Liz Earley was a freshman at Allegheny College when she was first introduced to the hammer throw.

The "hammer" -- a heavy metal ball similar to a shot put attached to a handle on a chain -- made quite an impression on her.

"It was shocking at first," Earley said. "I was scared to death. It reminded me of a medieval weapon. Just the thought of me ever throwing it frightened me. Coach handed it to me and said to just try it."

Earley proved to be a natural. In her first competition, she broke the school record. Recently, this Peters Township High School graduate capped her collegiate career with a second-place finish at the NCAA Division III outdoor championships.

Earley's top throw measured 182 feet, 6 inches, and was a half-inch short of the school record she set at this year's Penn Relays. She finished behind Terri Schwamb (191-1), a two-time national champion from Wisconsin-Oshkosh, where the meet took place.

It was a bittersweet day for Earley, who had finished fourth as a junior.

"My goal was to win it," she said. "After last year's nationals, from that day on my goal was to be on top of the podium. I worked, and my goal was to be No. 1. But I don't know how much better I could have done. I was disappointed, but at the same time happy."

Allegheny coach Bill Ross, for one, wasn't disappointed in Earley's performance.

"To take second place at the national championships, it ranks right up there," he said.

But it might not rank as Earley's best showing this year. That likely took place at the Penn Relays, where she finished in fifth place surrounded by nothing but Division I competition.

"The nervousness that you face when you're on that stage, she was able to handle it very well and compete very well," Ross said.

Earley is the third athlete Ross has taken to the Penn Relays in 12 years. Athletes must be accepted into the prestigious competition based on their past performances. Not only was Earley accepted, she was placed in the championship bracket.

"When coach told me, I wasn't sure if I would be able to get into the meet," Earley said. "It was an unbelievable feeling. It was awesome. It's hard to describe. It's one of the best memories I've had."

For Ross, finding athletes to compete in the hammer throw is a difficult task. It's rare to find the event at the high school level. It doesn't take place at all in Pennsylvania.

"They don't know what the event is until I say, 'Here, try the hammer,' " he said.

That was the case with Earley, and Ross believes she picked up the skill as well as she did because of her dance background. Earley was a competitive dancer growing up and also was a member of the Modernettes, a baton-twirling team, for 12 years.

"She has a strong kinesthetic awareness," he said. "She knows where all her body parts are when she's moving."

Earley agreed with her coach's assessment: "I 100 percent believe my background in dance has allowed me to be good in the hammer throw.

"Obviously, the technique is different, but each requires you to spin in circles. Because of dance, I have a good sense of where my body is in different positions. That's basically what the hammer throw is all about."

Ironically, Earley originally had wanted to pursue dance in college. But after she wasn't accepted into the Point Park University program, she decided to focus her energy on track and field.

"It has rewarded me 10 times over," she said. "I'm much happier participating in track than dance. It's funny how things work out."

Now that her college career is over, Earley said she will continue with her training, with a goal of qualifying for the 2012 Olympics.

"I've had offers from coaches for post-collegiate training," she said. "I haven't made any commitments, but if I dedicate more of my time to the sport, hopefully I can make it."