After taking some advice from her throwing coach, Christina Hillman stepped into the throwing circle.

The sophomore thrower went into her routine, leaned, spun and almost effortlessly hurled the shot 54-05.50 feet — a mark that was good enough for a second-place finish at the Iowa State Classic.

Hillman has been turning heads in competition, but her performance is no surprise to throwing coach Grant Wall.

“She had such a great freshman year throwing 53-11 [feet] and she’s been training great,” Wall said. “Sometimes a busy freshman year like that will wear people out, but she’s been able to refocus.”

Wall is not only impressed with the success of Hillman, he is also enthused about the continual development and improvement she has shown.

“She is only 19 years old; she’s not even 20 yet,” Wall said. “And she’s come 17 feet since the middle of her senior [year of high school], and that doesn’t happen in shot put — she’s phenomenal.”

While attending St. Thomas More Academy near her hometown of Dover, Del., Hillman left her mark in the record books by winning seven prep championships, three shot put titles and three discus titles.

As a senior at St. Thomas More, Hillman won a national title in the shot put, making her one of the most heralded throwing recruits in the nation.

“I was recruited here by coach [Wall] and when I came here to visit, I loved it,” Hillman said. “The campus, my teammates and I felt right; I love the atmosphere at ISU.”

With the Big 12 Championships this weekend, Hillman has high expectations for herself at that meet and the indoor national meet that follows.

“For the Big 12s, I’d really like to finish top three [in the shot put], I think that’s possible,” Hillman said. “As far as NCAAs I want to finish top six, which is All-American. It’s going to be fun getting there and competing and it will be a great experience.”

A top-three finish in the Big 12 Championships would continue an already impressive indoor season.

Hillman finished first in the shot put at the New Balance Invitational in New York City in early February. Two more first-place finishes came at the ISU Open and the Holiday Preview, where Hillman set her personal best of 56-11.50 feet.

The sophomore also had a second-place finish at the Iowa State Classic last weekend, where the shot put event was swept by Cyclone throwers. Danielle Frere finished first, Hillman second and Hayli Bozarth third.

Another goal for Hillman is to someday compete in the Olympics. At the 2011 Junior Pan-American Games, Hillman finished second in the shot put, but was the top American in the event.

Wall attributes the success of Hillman and other Cyclone throwers to their hard-working mentality in training.

“With Christina, we’re just trying to be consistent,” Wall said. “She’s aggressive, but she keeps it in check; she allows herself to get after it but also have fun while she’s competing.”

The expectations for the Cyclone throwers are high and Wall believes they can deliver.

“I think Christina can finish top-two [at Nationals]; the girls will do well and they will fight for spots,” Wall said. “I think we can have three All-Americans.”