GREAT Britain star Vicky Gill is making a big impact in America this season as she comes towards the end of her two-year spell at Florida State University.

The 22-year-old Chorley Harrier heads her college's 2003 rankings in three events, the 1500m, 5,000m and 10,000m. Her latest success came on Saturday at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships in Raleigh, North Carolina where she set a PB 4:20.25 for fourth in the 1500m, and just two hours later she finished second in the 5,000m.

The winner set a new Championship Record while Vicky's 16:02.36 was also inside the old mark.

"I felt good at the start and end but fought hard in the middle through a brief rough spell," Vicky said.

"All in all it was a decent race."

Vicky had already lowered her best time for 5km under the 16 minute mark, clocking 15:58.99 in the Snowbird Invitational on March 14, a home meet held at Tallahassee, Florida. Even more impressive is the improvement she has made to her 10,000m time.

The longer distances are her forte and her 100-mile a week training regime is geared to that end.

Prior to her time spent in Florida, excessive training on the roads had taken its toll and at one stage she was running with four undiagnosed stress fractures in her legs.

Last year her problems cleared up and she qualified for the Commonwealth Games Trials in Manchester by breaking the 34 minute barrier for 10,000m.

With another injury free season behind her she has lowered her PB from 33:59.67 to 33:14.98 which she set at the Stanford Invitation Meeting in Palo Alto, California on March 28.

With that form she can anticipate adding to her two Great Britain vests, both won in Ekiden Relays where the marathon distance is run in stages.

The climax of the year is the Nationals and for the rest of the season she will be concentrating on 10km-specific work, although in the Championships she might be tempted to run in the 5km too.

However, this week she is flying out to the Penn Relays to run a one mile stage.

"I am excited about this race because it is a big televised meet," she said.

Vicky's two-year scholarship finishes at the end of May and she will be back home for the summer, but she is hoping to return to the States. She is keeping her fingers crossed that her track exploits will win her an invitation to extend her stay.

In the meantime she is making the most of her new environment. Last month she got the chance to run across the Golden Gate Bridge, which she described as "awesome".