Being a student at Princeton University, Ashley Higginson has learned many things — one of which is to set priorities for the things that matter most to you.

Higginson, a former Colts Neck High School champion runner, has learned just how passionate she is about running and what it means to her.

Having taken the big jump to nationalcaliber runner, she is now looking at a running career that will continue after she graduates from Princeton in 2011. She would liked to get a shot at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials.

“I’d really love to give it a shot,” she said. “Nothing is promised. It would be wonderful to get the opportunity.”

Right now, Higginson’s running has to take a back seat to the classroom and other responsibilities that go with being a Princeton student. The rising senior is a political science major who plans to go to law school.

Having gone from being a good Ivy League runner to an All-American, Higginson is more determined than ever to see how far she can take her running career. Her accomplishments have her thinking about what she could do if she was able to be totally focused on her running, instead of juggling training around classroom projects. It will take that kind of commitment after her graduation to get to the Olympic Trials.

The 2009-10 college season was a breakout year for Higginson, culminating in her third-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA Championships, earning her first collegiate All-America certificate. She ran the third fastest time in the country (9:52.73) at the NCAA meet, breaking her own school and Ivy League records.

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