Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Riley takes fifth-place at Pan Am Games
07/24/2007 | 12:00:00 | Track and Field
July 24, 2007
By Shalae Schulte
www.siusalukis.com
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Southern Illinois track and field national champion Brittany Riley threw 214-11 in the women's hammer throw at the Pan Am Games for Team USA to finish fifth in the world Monday afternoon.
Cuba swept the top two positions in the medal standings with Yipsi Moreno throwing 246-09 to break her own meet record and her teammate Arasay Thondike throwing 225-05 for silver. Two-time defending NCAA Champion Jennifer Dahlgren, who nipped Riley for the collegiate title in June, finished third with the bronze at 224-04.
Riley has had a successful season winning the NCAA national championship in the indoor weight throw, setting a new world record in March. She then went on to finish second at the outdoor national championships in the hammer throw to earn her fourth All-America honor in early June. Later that month Riley won the AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the hammer, qualifying herself for the Pan Am Games.
