By Jim Hague
Cierra Farquharson is more than just the premier runner on the fledgling Rutgers-Newark women’s cross country team. She is an aspiring poet, a writer who has already been featured in performance showcases in her hometown of Pleasantville, N.J.
“I love writing and I love writing poetry,” Farquharson said. “It’s a nice way for me to express my thoughts. Whenever I have an inspiration, I sit down and write. There are times that I feel like I was chosen to write other people’s stories and things that happen in their lives. It’s amazing how it all comes out.”
Farquharson is currently writing a new chapter in her life, serving as the first recruit that new Rutgers-Newark track coach Juan Edney brought to the school, since he took over as head coach earlier this year.
Edney’s good friend, Al Laws, was Farquharson’s coach at Pleasantville High School, a place that has produced hundreds of track and field standouts over the years. Edney and Laws grew up together in Philadelphia and Laws has been producing track prodigies for a long time.
“Al knows the kind of track coach I am,” Edney said. “He knows the kind of athlete I’m looking for.”
So when Laws told Edney that one of his former athletes was thinking about heading back home after an unsuccessful stay at Division I Eastern Michigan University, Edney was more than interested.
“I never saw Cierra run,” Edney admitted. “I only went on Al Laws’ word. I took him on his word that she was talented.”
Farquharson was considering an offer to attend Morgan State University in Baltimore, but was quickly sold on Rutgers-Newark, even though the track program at the school was in its infant stages.
“Coach Edney was the only reason why I came here,” Farquharson said. “Coach Laws said that I would be well taken care of at Rutgers by Coach Edney. They’re exactly like each other. They’re easy to get along with. It was a little strange coming to a place where the other runners really didn’t have experience. I knew we would have a tough time starting off and I’m not used to losing. I hate losing. So the whole idea of being the first one to come here was a little intimidating. It was a little strange.”
Farquharson also knew that she was going to be asked to run cross country in the fall, when she’s actually better suited to run sprints and middle distance races in indoor and outdoor track.
“It’s not my specialty,” Farquharson said. “I ran cross country as a senior in high school.”
But then, the course was 3.1 miles. Farquharson had no idea that the collegiate distance for women in cross country is 3.8 miles.
“I didn’t know that it was longer distance,” Farquharson said. “It was a big change for me. At the first meet, I saw the times and I got upset. I said, ‘My time is terrible,’ and I didn’t know why. Now, I know. I have to beat my brain that I have to improve my time.”
Farquharson said that she wanted to think that she was running cross country to get in shape for the indoor and outdoor seasons to come.
“But Coach Edney wants me to place,” Farquharson said. “I wish I could say that I’m just getting in shape. He’s demanding more out of me, but it’s helping me to get better in the long run.”
Edney knows that the lanky 5-10 Farquharson is better suited for the track.
“She is a 2:19 half miler and a :57 quarter miler,” Edney said. “She’s definitely a good athlete. It’s so hard to find female athletes who are willing to walk on and help the team. But Cierra has a lot of ability and she also has the ability to get others to come out. She’s been out there, trying to recruit other runners. She’s definitely the building block of this program and she definitely has the talent.”
Farquharson, a sophomore, has already made her mark, finishing as the Scarlet Raiders’ top placer in the school’s first two cross country meets in history.
Majoring in psychology, Farquharson is also an excellent student. She’s a Bloustein Scholar at Rutgers and was a member of the National Honor Society while attending Pleasantville.
She hopes to become a child psychologist someday.
“Where I grew up, I saw a lot of kids going down the wrong road,” Farquharson said. “I want to be able to help those children make the right decisions in life, that they don’t follow the same paths as the others who made mistakes.”
Farquharson has also fit in well with her role with the team and in her new surroundings.
“At first, it was a little bit of a culture shock,” Farquharson said. “I never saw so many races and cultures before. It really was a big difference coming here. When Coach Edney said that I was an important part of the program, it made me feel good and wanted. I don’t look at myself that way, of being that important. When the other girls come to ask for my advice, I just talk to them. That’s what I do. But when he says I’m a leader, it’s a little intimidating and scary.
Added Farquharson, “But I love it here. I love the school and I love the campus. I really feel like I’m fitting in.”
So much so that she’s bringing her writing skills to the Rutgers Poets Society, a group of poets who regularly gather on campus.
Maybe she’ll write a poem or two about her running experiences at her new school.
