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Queen Harrison has been arguably one of Virginia Tech's most successful athletes ever, regardless of sport. A three-time national champion at Virginia Tech, Harrison has proven that she can compete at a world class level. She got her chance to prove that at the IAAF World Track and Field Championships held in Moscow, Russia.
Harrison finished third in her semifinal heat, but qualified for the 100-meter hurdles final based on qualifying time. In the finals Harrison was overtaken out of the blocks by Brianna Rollins of the United States and Sally Pearson of Australia, both world class talents. Rollins would go on to win the event in a time of 12.44 seconds, with Pearson finishing right behind her with a time of 12.50, a seasonal best. Harrison had an average reaction time out of the blocks, reacting to the starting gun in .174 seconds.
Harrison made up for this average start as she effortlessly cruised over the hurdles, getting over and down with grace and speed. Harrison gained ground on the leaders as the race went along, but in the end didn't have the pure speed to keep up with Rollins. Harrison finished the race in 5th place in a time of 12.73 seconds. This isn't a bad result for Harrison who has been more known for her prowess at the 400-meter hurdles.
Harrison set the school record at Virginia Tech in the 400-meter hurdles, and competed in the 400-meter hurdles for the United States during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Harrison became the first Virginia Tech athlete to compete in the Olympics, and also made NCAA history by becoming the first woman to ever win both the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles titles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Track and field may not be the most popular sport, especially if you're coming here for your daily football fix, but Queen Harrison should make every Virginia Tech fan proud. She represented herself with class while she was at Virginia Tech, and has continued to be a great ambassador for the school on the global level.