Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.Nebraska runner Ashley Miller is putting her coaches in quite a quandary.
The senior from Tipton, Iowa, has done so well in every event she's competed in this winter that distance coach Dave Harris said they'll have a hard time deciding which events to enter her in at the Big Ten track and field indoor championships Feb. 24 and 25 in Lincoln.
He expects to hold lots of strategy sessions the next few weeks to decide what's best for Miller and for the team.
"She's one of the most versatile runners in the United States right now,'' Harris said. "She's one of the few women who has got a ranking in the 800 and the 3,000 meters. She can really do it all.''
Miller is undefeated in four races and Harris doesn't see her losing in the mile this weekend when NU hosts the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational at the Devaney Center. Twelve other Division I teams will be competing, starting at noon Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday.
Miller is ranked 18th nationally in the 800 with a time of 2:08.26 and 24th in the 3,000 at 9:21.59.
Her 3,000 time is the second-best all time in program history, for which Miller earned her first Big Ten athlete of the week award. Last weekend, Miller finished ninth all time on the NU charts in the 800.
Years of training have allowed Miller, who won 15 individual titles in track in high school, to develop her endurance and speed. She said her cardiovascular base is the best it's ever been, thanks to putting in about 60 miles a week in the summer to get ready for cross country.
"I feel strong,'' she said. "It's kind of carrying over into all my races this year.''
Although she competed in four sports in high school and was a standout basketball player, track has always been Miller's favorite.
Her father Darren, who works in the athletic department at the University of Iowa, used to be the sports editor for the local paper. He would cover local meets, and Miller said she loved to watch the older girls compete.
"I've just always had a passion for running and was always the most successful in track,'' she said. "It doesn't hurt to love something more when you are better at it.''
She developed a competitive streak playing all those sports and said she thrives on the comeback victory.
That hasn't been an issue this season, though, because she's led in every event.
This weekend Miller will compete in the mile, one of her favorite races. She ran the event in the season's opening meet and timed in at 4:47.30, a personal record and 10th all-time school record.
"I really like the strategy involved,'' she said. "It's really just a gutsy race. I like that last 400 when you are really tired and you find that next gear to bring it home.''
Last spring, Miller won the Big 12 1,500 title, which she said is called metric mile, and was 11th at nationals to earn second-team All-America honors. She said earning that honor was a big stepping stone and gave her a lot of confidence.
She'd like to repeat that success both indoors and outdoors and then think about qualifying for the Olympic Trials. With her best of 4:18.53, she's just a second off the qualifying time in the 1,500, even though she'd like to get that time closer to 4:10.
Until then, Miller said she'll concentrate on chasing personal bests and making things difficult for her coaches.
Based on what he's seen of the Big Ten championship schedule, Harris said Miller could run the mile, the distance medley relay and the 3,000 over the two days — a difficult triple. He doesn't want to tire her out and not have her do well in any of the races.
"I don't know if we can ask her to do that,'' he said. "That's the good thing. That's the good problem we have.''
Contact the writer:
402-444-1034, marjie.ducey@owh.com
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