AMES, Iowa - Iowa State's track and field team has added another impressive thrower to its roster. Freshman Christina Hillman compiled an impressive list of wins while in high school and hopes to continue to improve through her career with the Cyclones. Hillman is a seven-time Delaware prep champion who won the shot put competition at the 2011 New Balance Indoor Nationals and placed second in the national outdoor meet. The U.S. Junior Outdoor Track & Field Championship runner-up also placed won the shot put at the 2011 Penn Relays and claimed the silver medal at the Pan-American Junior Games.
Collegiate training with Iowa State has proven to be a learning experience for Hillman. However, the freshman is making the transition to college athletics without too much difficulty. Cyclone throws coach Grant Wall is excited watching Hillman get started.
"She's a very, very bright student coming out of one of the top prep schools in the state of Delaware so I wasn't concerned with her adjustment to school," Wall said. "Her biggest weakness is her strength levels so I wanted to get to work on that right away."
Hillman was also excited to get to work with the Iowa State training staff and to meet her teammates.
"It's been a great experience," Hillman said. "I actually didn't have any real training until about halfway through my senior year. It's a good thing I had that training because it's been a big change coming in here."
Wall plans for Hillman to gain more strength that will help her throw farther. He has wasted no time getting her into the weight room as the freshman lifts three or four times a week. That plan is a dramatic increase from the two days a week regimen she did in high school.
Coach and student-athlete can already see the weight training and hard work make a difference. Hillman won the Holiday Previewshot put. She set a meet record in her college debut in December. For her first collegiate victory, Hillman threw 53-11, almost a four-foot increase from her previous personal record. Hillman was stunned when she learned what she had thrown.
"It was just surreal," Hillman said. "Before I came here, my best throw was 50 feet on the mark and at the first meet I threw 53-11. I didn't even know I could throw that far yet, I thought that would come later on. When I threw it I couldn't believe that had just happened. I even had my doubts that it was actually that far."
The Cyclone credits some of her success to the fact that she is a "meet-thrower." Hillman claims that while she will do okay throwing in practice, just the mere thought that someone may throw farther than her in competition is enough to make improvement. Intrasquad meets help Hillman push herself.
Wall was also surprised with Hillman's rapid progression. The coach admits that he will have to re-evaluate some of the goals they had set for her this season.
"I was hoping that she would throw 55 feet this year and she's already at 54 so she's ahead of where we thought she would be at this point," Wall said. "She's doing really well."
Getting stronger isn't the only goal. Wall and Hillman have high hopes for Big 12 and NCAA competition. Both agree that Hillman has a very high chance of placing among the top four finishers at the Big 12 meet, which would be a huge accomplishment in a league that is notorious for their great throwers. After the outdoor season, Hillman hopes to go to Barcelona, Spain for the IAAF Junior World Championships.
Coming in, both Hillman and Wall had planned on the former redshirting her freshman season so she could have an introductory year and get used to competing at a collegiate level. Hillman admits that she was a little surprised when Wall changed his mind. Overall she is thankful that she is getting the experience.
"I'm glad I'm not (redshirting) because that way I'll get a lot of experience before worlds," Hillman said. "It's just great to go out there and compete against college kids already because I wasn't planning to do that until I was a sophomore. It's really fun."
Wall's plan for Hillman was for her to redshirt and just get ready for the U.S. Junior Championship in June in Bloomington, Indiana. After seeing her throw at the Holiday Preview, the coach decided that she might be ready for collegiate competition after all.
"It will be good for her to get experience at a higher level of competition with the Big 12. She has the chance to be top three in the world for 19 and under, which is our goal. The mark she threw at the Holiday Preview might be good enough for her to make the junior national meet. It just depends on the year."
Hillman's teammates on the Cyclones track team have been a big part in Hillman's seemingly seamless transition into college throwing.
"My teammates are so supportive," Hillman said. "When I first got here I didn't know any weight names or the correct technique and they were there to guide me. When coach was busy, they took it upon their hearts to help me."
Her throw currently ranks fourth nationally. She admits the rankings will change as some schools haven't thrown yet and that there will be more competition as the season progresses.
"It's amazing because these aren't just freshmen like me," Hillman said. These are sophomores, juniors, and seniors, people who have done it a long time. To know that I am up there already is amazing."
Hillman does not mind the number of hours and all the work that goes into becoming one of the top throwers in the country because she simply enjoys it.
"I've done it since I was a freshman in high school and it's not only something I'm good at, it's something I enjoy," Hillman said. "I like being around my teammates and I like going out there and seeing myself improve. It gives me a sense of satisfaction and achievement."
Hillman will open the 2012 calendar year this weekend at the ISU Open in the Lied Center.
