Junior Christina Hillman is redefining the term dominance.

The ISU women’s middle-distance runners stole the spotlight in last weekend’s Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships by winning three conference titles, but their performance was underlined by a run-away victory for Hillman in the shot put.

Hillman’s winning throw was 57 feet, 8.5 inches, beating out the second place finisher, Texas Christian’s Megan Smith, by nearly four feet.

Hillman won both the Big 12 indoor title and the national indoor title in the shot put earlier this year. She came through again May 17, adding the Big 12 outdoor title to her list of achievements.

“I definitely rise to the occasion with big meets,” Hillman said. “I get a [big] adrenaline rush, so the Big 12 meet, regionals, nationals — I love those type of meets because to me they are at a more elite level, so I do perform better.”

Hillman said that added incentive came from being able to compete in a full-team competition, a rare opportunity when playing an individual sport like track and field.

“I do love the team element of it,” Hillman said. “I have always loved team sports, and I love the fact that even though the responsibility is placed on my shoulders and my shoulders alone, I can still contribute in some way to an overall team score.”

Hillman admitted that because of her proven superiority in the event throughout this season, she came into the meet competing mostly against herself, but that did not rob her of her urgency as she has bigger plans yet in store.

“It takes a lot of mental preparation and a lot of confidence on your ability to throw on that day,” Hillman said. “It is about just knowing that the work you have put in up to this point has been beneficial. You have to actually believe in the program you are a part of — otherwise you will start to doubt yourself and what you are doing.”

Hillman said the new coaching staff at Iowa State this season has been helpful to her performances and has made buying in to the overall philosophy easier.

“It was a little difficult at first,” Hillman said. “Whenever you get a new coaching staff, there are going to be disconnects. I think that is normal, but I am confident in saying that I really have enjoyed the new coaching staff and it has helped me a lot.”

Hillman is not the only thrower on the team who credited new associate head coach Fletcher Brooks by name for improved performances.

Sophomore Jan Jeuschede, who placed fifth in the men’s shot put over the weekend, also lauded Brooks for the help he has bestowed upon the young thrower.

“I think our new coach has had a very good affect on me. We have worked a lot on my technique and it has gotten better since last year for sure,” Jeuschede said. “I have not really been able to put all the pieces together to finally get a really big throw out there, but I have gotten stronger under him and a lot more technically sound.”

Despite his fifth place finish at the conference meet, Jeuschede said he was actually displeased with that performance.

“I am a little disappointed that I could not quite respond to the competition there,” Jeuschede said. “I got third in indoor, so I would have liked to get third again at least, but I think I learned some good things and can take some good things away.”

Jeuschede talked about specifically working on perfecting his technique so that he does not think about it even once while competing — a mental state that Hillman also stressed and has been able to achieve herself.

Both ISU throwers will now hunker down in preparation for the NCAA West Preliminary Round, which serves as a qualifier for the NCAA Championships.

The NCAA West Preliminaries are set to take place from May 29 through May 31 in Fayetteville, Ark.