BATON ROUGE, La. -- As soon as Michigan freshman Alan Webb finished his 1,500 meter heat Thursday, he put on an Olympic T-shirt.

Webb -- the teen-age hope for ending years of U.S. mediocrity in international middle distance competition -- said that is the way his priorities shape up right now.

"That's my long-term goal, definitely,'' Webb said. "But being a freshman and being at the NCAA Championships is a huge accomplishment in itself.''

The 19-year-old is following a dazzling prep career -- during which he broke the 36-year-old high school mile record set by Jim Ryun -- with a solid start at Michigan.

Webb became the first Wolverines freshman since 1994 to claim a Big Ten Conference title when he won the 1,500, and only the third person in school history to win the 1,500 at the Big Ten outdoor meet.

In the 1,500 semifinals Thursday, Webb pushed from the middle of the pack to finish third in his heat, sixth overall, in 3 minutes, 45.14 seconds and qualify for Saturday's finals.

"I felt comfortable the whole way,'' Webb said. "And I did what I wanted to do, made the finals. It was a little closer than I'd like, but I saved some up for Saturday.''

Webb, who set the American high school mile record at 3:53.43 at last year's Prefontaine Classic, has sparked speculation that he might leave Michigan to turn pro, a rare move for a U.S. middle distance runner.

With his high school records, Webb is considered competitive enough and marketable enough to make such a move. It is not his highest priority, however.

"People talk,'' Webb said. "They can say what they want. I know what's in my mind.''

The decision, Webb joked, will be made sometime within the next five years, when his eligibility runs out.

"I'm not thinking about it that much,'' he said.

Webb has had enough to think about with the demands of cross country in the fall, indoor track in the winter and outdoor track in the spring, plus his class work at Michigan. It's tiring, he admits, but that doesn't worry him.

"It's a little bit draining, but I feel like the next few months I don't have school so I can chill out and running is No. 1,'' Webb said. "I don't have anything to worry about and I can concentrate 100 percent on training.''

Webb could probably earn $100,000 or more a year if he did turn professional. But Michigan coach Ron Warhurst has said that as good as Webb is, he can improve if he remains in college.

"I know I'm not the perfect runner,'' Webb said. "But right now I feel confident enough to say that there aren't really a lot of things wrong with my running. I feel like I can compete with anybody.''