LOGAN, Utah - When Maci Bingham graduates from Utah State in just a few short weeks, she will leave as the most accomplished hammer thrower in the history of its women's track & field program.

It's a feat that is still mind-boggling to Bingham, but one in which she is extremely proud of.

Bingham set the school record in the hammer throw and placed first in the event with a toss of 62.33m (204-6) at the Utah State-hosted Mark Faldmo Invitational on April 15 at Maughan Track Stadium.

"Not in a million years would I have ever guessed that I would be throwing 62 meters in the hammer, that's for sure," Bingham said. "You couldn't have paid me to think that when I was at Idaho State. No way. I was throwing 51 meters there and I thought I was killing it. I thought I was doing so good, but nope."

Bingham set the record in the final home meet of her career, breaking Lindsey Spencer's mark of 61.99m (203-4), which was set in 2012.

"It felt like a huge burden had been lifted," said Bingham, who will graduate with a degree in interdisciplinary studies. "It feels good, it really does, and it feels even better to know how far I've come and how hard I've worked to get to this point."

On Utah State's indoor top-10 list, the native of Basin City, Wash., is second in both the weight throw (19.09m/62-7.75) and shot put (15.38m/50-5.50). To go along with her record-setting hammer throw during the outdoor season, Bingham also ranks third all-time in the discus (51.29m/168-03) and seventh in the shot put (14.49m/47-6.50).

"The neat thing about Maci is I saw her when she was competing at Idaho State as a freshman and I immediately knew that if she got the opportunity to work with somebody, she could turn into a great thrower," said assistant head track & field coach Matt Ingebritsen, whose main responsibility with the Aggies is working with the throwers. "Two years later, it was really weird because all of a sudden we get this e-mail and I was like, 'If that's the girl I'm thinking of, we really want her.' I jumped on it and I talked to (head) coach (Gregg) Gensel and was like, 'Look, we've got to get this girl on our team.'"

That's exactly what happened as Bingham transferred to Utah State from Idaho State and began competing in 2014 during the outdoor season as a sophomore.

"From the moment she stepped on this campus, I knew she would be the school record holder in the hammer," Ingebritsen said. "I knew that because of what I saw from her when she was a freshman at Idaho State."

Ingebritsen's hunch came to fruition and Bingham is quick to give credit where credit is due.

"When I was a freshman, I watched Lindsey Spencer throw here and she was very successful," Bingham said. "I didn't know until I got here that she was actually a transfer student, too, from the Big Sky Conference (Weber State). I saw what (coach Ingebritsen) could do with throwers and I knew I had potential to be pretty good, but I definitely didn't think it would be in the hammer. I thought it was more in the discus."

While the hammer record and other accolades she has received is nice, Bingham still has some unfinished business before she is done competing for Utah State.

There is still one thing that has eluded her since she became an Aggie: A Mountain West title.

"I would like to add a gold medal to my collection of silvers," Bingham said. "I'm so over my silver medals. At the outdoor conference meet, I'm just going to look at it as just another meet to get me to where I want to be. That's what I did last year and I ended up doing pretty well and I got a PR at conference."

The 2016 Mountain West Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be hosted by Fresno State and held May 11-14 in Clovis, Calif.

Bingham earned first-team all-MW honors in 2015 after placing second in the hammer (61.30m/201-01). She then went on to tie for 24th in the hammer (57.85m/189-09) at the First Round of the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

At the 2016 MW Indoor Championships, Bingham garnered first-team all-MW honors by placing second in the hammer with a personal-best throw of 19.09m (62-07.75) and second in the shot put with a personal-best throw of 15.38m (50-05.50).

"I really want to win (a title at the outdoor) conference (meet), especially after what happened at indoors," Bingham said. "I just really want to win outdoors and I feel like, mentally, I've been preparing myself since that day to get to the point that I need to be to throw as far as I can because even if I am throwing the farthest, I need to mentally be throwing the farthest. I just don't want to leave with any regrets.

"Mostly I want to do it for my coach because he really deserves another Mountain West Conference champion and he's worked just as hard or harder than I have, really, to get me to where I needed to be. That would be awesome."

The 11-time letterwinner (four in track & field, four in soccer and three in basketball) at Connell High School currently ranks 13th in the nation, sixth in the west region and first in the conference in the hammer.

"I've had a lot of captains and a lot of great female throwers, but I don't know that I've ever had a captain and an athlete come in and lead like she has when it comes to the rest of the group," Ingebritsen said. "She's made the rest of the group such a cohesive unit compared to the way it has been in the past and that's something that will be super hard to replace."

Ingebritsen is not looking forward to that day.

"She brings a really good energy to the group and when she goes, it's going to kill me because she also has a tremendous work ethic," Ingebritsen said. "Because she sacrificed to come here, she brings a chip on her shoulder, which makes great female athletes and great athletes in general. They want to prove something and athletes like that end up doing exactly what I knew she would do. She's been a very special athlete to have around and it's been really fun to watch her develop as an athlete. But also, she's a much different and better version of herself than she was when she got here, so it's been really cool."

Outside of her schooling and athletic responsibilities, Bingham own her own photography business. She and her husband of close to three years, Brady, are currently building a house in Smithfield.