Juan Alba Class: Senior Hometown: Hammond, IN High School: Hammond Gavit Height: 6-2 Event: Throws Birthdate: 02/22/1982

AS A JUNIOR: Established himself as the top thrower on the Irish in 2003 ... earned first all-BIG EAST honor of his career at the league outdoor meet, finishing third in the discus (50.66m, 166-2) ... just missed double all-BIG EAST honors at the outdoor meet in the hammer throw, finishing fourth ... qualified for the inaugural NCAA Mideast Regional in the hammer throw, eventually finishing 23rd (52.06m, 170-9) ... claimed first collegiate victory against Ball State and Western Michigan, winning the shot put with a 15.42m (50-7 1/4) toss ... qualified for the BIG EAST indoor meet in both the shot put and weight throw ... finished 10th in the shot put and ninth in the weight throw at the BIG EAST indoor meet ... competed well in the hammer throw throughout the 2003 outdoor season ... placed second at the Tom Botts Invitational, fourth at the Indy Relays and second at the Boilermaker Open in the hammer ... also posted two runner-up finishes in the discus, taking second at the Western Michigan Open and the Indy Relays.

AS A SOPHOMORE: Emerged as one of the top throwers on the Irish roster ... scored points toward the Irish team effort in two events at the 2002 BIG EAST outdoor meet ... just missed all-BIG EAST honors in the discus, finishing fourth with a 50.55m (165-10) ... also finished eighth in the hammer throw (52.33m, 171-8) at the BIG EAST outdoor meet ... began the 2002 track season with two top-10 finishes at the Purdue Open, taking seventh in the shot put and sixth in the weight throw ... ended up second to two teammates against Michigan State in two different events ... threw the shot put 14.79m to place second behind teammate Derek Dyer ... posted a 15.35m effort in the weight throw to take second behind Brian Thornburg ... came through with two top-10 finishes at the Meyo Invitational, placing 10th in the shot put and eighth in the weight throw ... qualified for the BIG EAST indoor meet, finishing 15th in the weight throw ... took fifth in the discus at the Spring Opener ... grabbed another fifth-place finish in the discus at the Butler Invitational ... qualified for the finals of the hammer throw at the Boilermaker Open, eventually finishing fourth.

AS A FRESHMAN: Began his collegiate career in 2001, competing in the weight throw against Ball State and Western Michigan ... ended up 11th in the competition ... placed fifth in the weight throw against Michigan State ... continued to concentrate on the weight throw at the Meyo Invitational, finishing 13th ... enjoyed a solid performance at the Alex Wilson Invitational, finishing fifth in the weight throw (13.25m 43-5 3/4) ... debuted during the outdoor season at the Purdue Open, competing in the discus and hammer throw ... took fifth in the discus at the Spring Opener ... qualified for his first BIG EAST Championship, the 2001 outdoor meet, in the discus ... eventually finished eighth to score points toward the team total (46.24m, 151-8).

HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: A three-sport standout in wrestling, track and field and football at Hammond Gavit High School ... earned all-state honors in all three sports during his prep career ... won three conference championships in the shot put, while claiming two in the discus as a member of the track and field team ... earned all-state honors in the discus as well ... a two-time conference champion in wrestling while setting school records for most career wins (125) and wins in a season (44) ... managed to also earn all-conference honors twice in football ... dabbled in soccer in the fall of his senior season, earning yet another school letter ... member of the National Honor Society and served as the senior class treasurer and secretary ... son of Juan and Martha Alba ... born Feb. 22, 1982, in Gary, Ind. ... enrolled in Mendoza College of Business with a management major.