PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Michelle Clayton-Boswell, a former All-American at East Carolina and currently a volunteer assistant coach for the Pirates, placed eighth in the women's hammer throw at the USA Track and Field National Championships, held on the campus of Stanford University June 19-22.

The national event included many of the world's top track and field athletes with names such as Gail Devers, Tim Montgomery, and Stacey Dragila vying for national titles.

Clayton-Boswell, a native of Kernersville, N.C., turned in her best-ever finish at the USA National Championships since first competing on the national level at the 2000 Olympic Trials. Though not a personal-best distance, her mark of 61.94 meters (203-2) on Thursday, June 19, placed eighth.

Leading up to the national championships, she spent a week competing in two international events in Canada. During a meet in Vancouver, British Columbia, site of the Harry Jerome Classic, Clayton-Boswell had a lifetime best mark of 64.13m (210-4), placing second behind the world's current 13th-ranked thrower from America Samoa.

Clayton-Boswell has one more competition remaining in the 2003 season at the Mid-Summer Games at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif., on July 12-13.

As an undergraduate at ECU, Clayton-Boswell set five school records in the weight events from 1995-99. She was an All-East performer 19 times, a Colonial Athletic Conference champion in the shot put, discus, and hammer, one of three All-Americans in the women's track program, and only the second individual ECAC champion in school history. She was also named ECU's 1997 Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was a GTE Academic All-American that same year.

Clayton-Boswell, who still trains at East Carolina, is entering her second season as a volunteer assistant coach with ECU's women's track program after serving as assistant strength coach for men's and women's track, women's soccer, and football in 2001-02.