JEFFERSON TWP — Carol Cress is a two-time WPIAL champion in the shot put.

When Cress thinks about that, it is still surreal to her.

"I never thought I would be a one-time champion," Cress said.

But when the recent Knoch High graduate won back-to-back WPIAL titles in the event, it got her noticed.

Several colleges came knocking to get Cress and her still-burgeoning skills in the throwing events.

But Cress had a plan and she stuck with it.

In Sacred Heart University, tucked away in the small New England town of Fairfield, Conn., she found her ideal destination.

"Overall, I was really comfortable with the environment," Cress said. "It's far away from home, yet I will still compete against colleges in Pennsylvania."

There was another advantage to Sacred Heart, one that went beyond academics and athletes: location, location, location. Sacred Heart is located near the ocean. Check that wish off the list.

"Oh, I love that," Cress said, laughing.

Slippery Rock University and California (Pa.) University were also in the mix. It was hard for Cress to say no to both schools, but Sacred Heart was just too good of an opportunity to pass up, Cress said.

"In the end, I just decided it was a perfect fit," she said.

Cress is a perfect fit for Sacred Heart, which is coming off a Northeastern Conference championship.

Cress is eager to get to work with throwing coach EvanLasher.

"The girls who have gone there in the past who started out in the 41- to 47-foot range (in the shot put) ended up throwing in the 50s," Cress said. "It's a great program and I like it a lot. It's really similar to the program I had at Knoch, just more advanced."

Cress is in that 41- to 47- foot range. Her top throw in the shot put is 42-6½, a foot off the school record.

She also is an accomplished thrower in the discus and javelin. Her career-best throw in the discus is 127 feet and her best in the javelin is 119-11½, good enough for second place in school history.

But when she arrives at Sacred Heart, she'll find more to do than the shot, discus and javelin.

The Pioneers also have a spot in the hammer throw.

"I have never thrown a hammer before in my life," Cress said. "I've seen it done before, though. It looks like a different technique, but I'm going to give it a try. I'm going to give everything a try. I want to take advantage of everything."

Cress burst onto the scene as a junior, winning the WPIAL title in the shot put and advancing to the state meet in both the shot and discus.

As a senior, she defended her WPIAL title and got back to the state meet again, placing sixth.

Cress said repeating as WPIAL champion was one of the best moments in her career. It also was one of the toughest things she's ever done, she said.

"My junior year, I knew there would be a lot of competition, so I worked hard all year to win it," Cress said. "My senior year, I never expected to win it again because I knew I was going to have to work twice as hard. I felt like everyone's eyes were on me. To do it was amazing."