BROOKINGS, S.D. – Claire Caspersen represented College of Saint Mary in the NAIA Women's Indoor Track & Field National Championships Saturday.

The junior qualified for the finals and took ninth place in the shot put with 13.88m (45-06.50).

"Claire was a little bit off today – which is uncharacteristic for her," CSM Coach Jerrid Johansen said. "We're used to her having her best performances at the biggest meets, but today was just one of those days that she couldn't get everything synced up.

"This is her fifth consecutive national meet appearance, but really it was a new experience for her in that she was one of the top seeds and, because of that, she threw later in the lineup of athletes. In her previous national meet appearances, she came in with few expectations placed on her and she threw early in the competition. And one thing Claire is really good at is getting a big throw early in the competition and putting pressure on the people behind her. I think she got to experience the flip side of that today. A couple of early throwers put some pressure on her and I think she panicked just a little bit."

Caspersen will have some time off before transitioning to the outdoor season.

"Claire has had a great junior campaign and she has been steadily progressing from week one," Johansen said. "It's unfortunate that things didn't turn out the way she wanted today, but I have a feeling this will be a great learning experience for her as she takes a little bit of downtime and transitions into the outdoor season at the end of March."