Cianelli, in his eighth year in Blacksburg, first noticed these traits when he saw Harrison compete at Hermitage High School near Richmond.
At Hermitage, under head coach Walter Spain, Harrison was primarily involved in the long jump and the triple jump. She was a two-time Virginia AAA state champion, winning the outdoor long jump in 2004 and the indoor long jump one year later.
She claimed All-America honors during her junior year in the 4x200-meter relays, and helped her team win multiple district and regional championships during her four years.
She also showed her potential in the hurdles. Harrison had the 12th-best 300-meter hurdle time in the nation in 2006.
"Anyone that knows anything about our sport could see that she was very talented. There's a lot of talent out there in every sport, but few actually follow though to realize the talent they have. That's what sets Queen apart," Cianelli said.
He was also extremely impressed with her maturity and her outlook. This was something he discovered in his first-ever meeting with Harrison at her Richmond home.
"That really sold me from the sense that I knew that this was an individual that was very much goal-oriented," Cianelli said. "That she would work extremely hard, and would be a good fit for our program."
Harrison has her goals set in place. In the short term, she is focused on the indoor track season this winter as well as the outdoor season next spring.
In the long term, Harrison has an eye on the next Summer Olympics in London in 2012.
"It hit me when I was at the closing ceremonies and when they did the passing of the flag from Bejing to London," Harrison said, who's striving to compete in both the 400- and 100-meter hurdles. "When I saw that, I told myself, 'I want to be there. I want to see this again.'"
Harrison wants to make a return trip to the Olympics four years from now, but nothing may be able to match her return from Beijing on Aug. 27.
Harrison was greeted, for the first time in a decade, by her father -- released from prison on Aug. 6.
"I don't think I could put it into words," she said. "It was just the perfect ending to a great summer."
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