When Mycaiah Clemons cleared the last hurdle en route to her victory in the 100-meter hurdles at the Big East Championships May 3, it looked like the icing for her breakout senior season.

For Clemons, though, it was just another step in her journey to national success.

"It's a satisfying feeling," Clemons (who pronounces her first name Mah-kay-ah) said about her second Big East Championship this season, the first two of her career.

"I always tell myself it has been a long time coming and that I deserve it. It was a big and small stepping stone -- big because I won, but small compared to what I really want to accomplish."

Clemons has a list of goals. Big East Track athlete of the week: double check, once Feb. 19 after qualifying for the Eastern College Athletic Conference indoor championships in the 60-meter hurdles, then again April 8 after hitting the outdoor NCAA qualifying standard in the 100-meter hurdles. Postseason competition: another double check from the indoor and outdoor campaigns. But there is one collegiate goal left to achieve: compete in the national championships.

She came close during the indoor season, winning the postseason ECAC championship in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.41 seconds. There was one hitch -- Clemons did not hit the 8.14 mark which would have given her an automatic bid to NCAA championships.

Clemons did not let this throw her off course. She continued her success on the outdoor track and has qualified for the NCAA East regionals Friday and Saturday in the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles.

Alonzo Webb, Pitt's head coach and Clemons' coach from when she was 5, believes she has a chance to hurdle the final obstacle.

"The east is one of the toughest if not the toughest region," said Webb, who thinks Clemons' best chance is in the 100 hurdles. "It will be a battle to get out of the region. I think she thrives on competition. Coming so close in indoor and knowing that this is her last opportunity, she will do everything she can."

Clemons echoed her coach's thoughts.

"I would give myself an 85 percent chance of making nationals," she said. "I surprise myself when I least expect it. If I run a clean race, stay aggressive and only concentrate on my race and not my competition, hands down, I'll make it. If I let my nerves get to me, I will struggle."

Struggles are something Clemons has learned to take in stride. After growing up under the watchful eye of Webb, who Clemons laughingly refers to as a distant uncle, she decided she wanted to spread her wings after her graduation from Valley High School. As one of the top hurdlers in the state, she had her pick of programs and chose Virginia Tech. Instead of being liberated by her new-found freedom, Clemons was hindered by the lack of familiarity.

"At the time, I was young-minded and didn't think everything through the whole way," she said of her college choice. "It was a really hard adjustment, and I had complications with the coaches. We trained really differently than I had in high school, and I did not feel like I would progress in these four years like I wanted."

Luckily for Clemons, Webb welcomed her with open arms in time for her sophomore season. And this year, she finally had the success he has seen coming since she laced up her running shoes for the first time 17 years ago.

"Sooner or later, I knew we would get these types of performances," Webb said of Clemons' winning ways this season. "I expected these results sooner. Her confidence wasn't there before. Now, she is older, mature and has more confidence."