By Jim Hague
Tauqeer Qazi didn’t want to think that his track and field career was over.
But after he tried out for the Rutgers University cross country team last fall and was told that the Scarlet Knight program didn’t have room for him, Qazi, a former standout runner at McNair Academic High School in Jersey City, was convinced that his running days were through.
“I went there for the fall semester,” said Qazi, who won two NJSIAA state sectional championships for McNair Academic during his career. “I tried out for the team and was told that the person with the best time would make the team. I ran the fastest time and then I was told that there were no available spots on the team. It was pretty disappointing. I thought that I would never run again.”
Qazi, a standout student at McNair, one of the best academic public schools in the state, was hoping to major in chemistry with the eventual plan of heading to medical school in the future. With academics being a priority, Qazi was relinquished to the idea that his athletic career had come to a sudden end because of the academic limitations attending Rutgers.
However, there was another option for Qazi – namely Rutgers-Newark.
During the semester break, Marquis Alvaradous, one of Qazi’s former teammates at McNair, called Qazi and asked how he was doing. When Qazi told Alvaradous about his troubles in New Brunswick, Alvaradous told Qazi about the fledgling track program at Rutgers-Newark.
Qazi was also in contact with his summer coach, Fred Williams, the coach at University Charter in Jersey City, who was also singing the praises of the Scarlet Raider program.
“I immediately contacted the coach (Juan Edney) and did the school transfer form that night,” Qazi said.
“Tauqeer basically fell in our lap,” Edney said. “We knew that he wanted to run. I spoke with his high school coach (Matt Hogan) and I knew that he had a lot of potential. I knew he was accomplished on the high school level. I knew that he could be a help to us.”
Qazi was excited about getting the opportunity to compete on the collegiate level.
“It was just like a gift for me,” Qazi said. “I was getting another shot. My first reaction was that I was going to a coach (Edney) who was an 11-time All-American.”
It didn’t take long for Edney to get his hands on Qazi after he transferred to R-N to begin the spring semester.
“With Tauqeer, the sky’s the limit,” Edney said. “He has the potential to be a very good runner. But when he runs, he holds back a little. We’ve talked about it. I don’t know why. He has to bring it every night. He can’t take days off and still win. I’m trying to explain that to him. I’m constantly on him. He doesn’t even know why he takes off a little.”
Edney said that Qazi told him that his idol is Steve Prefontaine, the late distance runner from the University of Oregon who was immortalized in two recent movies, “Prefontaine” and “Without Limits.”
“I then told Tauqeer that he has to try to model himself after Prefontaine,” Edney said.
“Pre went hard every single day. That’s what I’m trying to get Tauqeer to understand every day. He’s getting better, but he still doesn’t believe that he can do it. I think it’s because he’s never been pushed before. I think he’s still learning about college running. He has to stay focused and believe in himself. He has untapped potential. I just don’t think he realizes it.”
Because he’s such a cerebral person, Qazi has embraced the mental aspect of college running.
“Training with Coach Edney has been amazing,” Qazi said. “He’s one of the best coaches ever. I never thought I would be able to have so much speed. I’m training mostly for mentality now and I like the mental aspect of it. He’s making me believe in myself and tells me that I should be able to do better. Plus, I’m now running with runners who are better than me, so I have to push myself. I think we push each other.”
A native of Pakistan, Qazi became a runner during his high school days in Jersey City. Qazi developed as a runner so much that he was able to earn All-Group I and All-Hudson County honors in cross country, indoor and outdoor track. Last spring, he was the most honored male runner in the entire county.
But Qazi’s finding out that college life is much different.
“It’s the best thing that could happen to me,” Qazi said. “The season has just started. I’m still learning what I have to do. I really thought that it could be over. I didn’t know what my life would be like if I wasn’t running. When I was in New Brunswick, I didn’t run for three months straight. Right now, I don’t have the strength that I should have. If I ran in the three months I was away, I’d have 500-750 miles logged in and I would be better. So I have to catch up.
Added Qazi, “But it’s working out for the best. Coach Edney is making me believe in myself. That’s the biggest key.”
Qazi will run the 800 and 1,500 meters for the Scarlet Raiders this spring. He’s running 2:01 in the 800-meters and has clocked 4:16 in the 1,500, so the results are there already.
“I just don’t think he believes in himself and that’s what I do,” Edney said. “I’m just getting them ready to succeed. He has to see what he has, has to believe in himself. It’s all part of the learning process for him. Once he gets it inside his head that he’s going to be good, he’s going to be something special. I’m just waiting for it to click.”
