Two years ago, when the Rutgers-Newark women's track and field coaches put on their pith helmets and went excavating – make that recruiting – for prospective student/athletes, they found a real gem, a true pearl of a hurdler, namely Pearl Oparebea.
 
Oparebea was a self-taught hurdler out of Edison High School.
 
"We didn't have a hurdling coach," Oparebea states. "So I basically taught myself. I asked other hurdlers what they did, but I figured it all out on my own. Whatever leg goes out, then that's your front leg. I learned it with a lot of hard work."
 
Oparebea showed a lot of promise and caught the eye of Rutgers-Newark head track and field coach Juan Edney.
 
"She set her school record in the 60-meter hurdles and her school has a good reputation," Edney said. "I was in need of a hurdler."
 
At the time, R-N assistant coach Veronica Harris was a teacher at Edison.
 
"That obviously helps big time," Edney said. "It makes it easier to see kids. You could see right away that she was a three-step hurdler. I also met her mother and she was a nice lady. Pearl said that they were a church-going family."
 
Oparebea said that she was always interested in Rutgers – but flirted with the idea of heading to the big Rutgers right outside her Edison front door.
 
"But I didn't like that big school environment," Oparebea said. "I didn't want to take shuttle buses to classes. I wanted to run track in college, so Rutgers-Newark made sense."
 
When Oparebea went for her official visit to R-N, she was quickly enthralled.
 
"It felt like a family," Oparebea said. "It was the kind of environment I wanted to be around."
But there was some adversity to begin with.
 
"Freshman year was a struggle," Edney said. "She had asthma and had to deal with that. She also needed to get stronger."
 
As required by Edney, all prospective track and field athletes have to participate in cross country in the fall. Oparebea took to cross country well.
 
"She ran some of our best times in cross country," Edney said. "That's when she started to take off."
 
"Cross country wasn't a requirement in high school," Oparebea said. "But I got better at it. I dropped five seconds off my PR (personal record). But I'm still a hurdler."
 
That's for sure.
 
"She's taken it to another level," Edney said.
 
Oparebea broke the school record for the 60-meter hurdles. She was second place all-time, but broke teammate Vicky Molokwu's record with a time of 9:36. The old record was 9:50.
 
Oparebea's time of 9:36 currently ranks her 17^th in the nation among NCAA Division III hurdlers.
 
Oparebea credits the assistance of respected R-N assistant coach Bruce Berry, who was the long-time head coach at Elizabeth High School and also spent time as an assistant at Clemson University during his illustrious career.
 
"Coach Berry helped me a lot," Oparebea said. "It's like I had to learn how to hurdle all over again, but it changed me for the better. I'm now ranked 17^th in the nation. I'm pretty amazed by that."
 
Oparebea said that her confidence level has helped her perform.
 
"That took a lot of hard work," Oparebea said. "In the beginning, I used to get so nervous that I was shaking right before a race. Now, I'm confident. I get to the line and I know what I want to do. It's a big difference."
 
"She's understanding it more and more," Edney said. "I want her to be aggressive out of the blocks. Coach Berry has her going good right now. But we have high expectations for Pearl. We want to have her take a leap into the elite hurdlers."
 
Oparebea is also contributing in the Scarlet Raiders' relay events, like the 4x200-meter relay.
"She ran a 26 flat leg in the 4x2," Edney said. "That was on a tight indoor track. She's really coming into her own."
 
Oparebea also competes in the 4x400-meter relay, the 4x800-meter relay and the 200-meter dash. She definitely keeps a busy schedule.
 
"I think it all helps me hurdle," Oparebea said. "It helps with my strength and endurance."
Edney has high hopes for his talented sophomore.
 
"I think she's going to be one hell of a hurdler," Edney said. "I feel like she can become an All-American. She has the ability. She just needs to believe in herself and get a little more aggressive. I think she's a little too passive."
 
Edney likes what Oparebea brings to the table.
 
"She's very respectful," Edney said. "She pays attention. She's a hard worker. Sometimes, she allows little things to creep into her brain and thinks too much, but she's been a big plus to our program."
 
Oparebea is also a very good student, majoring in biology with the hope of studying pediatric medicine one day.
 
Needless to say, Oparebea is having the time of her life at R-N.

"I love it," Oparebea said. "I love the people around here, the cultural diversity. I love the morning practices, waking up at 6:30 a.m. to go run. It can only get better from here. I know I can improve if I get a little stronger."
 
But did Oparebea expect this kind of success so soon?
 
"No, I didn't," Oparebea said. "It's all happened so quickly."
 
And yes, sometimes, when you dive into the waters of competitive track and field, you sometimes find a Pearl.