She has set a number of school records and returned old glory to a school that has already seen storied success in track and field. Apart from her longs legs and a perpetual smile, she looks like any other student on campus, but she’s not quite an average student.

Ashley Spencer is the reigning 400-meter NCAA champion and IAAF world junior champion, a four-time individual Big Ten champion with just a season and a half of collegiate track beneath her belt.

Even with the whirlwind of success she has encountered, Spencer has tried to manage her expectations on the track without settling for mediocrity.

“It has all been a complete surprise for me,” Spencer said. “I was recruited as a hurdler, so I was still new to the sprints but coach (Tonja Buford-Bailey) saw something better as a sprinter. She saw a certain quickness that I possessed. The only thing I focused on when I got down here was just to score at Big Tens. I was hoping that maybe I’d qualify for nationals, but I had no idea. I think I just ran scared and that was why I won.”

After clinching the Big Ten Freshman and Athlete of the Year awards last spring, Spencer joined the USA junior team at the IAAF junior world championship and earned a gold medal in the 400 and 1600-meter relay. As an athlete that hopes to compete for the country on the world and Olympic stages, Spencer has benefited from having a three-time Olympian and medalist as her coach.

“It’s easier for you to learn when your coach has been exactly where you want to be and has done what you want to do,” Spencer said. “Before I came to Illinois, I researched (Buford-Bailey). We ran similar events and just considering her four-year stint at Illinois and not considering her professional career was impressive enough. She’s very easy to talk to and she’s like my mom away from my mom, and that helps a lot.”

The success early in her collegiate career has thrust her into an unfamiliar role. Spencer has had to take on the mantle as team leader for a burgeoning Illinois track and field team.

Her teammates have found Spencer to be a very good resource to their personal development. Freshman sprinter Morolake Akinosun said Spencer helped her with adjusting through her first semester. She talked her through the balancing act of education, social interaction and athletics in college, and how to excel on all frontiers.

“She does what she can in and out of practice, and when you need a little motivation or just a smile, she tries to provide that.” Akinosun said.

Spencer has enjoyed a lot of victories but has also seen the pressure mount on her to perform better each time out. She has found different mechanisms to cope with that. She tries to remain lighthearted throughout her day and in practice, even on days where it’s difficult to.

“I work hard and practice hard so that the pressure doesn’t affect me,” Spencer said. “I believe that how you practice is how you perform so I try to go through the motions. I wore a headband for my indoor Big Ten finals last year, and I wear it for every final since. Apart from that, I just say a little prayer to myself while I’m in the blocks and try to clear my mind.”

Spencer has set out on a promising journey in the track, and it will be interesting to see where it leads. Buford-Bailey said the potential of a professional career had a lot of influence on Spencer’s decision to join Illinois. Buford-Bailey has maintained it will be a daunting task but she is sure Spencer is up to the challenge of competing against the best in the world.

“As far as the collegiate level, (Spencer) is better than I was as a sophomore,” Buford-Bailey said. “I think the post-collegiate part is going to depend on her discipline and how she takes care of her body. While that remains to be seen, she has shown herself to be a great teammate and selfless leader, and those are the little characteristics that roll over into having long-term success and longevity.”

Lanre can be reached at [email protected] and @WriterLanre.