JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Senior thrower Taryn Ashby (Pittston, Pa.) reached a career milestone when she surpassed 50 meters in the javelin for the first time during competition at the UNF Invite on Friday afternoon. Ashby broke her own Villanova record with a throw of 50.69 meters, setting a new school standard for the third time this season and the fourth time in her terrific collegiate career. Ashby owns seven of the top 10 marks in the Wildcats record book with the current javelin implement which was introduced beginning with the 1999 season.
 
The first throw further than 50 meters for Ashby had been a mark to anticipate as she continued to extend her personal best throughout the season. Friday's result also moved Ashby to 15^th place on the current East Region performance list for the current season. It was announced earlier this week that the field size for the NCAA regional meets in May would return to the standard size of 48 declared athletes per event rather than the originally planned 32 athletes in each event which was going to be instituted for this season only. Ashby is a two-time qualifier in the javelin for the NCAA East Preliminary meet. This year's regional will be held at Hodges Stadium where Ashby recorded her latest record in Friday's meet on the University of North Florida campus.
 
Ashby initially set the Villanova javelin record when she threw for 48.03 meters as a sophomore during the 2019 season. She increased the record to 48.98 meters in her 2021 debut at the Raleigh Relays on March 25, then extended her top mark by three centimeters to 49.01 meters at the Virginia Challenge two weeks ago. Ashby is also the two-time BIG EAST champion in the javelin and leads the conference performance list this season.