Leading up to the 2013 Mason track & field season, we will be giving fans an opportunity to get to know a student-athlete on the team.

This week we talked with Cierra McGee as she gears up for his final season with the Patriots. Last season Cierra posted the top team time in both the 200m and 400m, finishing second in the 400m and third in the 200m at the CAA Championships. Additionally, she qualified for the ECAC Championships in both events and narrowly missed advancing to the third round of the 400m at the NCAA Championships. Cierra also helped lead the 4x400m relay to a CAA title, second-place finish at the ECAC Championships and an NCAA Outdoor Championship appearance. 

During the indoor season, Cierra had the top times on the team in the 200m, 300m, 400m and 500m and posted ECAC qualifying marks in the 200m, 400m and 500m. As a member of the 4x400m relay, she helped lead the squad to an ECAC Championship title.

Be sure to check back next week as we meet another Mason T&F athlete.

Vitals
Name: Cierra L. McGee   
Year in School: Graduate
Events: 400, 200, relays   
Nicknames: Cie or McGee

-What attracted you to Mason?
Mason has a ton of opportunities that no other school could offer me to balance out my academic and athletic needs.  Mason, arguably, has the best sprints coaching staff on the East Coast; being located near D.C. and other heavily economical cities enables students to be able to access a variety of financial and career opportunities that most universities and colleges cannot compete with.

-When did you start running track?
I started running track when I moved to Virginia in the summer of 2002.  I ran one summer of AAU in Virginia Beach, and then continued running during 7th and 8th grade.  I took a break from track and field because prior to it I was playing soccer, basketball and volleyball heavily. Soccer has always been that sport that I can't let go of, but after getting into a great academic program at my high school (Landstown of Virginia Beach), I began falling in love with track in field during the spring season of my sophomore year.  That was the year that I knew that track and field could really take me far and keep me a lot healthier than the other sports I was playing. So, I placed all of my dedication and passion into track and field from that season forward, 2003-current.

-What is your favorite thing about track?
My favorite thing about track and field is its diversity. There are so many different events to choose from; and the beauty of it is when you are "good" at more than one event, it just makes track and field that much more worth it and competitive.

-What track memory stands out the most for you? 
The track memory that stands out the most for me would have to be last spring season when my teammates and I made history at the NCAA East First Rounds meet in Jacksonville, Florida. We went into the 4x400m relay with confidence in our hearts, determination in our minds, and anxiety in our legs--ready and willing to do whatever it took to FINALLY place George Mason University's women's track and field athletes back on the national map.  The women's team, as a unit, had not had an appearance like last season for nearly a decade, if not more. It really humbled my heart and placed fire in my eyes because I know that God has even BIGGER successes in store for our women's team this year--collectively and individually!

-What is your major, and what are your plans after graduation?
I have been in the Sociology 5-year Honors Accelerated Program since the spring of 2011.  That means that I have been taking undergraduate & graduate courses simultaneously since spring 2011. Currently, I am in all graduate courses and will be graduating with my masters this May. After graduation, I am not sure what is "positively" in store for me. All I know is that I have a lot of options and different paths that I can take; but when that time comes, God will let me know what journey is meant for me to take, and that will be the one (if not more) that I will select.

-What are your goals for the upcoming season?
I really am not that type of person that likes to "announce" my goals because pretty much everything I do is set in a private setting amongst me, my teammates, and coaches. I just go out there and compete and try my best to influence my teammates to do the same. You can never fail if you simply give it your all and compete.

-What does your typical off-season training consist of?
During off-season, I usually just relax. I work a lot during the summer to save up for things that I may want to accomplish during the school year or something like that. I just try not to focus too much on running and stuff, so I may play a little soccer, work, and try and take a vacation or two.

-What is your favorite event to compete in and why?
My favorite event would have to be the 400m.  It is my favorite because it is the event that I have been blessed to actually see myself grow the most in. From being the first female athlete in middle school to run under a minute in the 400m, to progressing to dropping "at least" a second ever year in my time, I'd have to say, the strength and speed in the 400m I obtain every year aids a lot with my confidence, determination, motivation, and dedication with athletics, as well as with my academics and in my professional life.

-What was your biggest accomplishment last season?
My biggest accomplishment last season was coming back stronger and faster than I had left off, after missing a year of competition due to the surgery I had done on my knee in 2010.  Coming back had its ups and downs, and definitely played a toll on my confidence and paranoia; but at the end of the day, I utilized those anxieties and worries towards making last year the best year that I have ever had collegiately.

-You fell .02 shy of advancing to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 400m last season while running a personal-best time and third-best time in program history, how does that motivate you for this season?
Falling short of anything is always a motivator.  It naturally forces you to work harder and harder.  However, I know that everything happens for a reason, and last year was a year meant for me to get my "track legs" back, get back into the groove of competing, build my confidence, and push myself a little. I accomplished all of those things, plus helped get my teammates to the NCAA Nationals Meet. So, I could not have asked for a better year.  Last year was meant for the women's team as a whole, not for myself, and I respect and value that the most.

Quick Facts
-Who is your biggest role model?
My biggest role model is my father.

-What is your favorite food?
I absolutely LOVE Italian food.  It gives me the best feeling in the world before practice/competition. Plus, my tummy loves it too :)

-What is your favorite quote/saying?
"You have to do what you have to do, to get what you want to get, to be where you want to be in life." ~Cierra McGee

-Do you have any superstitions/pre-event rituals?
I say a good prayer, step on the line, and give it all I have. That is it pretty much it: nothing fancy. No music or anything like that. That stuff is mental distractions to me. I want to feel the authenticity of competition.

-Name one thing that people would be surprised to learn about you...
I haven't reached my limit athletically yet. I have much much more to offer to myself and the world...