When you live your life 22 seconds at a time, things tend to go by pretty fast.

Just ask Consuella Moore.

You might know her as Connie -- the 11-time track-and-field All American who just finished her collegiate career as one of the most decorated athletes in any sport in Penn State history.

But on the track, when the P.A. announcer jubilantly calls out her name, it's Consuella. And for the past five years, the Chicago native has been rewriting the Penn State record books at a pace as fast as her record 200-meter time of 22.45 that won this year's East Regional.

Fast? No doubt. But when you're a sprinter, time is relative. An entire collegiate career can seem like a 200-meter dash.

"It did go by fast -- even for five years it still went fast," Moore said. "I remember moving in as a freshman with my dad moving stuff and people yelling at us for blocking the door. Seems like last weekend."

But now the sprint is over and it's already time to warm up for the next one. The starter signal on Moore's professional career sounded last Tuesday when Penn State announced that she signed a three-year contract with Nike. Moore said that getting a sponsorship was a lot like being recruited by a college.

But Nike didn't exactly have to bang down the door.

"When I found out Nike sponsored athletes, I had my fingers crossed that they would pick me up," Moore said with a laugh. "I'm not an adidas girl. I'm not a Reebok girl."

Moore became the first women's track and field athlete in Penn State history to turn professional, a deal that includes perks of travel expenses, financial support and a yearly stipend for Nike merchandise.

As Moore leaves for Sacramento, Calif., tomorrow morning to prepare for the U.S. Olympic Trials that start Friday, she'll be competing for Nike instead of Penn State. She'll be competing in the 100- and 200-meter dashes as well as the 4 x 100 relay.

For Moore, the Olympics represent a goal that has been in her sights for a while now. Despite that her shot at the sport's grandest stage is less than a week away, the collegiate star is rather calm.

"I've been relaxed," Moore said. "There's not a lot of tension. The only anxiety now is getting out on the track in Sacramento. It's what I've been training for since September. It's always been a dream."

Her contract with Nike doesn't mean that her affiliation with the university and the team will be ending, though. Collegiate squads are allowed three volunteer coaches on their staffs, all of whom are unpaid but are allowed to train with the team. Moore will stay in Happy Valley for the near future as one of Penn State's volunteer coaches.

And head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan couldn't be happier. Alford-Sullivan said that the volunteering stint will help Moore with her future as a coach, something Moore said she has an interest in after her competitive days are over.

Moore said that current Penn State assistant coach Jeff McAuley, who works directly with the sprinters, has been an inspiration to her and is her model for the type of coach she would like to be.

McAuley has no doubt that Moore will become a premier coach.

"She's going to be one of the best coaches in the country," McAuley said without hesitation. "She's got a fantastic rapport with athletes and she has a great mind. She's got all the tools. There are certain people you just know are going to be successful, and she has all the potential in the world."

The Nittany Lions have raked in some top recruiting classes in the past few years, and according to McAuley, a big asset for Moore as a volunteer coach will be her effect on the talented underclassmen.

"She gives them a role model and somebody that has been to the upper levels of this sport," McAuley said. "Someone who is a world class athlete and understands what it means to be successful."

And for someone as prominent athletically as Moore, it's not surprising to learn that her aspirations after competing are equally as impressive.

"I like to work with people," she said. "When I'm done [competing], hopefully I can get a job as a coach and then work in administration. Athletic director, associate A.D. -- I want to be hands on with all sports and be involved. I can't get away from sports. I can't see myself going to a job and just doing paperwork."

It's unclear how long Moore will stay on as a volunteer coach, but it's safe to say that she has enjoyed her time in the area.

"It's been a very important five years for me here," Moore said. "It's changed me for the better. It's made me more diverse, more open-minded and helped me to appreciate things and meet new people."

After all, some of the most memorable moments of her life will have come from running at Penn State and over the course of her collegiate career. Moore said that there wasn't a particular moment of her time at Penn State that really jumps out -- there certainly have been many that would qualify.

Like earlier this year at the Mt. Sac Relays, when Moore won the 200-meter over a field that featured five-time Olympian Marion Jones.

"That was exciting from the standpoint that I ran a great race, competing against a great field," Moore said. "It was really exciting when I came back to Penn State and a lot more people knew me. Like, 'That's the girl who beat Marion Jones,' so that was a little weird. I still kind of get goosebumps from that race."

It's hard to measure exactly how large Moore's mark on Penn State women's track will be, but it's no coincidence that the program's rise has occurred during her career. As the program's architect, Alford-Sullivan is probably in the best position to describe what Moore has meant to Penn State.

"She has just been the instrumental component in the progress of this team," she said. "A coaching staff can have all the vision and drive, but you need the athletes. And for five years she stepped up and competed hard."