Heidi Baerenwald Freshman

MARIETTA, Ohio - Heidi Baerenwald may only be in her first year of collegiate track and field, but the freshman from Appleton, Wis. proved on Saturday that she can compete with anyone. As the only representative from Ripon College at this weekend's 2009 Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Baerenwald finished third in the shot put with a school record throw of 46-06.75, which earns her honors as a 2009 All-American.

Baerenwald's third-place throw was five feet off the pace of the winner of the event and eight inches behind the second place competitor. Baerenwald recorded the top throw of any Wisconsin athlete in the shot put at Nationals, while also throwing further than anyone from the Midwest Conference. She was the only freshman to qualify for the finals on Saturday.

Her throw breaks Ripon's previous mark, which was set by Baerenwald earlier this year, by eleven inches. During the outdoor season, Baerenwald finished in the top three in all eight of the meets she competed, including six first-place finishes.