July 5, 2008

EUGENE, Ore. - Recent graduate Ashley Harbin (Clarksville, Tenn.) added another item to her lengthy resume on Thursday evening when she competed in the hammer throw at the U.S. Track & Field Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore. Harbin, who graduated in May with a degree in Economics & Business, threw a distance of 199' 2" for a 19th-place finish.

Harbin was seeded 23rd in a field of 24, and she reached her farthest distance on her first of three throws. She was just one of four athletes affiliated with a college or university to receive a bid to compete in the trials. Her personal-best of 209' 0" which she threw at ECAC Championships to win the event and set a new meet record qualified her for the competition.

Jessica Coby finished first in the preliminaries with a throw of 228' 8". The top 12 finishers advance to the finals on Saturday.

Harbin caps off a distinguished college career in which she set school records in the hammer (209' 0") and 20-lb. weight (66' 2¼") and became the first Lafayette female to qualify for the NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships for both the indoor and outdoor seasons.