Priscilla Jennings loves to run fast and hopes her need for speed will lead to a first-place finish this week in California.

Jennings, a Solanco High graduate and Millersville University junior, is headed to the NCAA Division II track and field championships, which are hosted by Cal Poly Pomona but held at Mount San Antonio College's stadium near Los Angeles.

She will run in the 5,000 meters, in which she is ranked third in the country with a time of 16:54.82. The trials will be held Friday and the finals Saturday.

The race will be the culmination of a successful season that saw her break a 16-year-old PSAC meet record in 800 meters and run NCAA qualifying times in the 1,500 and 3,000 meters.

Her finish in the 800 at the PSAC championships in early May at Indiana (Pa.) University beat her previous best time by nearly two seconds. She said it was amazing to win that race this year, as the field was so stacked. Her time of 2:10.22 beat the old meet record by .01 of a second. She accomplished this by running negative splits, with her second lap faster than the first.

"She was two seconds back after the first lap and still broke the record," MU head coach Andy Young said. "She never even ran close to this time before that meet."

"I am so happy and grateful just to have this chance to run at the NCAA event," Jennings, who first participated in an NCAA track championship last year in North Carolina. "It would be awesome if I could win."

Jennings, 21, was the co-Track Athlete of the Meet at the PSAC championships.

She ran her NCAA qualifying time April 24 at the Penn Relays. She was the top collegiate finisher in the Olympic Development race, topping Division I runners.

She not only beat the automatic qualifying time by 17 seconds, but she shattered the school record by more than 20 seconds.

Young said he could have run Jennings in a variety of events at the national meet, but decided to focus on the one where she has the best chance of winning.

"No one speed-wise [for the 5,000] is faster than her in the country," he said. "She has shown me a lot of strength this year and could definitely win the race."

The two runners ranked ahead of Jennings, Loice Cheboi of Abilene Christian and Tanya Gaurmer of Adams State, are both running another long-distance event and might be tired for the 5K.

"These girls have times that are not any faster than Priscilla and have another event to run," said Young, who is in his second year at Millersville. "I think this will work to her advantage."

The 5K was a new event for Jennings this year. She had always run shorter distances in the past, but tried the 5,000 at the suggestion of Young.

"I had always run the 800 and mile in high school and my first two years of college," Jennings said. "I finally agreed to try the longer distance and really like it. I think I will stick with it."

A total of 19 girls from 16 schools will compete in the 12½-lap race. Young said the strategy for Jennings will be to go near the front early, and use her closing speed to pull away at the end.

"No one can out-kick her at the end of a race," Young said.

Jennings, who is majoring in elementary and early childhood education, overcame a knee injury in the fall that forced her to miss the cross-country season. Despite being out for three months, she came back and started running the best times of her life, something she attributed to her training.

"In high school, I had a good coach but it did not come together," she said. "This past summer, I upped my mileage, and competed in one meet a week rather than the two I did in high school. Fewer meets and better training allowed everything to come together for me."

Despite Jennings' strength in the middle distances, Young says he sees a future for her in the longer events.

"I see her competing in the 3, 5 and 10K," he said. "I need to get her to move up to that longer distance next year so I can see how she does."

 This was news to Jennings, who said she sees herself sticking to shorter distances.

"I will do cross country next year, see how that goes and maybe run the 1,500 and 3,000 next year," she said.