ISU women’s shot putter Christina Hillman had only one mishap during the Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championship; she mistook Iowa State’s Harry Hoak Track for Cloud Nine. 

Hillman entered the two-day event, which took place Friday and Saturday at Lied Recreation Athletic Center, knowing her best throw of the season was yet come.

The last time Hillman competed in the Big 12 Indoor Championship was two years ago at Iowa State, where she won her first conference title before going on to win the NCAA championship in both indoors and outdoors.

Despite a drop in performance during the 2015 outdoor season and this year’s indoor season leading up to Big 12s, Hillman knew she had a big throw in her, she just hadn’t found it during the regular season.

With her final indoor home meet of her ISU career on the horizon, Hillman predicted Wednesday she would make that big throw Saturday.

She led Saturday’s competition after three throws, but then exchanged leads with Kansas State’s Dani Winters three times before taking the lead for good in the second-to-last throw. Before the throw could be measured, it was evident in Hillman’s body language she had finally made the big throw she was looking for. 

“[The skipping] was on a whim because honestly, it’s not my best throw ever, but it’s my best throw since I’ve gotten injured,” Hillman said. “And it was just good to feel like me again. I hadn’t been feeling comfortable in my skin throwing lately, and it was just really refreshing. 

“I know there’s another [big throw] and I’m going to throw that in Alabama [at the NCAA Championship].”

Hillman recorded a season-best mark of 58 feet 10 inches and she did it in front of not only the support of her own teammates but also the support of her opponents.

“We push each other, we’re friendly rivals, we hug each other [and] we’re happy for each other,” Hillman said of her competitors in the shot put. “I cheer for them; they cheer for me. It’s a camaraderie that I haven’t found in high school or elsewhere. I love it.”  

Hillman will now spend the next two weeks preparing for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship in Birmingham, Ala. 

“[I’ll be working on] getting across the circle because even though I threw that, I don’t think I utilized my right leg very well, so just basically technique and honing in my energy because that’s still something I’m working on,” Hillman said. “I don’t want to be too excited. I want to find the optimal level.”

Kate Hall leads Cyclones in individual scoring

Freshman Kate Hall continued to impress at the Big 12 Championship on Friday and Saturday. 

Hall led the Cyclones in points scored during the meet with eight points in the long jump and five points in the 60-meter dash. 

She finished second in the long jump with a leap of 21 feet 1.50 inches, and fourth in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.39. 

Hall currently has the fifth-best long jump mark in the nation and is tied for the 14th-best mark in the 60-meter dash. Individuals must be in the top-16 of an event to qualify for the NCAA Championship. Qualifiers will be announced Monday night. 

Perez Rotich bounces back

Rotich opened the season with a personal-best time of 16:11.37 in the 5,000-meter run at the Boston University Open on Dec. 5, 2015. 

At the Iowa State Classic on Feb. 13, Rotich ran the 5,000-meter more than 35 seconds slower than she had in Boston. 

The distance runner bounced back Friday and Saturday, finishing third in the 5,000-meter run and fourth in the 3,000-meter run. 

Shoeless Staebler can’t shake shoe struggles

Freshman Jasmine Staebler has already been spiked multiple times this season during races, but on day one of Big 12s, she experienced a new kind of shoe struggle.

Staebler, who competed in her first Big 12 Championship, said the experience was “pretty nerve-wracking.”

“I came into it pretty nervous,” Staebler said. “Both my parents came and my aunt and a few of their friends, so it’s nice to know you have your family and friends out here supporting you.” 

After qualifying for the finals of the 800-meter run, Staebler later helped lead Iowa State’s distance medley relay to a fifth-place finish, and she did it while running her 1,200-meter leg of the race with only one shoe. 

Dan Steele, ISU associate head coach, tweeted a short clip of Staebler running without one of her shoes. 

Jasmine running her 1200m DMR leg with only one shoe at the Big 12 Champs. @CycloneTrackXC pic.twitter.com/v931oEUjrQ

— Dan Steele (@CoachDanSteele) February 27, 2016

Three ISU athletes likely headed to NCAAs 

Christina Hillman, Kate Hall and Jhoanmy Luque are all in a position to represent Iowa State at the NCAA Championship.

Hillman has the second-best NCAA mark in the shot put, Hall has top-16 performances in both the long jump and 60-meter dash and Luque has the 15th best mark in the long jump. 

The NCAA Championship will take place March 11 and 12 in Birmingham, Ala.