communications or Verizon Wireless.

Additional Information

For more information on the Verizon Youth Progress Award, please contact:

Verizon Youth Progress Award
Scholarship Management Services, CSFA
1505 Riverview Road, P.O. Box 297
Saint Peter, MN 56082
Telephone: (507) 931-1682