[1] Huber attended Concord High School where she began running as conditioning for field hockey.

[1] Concord's coach, Joe McNichol, recalled seeing Huber as "el Caballo", a reference to Alberto Juantorena, a Cuban Olympic champion.

[3] After graduating from high school, Huber attended Villanova University, where she continued her running career.

[1] At the time, Villanova coach Marty Stern thought that Huber "was a wimp" and hoped "she'd leave and go home.

[7][9] At the NCAA outdoor track and field championships, Huber successfully defended her title in the 3000 meters, finishing in a collegiate-record time of 8:47.35.

[1][7] She ran a competitive race, taking the lead with 800 meters left, but she ended up eight seconds out of medal position.

[1][7] Rather than go to Europe and run professionally during the summer, which would have ended her collegiate eligibility, Huber decided to return to Villanova for one final cross country season.

[4] In the last race of her collegiate career, Huber won the NCAA cross country championship and led Villanova to a team title.

[18] She had some success, however, finishing fourth at the 1992 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and setting an American road record for the 5K.

[19] Despite this, he asked her if she wanted to run in the 1500 meters, and with the encouragement of a friend, Huber decided to attempt to qualify in that race.