Jennings. Thornton To Compete in the Hammer Throw at NCAA Championship

June 3, 2008

KINGSTON, R.I. -- Two Rhode Island student-athletes will compete at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship, held at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa from June 11-14.

Jasmine Jennings and Sarah Thornton will compete in the hammer throw, which will have its preliminary flights on Wednesday, June 11.

Jennings earned an automatic qualifier in the field for the national championship meet by virtue of her victory at the NCAA East Regionals, held on May 31 at Florida State. Jennings won the hammer with a throw of 205-06 (62.64m), setting a new URI school record in the process. She enters the NCAA meet seeded 15th nationally.

The top five finishers in at each of the four regional championships earn automatic qualifiers.

Thornton, who placed eighth (182-08) at the NCAA East Regional, was also selected to compete in the national championship meet. Her best mark of the season came on May 3, when she threw 198-06 (60.51m), en route to a second place finish at the Atlantic 10 Championship. Thornton enters the meet seeded 25th.

After the June 11 prelims, the finals of the hammer throw will be contested on Friday, June 13.