Timber Creek’s Ryan Jennings made history with her 100-meter dash. At New Balance Nationals, she goes for a title

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fastest of them all?

When it comes to Timber Creek High track star Ryan Jennings, there’s only one right answer.

But before the junior sprinter ran the fastest 100-meter dash (11.33 seconds) in New Jersey history May 31 at Group 3 sectionals at Delsea, Jennings was a freshman who doubted her ability.

“Because I felt like there were so many other people out there who were running faster, built better, and their thought process was better than mine,” Jennings said.

On Friday at Franklin Field, Jennings finished seventh in the 100-meter dash semifinal to narrowly miss qualifying for the final at New Balance Nationals Outdoor.

It was after her record-breaking performance in May, though, that her father, Jamar, started asking, “Who’s the greatest?”

Sometimes it comes in a random text throughout the day, or it’s the way they end each phone conversation. No matter what, there is only one acceptable answer.

» READ MORE: Philly Girls High School Live offers a platform to showcase girls’ basketball as the women’s game grows

“I have to text back, ‘I’m the greatest,’ because he wants to make sure that I’m always A1,” Jennings said. “That I’m always looking into the mirror knowing it’s just me against me.”

It’s not that Jennings has never known success.

Jamar explained that his daughter has won everything she ever competed for, including acting roles in movies, cheerleading competitions, and middle school track events.

When it came to high school track, however, Jennings wasn’t convinced that her success would continue.

But it did. She made the varsity team as a freshman and showed promise as a sophomore.

This season, her confidence was buoyed in May after Puma’s East Coast Invitational, where, out of more than 200 competitors, Jennings finished No. 12 in the 100 (12.25 seconds) and No. 10 in the 200 meters (24.98 seconds).

“So being able to run against girls who are the top in their state and top in the country, and knowing that I placed very well for my age,” Jennings said, “it felt like if I can do this, I can go against anybody, if I just have the right mindset.”

In addition to her father, Jennings said her personal track coach, Kevin Francis, has helped improved her mental approach.

» READ MORE: How these ‘track sisters’ became two of Episcopal Academy’s most decorated athletes

It also helps to have Timber Creek senior Naylah Jones, who will run at Rutgers next season, as a mentor.

“I love that they’re teammates,” Jamar said. “They push each other every single day.”

In fact, when Jennings broke the state record in May, Jones did as well (11.38), besting Willingboro’s Michelle Glover, who, according to the South Jersey Track Blog, ran 11.42 in 1981.

Jennings also praised her stepfather Harry Graham and her mother, Kelly, whose footsteps Jennings is following in acting and high school track.

“Both of my parents and stepdad,” she said, “completely have my back. … They built me to realize [my worth]. Basically, they hold me up so that even if I fall, I can still catch myself by myself.”

Her father took it a step further.

“The most important thing,” Jamar said, “is that Ryan is the star of the story. Her coaches are the visionaries. But there is a hero in the story and that’s her mom. She’s the one who gives her ice baths when her body hurts or takes her to the chiropractor or helps her roll out of bed when she doesn’t want to. She’s the one that makes sure she maintains her 3.2 GPA. She’s the one driving state to state, picking her up after practice. I give 110% of the accolades to her mother. God knew that when he was making an elite athlete that he had to give her an elite mother, and that’s why he chose who he chose.”