WALNUT, Calif. - Ashley Puga finished third in both the 1500 and 800-meter finals on Saturday, earning NCAA D.II All-American honors in both events as she competed at the 2008 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Hilmer Lodge Stadium at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, California.

Puga's outstanding day started with breaking her own NNU school record in the 1500-meters, clocking 4:30.07 to finish third.  "Ashley ran a great race," commented NNU assistant coach Ben Gall.  "This was the race we were really keyed in for, since she has done this before on the national stage.  She finished sixth last year and 10th as a freshman, so our goal was to hit the top three and we knew she would need to hit a PR to get it."

"Coming into the 800, she was ranked 18th nationally, so making the final in itself was a big deal and we knew she would need a PR to do it," Gall added.  "Our thoughts coming into the race today were to run for the top five and her finish really turned a lot of heads in the crowd, coming back that quick and taking third."  Ashley just missed her own school record, set yesterday, posting a time of 2:10.23 this afternoon.  The 800-meter final was contested just 56 minutes after her 1500-meter final.

All-American honors are awarded to the top eight athletes in each event.  These are the fourth and fifth All-American awards for Puga and she is the first NNU student-athlete to earn two All-American honors at the same national championship meet.

Puga scored 12 team points with her pair of finishes, enough points to put NNU into a three-way tie for 22nd nationally as a team.

Click here for complete meet results:  www.flashresults.com/2008_Meets/outdoor/DivisionII/