Lewis Alumna Feature: Cierra Pulliam '19

When you look at all that Cierra Pulliam ’19 has achieved, there is no doubt that she is destined for greatness. In fact, her success as a collegiate athlete on the Lewis University Track & Field team motivated her to pursue one of her biggest dreams – the Olympics.

Cierra has been training to qualify in the upcoming Olympic Track & Field Trials, where athletes will be selected as the United States representatives for the Olympic Games. After being canceled last year due to COVID-19, the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials will kick off on June 18 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

This is something that Cierra has always dreamed of, and now, her numbers are very close to the Olympic qualifying level.

Last year, Cierra was gearing up for what she thought would be a great season just before the pandemic began. As the virus spread, it became more and more difficult to continue training and produce the best results. “For so long, I trained to maintain what I already had and also work toward my goals. Since then, things have started to open up, but it was like starting all over,” Cierra adds.

Training for the Olympics has been challenging, especially during this unprecedented time for our country, but Cierra remained hopeful.

“It hasn’t been easy, but what is a good story without some obstacles in the way? I'm very grateful for these experiences. I choose to see the good in any situation and learn from it because everything happens for a reason!”

Lewis, in many ways, helped Cierra prepare for the challenges she would face during this journey. She shared that being a Flyer taught her to “show up for yourself and put in the work,” which is what motivated her to keep pushing through.

“It is up to YOU to put in the effort. Be teachable, be open to changing – some ways for the better. Use practice as a chance to better yourself and perfect your craft.”

Cierra had a lot of great mentors during her time at Lewis, including Head Coach Dana Schwarting who continuously pushed her and helped her to realize her full potential. The encouragement from Cierra’s professors, coaches and teammates helped her to see that, one day, she could compete with the women she looks up to most in this sport.

Now, as Cierra prepares for the Olympic Trials, that dream is becoming a reality.

At Lewis, Cierra was a NCAA 8x All-American, a 3x division II Midwest Region Field Athlete of the Year, a 2x GVLC freshman of the year, 2x GLVC Field Athlete of the Year, GLVC Track Athlete of the Year, and National Athlete of the Week for the NCAA Division II in Fall of 2018. Cierra also holds the indoor long jump record of 20'2.5" and triple jump record of 42'11.75" as well as outdoor record in triple jump of 42'11.75".

Cierra is excited for her future and humbled by her past. Lewis helped shape her into the person she is today, so she encourages others to “never take anything for granted, put in the work and live it up!”