JACKSON TWP — The Robert Morris University women's track and field team is constantly searching for better athletes while competing in the vastly improving Northeast Conference.

And the Colonials liked what they saw in Ashley Turici.

A senior javelin thrower at Seneca Valley, Turici recently decided to take her talents to the Division I suburban Pittsburgh school.

Her decision came down to going to Robert Morris for track and field or to Allegheny College for basketball.

RMU throwing coach Steve Sarigiannis is glad she chose the former.

"I first saw Ashley at the WPIAL championships last spring," said Sarigiannis. "I noticed she had a nice build and a pretty good arm. I've also seen her play basketball. She's athletic and that's what we look for."

Turici won the WPIAL Class AAA javelin title May 18 with a throw of 136 feet, 3 inches and is headed to the state championships for the third consecutive year this weekend.

Her best finish at the PIAA meet was a seventh-place effort that capped her sophomore campaign. She finished eighth at the meet last year as a junior.

Turici has been throwing the javelin since her freshman season at SV.

"I kept working at it and then I just started to throw farther," she said.

During her sophomore season, Turici threw the javelin farther than any girl at Seneca Valley ever had at 136-9. The mark remains a school record.

"It's very rare for a sophomore to set a school record in a throwing event," said Craig Gehm, who has coached throwing events at Seneca Valley for 13 years. "And the javelin record had stood for a while."

The Raiders have experimented by putting Turici into other events.

"I started to throw the discus and shot put last season," she said.

But the javelin is by far her strongest suit, though she might see time in another event or two with the Colonials.

"She could pick up a few other events with the proper training," said Sarigiannis.

Turici will be taking part in a weight-training program, which is a must for incoming throwers.

"That's probably the biggest part of the training she'll take part in, the weight room," added Sarigiannis. "That's the main reason why freshmen see a lot of improvement in their first year."

Turici will be joining a program that has met with success in the recent past.

"We finished second in the NEC outdoor championships in both 2004 and 2005," Sarigiannis said.

"The conference keeps getting better and better," he added. "And we have to make sure we're recruiting better athletes all the time."

"I just want to keep improving," said Turici. "That's my goal."