Iowa State track and field thrower Christina Hillman was not interested in shot-put while in high school. A coach only happened notice she was strong and could throw a great distance, so he asked her to take up the event.

Hillman started throwing her freshman year of high school in Delaware and averaged a distance in the 30-feet region.

“There weren’t a lot of good throwers in Delaware at the time, but I decided to pursue it,” Hillman said.

In her senior year of high school, Hillman improved her average distance by 11-feet.

Her success caught the attention of Iowa State throws coach, Grant Wall, who contacted Hillman and talked with her about Iowa State and its program.

“She had a lot of potential and that competitive edge,” Wall said.

Hillman toured Iowa State’s campus on an official visit, and immediately knew what she was going to get from the campus.

“I fell in love with everything here. I love the campus, the atmosphere, the team,” Hillman said. “It was a pretty easy decision to come here.”

Hillman said she was thankful for Wall and giving her a chance.

“Coach believed in me when I was only throwing 39-feet, he saw potential and he was willing to offer me a scholarship for just my potential and I am really grateful for that” Hillman said.

Wall said he has seen first hand the maturation process take over Hillman.

Hillman is currently a double major studying psychology and child and adult family services with a minor in Chinese. She is contemplating trying out to compete for a spot on the 2016 Olympic team, though she is wanting to begin her career post-graduation as well.

“I want to get into my career eventually, it just really depends on how I’m doing that year,” Hillman said.

Hillman said her nerves are also playing an impact on her desire to compete in the Olympics.

“Im just going to keep training and keep up with my academics and see what happens,” Hillman said.