University of Southern California's senior, Eva Orban, a Hungary native, has been one of the top hammer throwers in the country in her four years in college. She's a two-time Olympian and is the reigning NCAA outdoor champion. Orban's got the best throw (226-11) in the country this year, leading the second-best mark (221-1) by over five feet.

You're the defending NCAA Champion in the hammer throw and you've already got the biggest throw this year...by a lot. Are things going right on schedule for you?

Everything is going really well. Practice has been going very well. I'm getting back in shape. I'm psyched for the rest of the season.

What are your goals for this season?

I want to break my personal best this year, before I graduate. I want to break it at Pac-10s or at regionals or maybe at NCAAs. If I can, I want to win Pac-10s, regionals and NCAAs. Those are my goals for this year and we'll see how it goes.

Do you see any reason why you wouldn't be able to do that?

It's sports. No one can know what will happen. You can get hurt or you can have a bad day. Someone can just beat you. You can't say for sure that you can win everything. But, those are my goals and I've been working really hard and I just hope it happens.

On the most recent NCAA performance lists, you have the biggest hammer throw by over three meters. What can you attribute to having this big of a gap between you and the second-best thrower?

Well, first of all, I'm from Europe. So, I started to throw when I was 12 years old. Here people start throwing the hammer later. It makes a huge difference because they've only had a few years with the hammer. You have to throw a lot. You have to get a lot of throws in during the year to get better. I think that makes a huge difference, and not just between me and the other athletes in the NCAA, but between Europeans and Americans.

Have you had the same type of success in other throwing events?

I have tried them when I was younger. And even at the dual-meet this weekend, I threw the discus. I'm really good in discus throw or shot put. I do enjoy throwing them sometimes when I get bored with the hammer. Sometimes I'll just throw. I really want to throw the javelin, but coach doesn't let me. He doesn't want me to get hurt.

What are you studying at USC?

I'm an economics major. I can't wait to be done. I'm just joking.

After you're done with college, what are you planning on doing?

I have a chance to stay here an extra year. I think I'm going to stay and try to find a job and work here and throw at the college meets.

What does it feel like to be an Olympian?

It feels really, really good. When I was little, I was just always dreaming about the games. I just always wanted to make it. It was amazing to have dreamed about it and then have it happen. When I made it finally...it was just amazing. It was a good way for me to thank my parents. You don't want to say, “thanks” all the time. When you do something like that, you make the national team for the Olympics, it's one way to say to them, “thank you!” I don't say it all the time, because if there are no actions behind your words, then it means nothing. Of course I say, “thank you” to them...but it's much better to show them by doing well in school and whatever else you're doing.

What do you do for fun when you're not studying or training?

If I have a chance, I'm real lazy. I stay home and watch a movie or read a book. I'll talk to my friends. I like to just stay in my house when I can. Sometimes I'll stay in and hang with my friends.

If you could have any meal in the world, prepared by anybody, what would you choose?

Fried chicken and french fries. I could eat that food all the time...any time. I could eat it every day. But, when my mom makes it, it's way better.

In your opinion, what are some big differences between track and field in the United States and Hungary?

We have a whole different system in Hungary. Here you have an opportunity to go and compete after high school for a university. We don't have anything like that in Hungary. I would say you have to be a professional before you're 19—which is really hard for someone that young—and I think for us, it's a really good chance to come here after high school to compete for a university. I think the U.S. has a better system than ours, but you can't compare the different countries.

When did you decide that you were going to come to the United States and compete for USC?

I didn't really want to come. Before me, USC has had like four Hungarian throwers. So, I'd heard about USC and I'd heard about Coach Lange. I heard a bunch of good things about him. How good of a person he is. How good of a coach he is. I talk to a friend of mine who went there and I said, “okay, let's try it.” I knew that Balazs Kiss was the Olympic champion in the hammer in 1996 and he also went to USC. That's why I came here.

And you're very happy with how things have turned out?

Oh, yeah. First off is the education. I get a great education, which is very important to me. I really like USC. We have a great team and I love my teammates. And I like my coach. I'm just really happy here. I'm think I'm really luck to be here. It's a great thing to be a Trojan!

So, you go to school in sunny California, but you said that you like to stay inside when you get free time? Do you burn badly?

When you have to go in school, you have to stay inside and you don't want to. But when you have nothing to do, you can stay home. My skin is really sensitive, so I don't like to be outside too much. I burn too quick. It's funny how when I'm in school I'd rather be outside.

You put a lot of sunblock on when you're competing?

I have to. I have to. It doesn't really help me...but I try.