MARION, Ind. – Claire Caspersen capped off her sophomore season with a fifth-place finish and a personal best mark.

Caspersen took fifth place in the shot put at the NAIA Women's Outdoor Track & Field National Championships with her throw of 14.07m (46' 2").

Her longest throw was her second throw of the day. In her other throws she recorded 12.67, 13.31, 13.49, 13.53 and 13.73.

Caspersen's finish will earn her All-America honors for the first time in outdoor competition and her third time overall including the indoor seasons.

"I'm so happy that I ended my season with a personal best," Caspersen said. "My goal was to be an All-American so it feels incredible to have accomplished that again. I could not have done it without the support of Coach (Kevin) Drawl and Coach (Jerrid) Johansen."

Maggie Ledbetter of Eastern Oregon won the event with her throw of 15.47 in her sixth attempt.

"Claire did what Claire does best which is perform at a very high level at a national meet," Johansen said. "She loves the big meets and loves to see how she stacks up against the best."

Johansen agreed that it was a great way to finish off her sophomore season.

"Claire has had an outstanding outdoor season and has been consistent with her performances for almost two months now," Johansen said. "She kept building and building and it's great that she finished the year with a new personal best.

"The exciting thing is that Claire was far from perfect today, but that was still good enough to finish in fifth place and earn All-America honors for the third time in her career. We will give her some well-deserved time off, but her ceiling is still very high."

Throws Coach Drawl is also excited for Caspersen's future.

"I couldn't be more proud of the work and time Claire has put in this season," Drawl said. "She's been extremely focused and the most consistent I've seen her. It paid off. She was dialed in today and wanted a big throw.

"She threw a personal record on her second throw but we both knew she had more in the tank. On her fifth attempt she was in a great position for a huge throw, but the finish was just not quite right. Watching the potential she has makes me excited for next year to see what she can do."