On April 11, New York City Sports Commissioner Kenneth J. Podziba and Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe will welcome more than 5,000 high school athletes to the Mayor's Cup Outdoor Track & Field Championship at Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island. More than 200 public, parochial and independent high schools are expected to compete in this citywide competition. Among this year's teams will be the two-time defending girls' champion Boys & Girls High School and the four-time defending boys' champion Monsignor Farrell High School. The Mayor's Cup will begin at 3:00pm on April 11 and 9:00am on April 12.

"More than 5,000 of the city's top high school track & field athletes will follow in the footsteps of former Olympians such as Jamaica High School's Bob Beamon when they compete on Randall's Island during the Mayor's Cup Outdoor Track and Field Championships," said Commissioner Podziba. "The Mayor's Cup is an amazing opportunity for our children to pursue their dreams in Icahn Stadium, one of the world's premier track and field facilities, and challenge themselves against their peers to determine who can run, jump or throw the best."

This two-day meet will feature boys' and girls' divisions competing in hurdles, steeplechase, long jump, pole vault, high jump, discus, javelin and shot put as well as numerous runs, relays, and dashes. Medals and t-shirts will be awarded to the top six individual finishers in each event, while the Mayor's Cup will be presented to the overall boys' and girls' team champions.

"Over 3,000 student athletes will take their mark at Icahn Stadium for the 4th annual Mayor's Cup Outdoor Track & Field Championship," said Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe. "I am thrilled that we can once again team up with the Randall's Island Sports Foundation to provide world-class facilities at Randall's Island's Icahn Stadium for these future world-class athletes."

For more than 100 years, New York City has been a center for track and field -- home to the Millrose Games, the ING New York City Marathon and the National Track & Field Hall of Fame at the New Balance Track & Field Center. Additionally, New York City's remarkable track & field history contains numerous Olympians who have attended New York City high schools, including:

The event will be held at Icahn Stadium, a $42 million facility that was built through a public/private partnership between the Randall's Island Sports Foundation (RISF) and the City of New York. The facility features a 400-meter Mondo track, 5,000 spectator seats, locker rooms, fitness and meeting rooms for RISF's youth programs and a soccer field just north of the stadium. The stadium meets International Amateur Athletic Federation requirements and hosts local, national and international track and field events.

This year's event was produced in conjunction with the Randall's Island Sports Foundation, the Public School Athletic League, the New York City Sports Commission and New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

For the Mayor's Cup Outdoor Track & Field Championship schedule of events, please visit www.psal.org.

For more information, please visit our Mayor's Cup Track & Field page.

Parks & Recreation is the steward of more than 29,000 acres of land - 14 percent of New York City - including more than 4,000 individual properties ranging from Yankee Stadium and Central Park to community gardens and Greenstreets. We operate more than 800 athletic fields and nearly 1,000 playgrounds; we manage four major stadia, 550 tennis courts, 54 public pools, 48 recreational facilities, 17 nature centers, 13 golf courses, and 14 miles of beaches; we care for 1,200 monuments and 22 historic house museums; we look after 600,000 street trees, and two million more in parks. We are New York City's principal provider of athletic facilities. We are home to free concerts, world-class sports events, and cultural festivals. For more information about Parks, visit: www.nyc.gov/parks.

The New York City Sports Commission is the mayoral agency charged with attracting, facilitating and promoting professional, amateur and scholastic sports events in New York City. In recent years, the Sports Commission has played a role in creating or developing many new sporting events, including the NFL Kickoff Live from Times Square, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series™ Champions Week, the BMC Software NYC Cycling Championship, the AVP Brooklyn Open, the NAUTICA NYC Triathlon, the NYC Half-Marathon, the Union Square Street Sessions presented by Jeep®, the Wild Onion Urban Adventure Race and the Men's Health Urbanathlon.