Oklahoma State University Athletics
Fayers and Dodd Run to First NCAA Championship
March 10, 2017 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track, Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
By Thomas Chapman, OSU Athletic Communications
Some athletes grow up near their future college, while others travel across the country to attend their new school. But for a shot to compete in a National Championship, two Oklahoma State runners traveled across an ocean for their new school.
"I was recruited by numerous schools out here in the states." Oklahoma State junior Matthew Fayers said. "But I really fell in love with Oklahoma State. They had a great team here and they have a history of working with other British athletes. The team here was by far the best team I visited."
British athletes Fayers and Kaylee Dodd made their home in Stillwater after strong high school careers in England. They both decided Oklahoma State University was the place for them, and they're both representing the Pokes at the NCAA Championships this year.
Ickenham, England's Fayers is a middle-distance runner with a versatile athletic background. Alongside track and cross country, he played rugby, badminton and field hockey. But he knew he always wanted to run at the collegiate level.
"The year I was recruited, OSU was the cross country champion and they had five sub-four milers, four of whom did it in the same race." Fayers said. "So those kind of results themselves led me here. My visit was just very good."
Dodd, also a junior, is a native of Essex, England where she had a decorated high school career as a middle-distance runner.
She came to OSU to compete and train with the best, but admits there are some things she misses from back home.
"I miss family," Dodd said. "I don't necessarily miss the place, I just wish my family and my friends were here. I would much rather be here than training back home, though."
While both have had impressive collegiate careers, scoring for OSU and winning a couple of conference titles, neither had reached the NCAA Indoor Championships in a solo event until this year.
"It was very stressful before it became official," Dodd said. "After Big 12s, [Dave Smith] said I was definitely in. I was like 18th, but then on that Sunday, a girl ran quicker. But for a few days I didn't know if I was going and there were a lot of tears and then I found out and it was the biggest relief. I was so happy, I wanted to go so bad."
Fayers was confident he would make it one way or another as he had one of the fastest mile times in the country and ran his way onto the distance medley relay team that all but qualified during the final week of the regular season.
"I had a good feeling that I was going to get in," Fayers said. "It just depended on one meet out west and I made it as the 15th guy. That was the aim for the season and I was a little concerned after the running time in Seattle, I wasn't sure if I would make it. I did have the DMR as a back up, but I wanted to focus on the mile and I'm happy I made it in my event focus."
Fayers will compete in the men's mile semifinal while Dodd will run in the women's 800-meter semifinal – two different races, but the two English athletes have the same approach.
"Honestly, it's nothing different," Fayers said. "It is the exact same. It is the same as going to Seattle, where was preparing to get the national mark, and it was the same preparing for conference, where I was running for a championship."
Dodd said she feels the same.
"Preparation has kind of been the same for this meet - nothing has really changed," Dodd said. "I've cut down a little bit on mileage and things like that, but I am just really excited."
Dodd said she's aware of the uphill battle ahead of her as one of the final runners to make the cut, but she is ready.
"I want to make that final." Dodd said. "The odds are pretty much against me. I am the 15th person in now, so on paper I shouldn't make it, but I think I definitely can. I really want to. Training now has been going better than it ever has. So I think if I have the right attitude, which I do, I'm probably going to have to run a personal best to get to that final."
Lucky for Dodd, Oklahoma State has multiple athletes that have competed at the NCAA Championships, and have done the improbable in almost identical circumstances.
Senior All-Americans Savannah Camacho and Kaela Edwards both know how to train for the indoor championships and have both finished in the top-three despite entering the event with two of the slowest times in the field.
"They just said have fun," Dodd said. "It is probably going to be very overwhelming. But their freshmen year they were both like 14th and 16th coming in and they ended up second and third. So they both went in with an attitude that I have to know that I can keep with any of those girls on the line. Time doesn't matter and don't be intimidated by the girls that have run two flat. Just go out, enjoy it and have fun and compete hard."
Fayers and Dodd are over 4,500 miles from home. They have moved far and trained hard for a chance to compete at a National Championship. Now they have their chance, and they are more than ready.
"I feel like training has gone a lot better, and I'm ready for it," Dodd said. "I am just very excited about it."
Some athletes grow up near their future college, while others travel across the country to attend their new school. But for a shot to compete in a National Championship, two Oklahoma State runners traveled across an ocean for their new school.
"I was recruited by numerous schools out here in the states." Oklahoma State junior Matthew Fayers said. "But I really fell in love with Oklahoma State. They had a great team here and they have a history of working with other British athletes. The team here was by far the best team I visited."
British athletes Fayers and Kaylee Dodd made their home in Stillwater after strong high school careers in England. They both decided Oklahoma State University was the place for them, and they're both representing the Pokes at the NCAA Championships this year.
Ickenham, England's Fayers is a middle-distance runner with a versatile athletic background. Alongside track and cross country, he played rugby, badminton and field hockey. But he knew he always wanted to run at the collegiate level.
"The year I was recruited, OSU was the cross country champion and they had five sub-four milers, four of whom did it in the same race." Fayers said. "So those kind of results themselves led me here. My visit was just very good."
Dodd, also a junior, is a native of Essex, England where she had a decorated high school career as a middle-distance runner.
She came to OSU to compete and train with the best, but admits there are some things she misses from back home.
"I miss family," Dodd said. "I don't necessarily miss the place, I just wish my family and my friends were here. I would much rather be here than training back home, though."
While both have had impressive collegiate careers, scoring for OSU and winning a couple of conference titles, neither had reached the NCAA Indoor Championships in a solo event until this year.
"It was very stressful before it became official," Dodd said. "After Big 12s, [Dave Smith] said I was definitely in. I was like 18th, but then on that Sunday, a girl ran quicker. But for a few days I didn't know if I was going and there were a lot of tears and then I found out and it was the biggest relief. I was so happy, I wanted to go so bad."
Fayers was confident he would make it one way or another as he had one of the fastest mile times in the country and ran his way onto the distance medley relay team that all but qualified during the final week of the regular season.
"I had a good feeling that I was going to get in," Fayers said. "It just depended on one meet out west and I made it as the 15th guy. That was the aim for the season and I was a little concerned after the running time in Seattle, I wasn't sure if I would make it. I did have the DMR as a back up, but I wanted to focus on the mile and I'm happy I made it in my event focus."
Fayers will compete in the men's mile semifinal while Dodd will run in the women's 800-meter semifinal – two different races, but the two English athletes have the same approach.
"Honestly, it's nothing different," Fayers said. "It is the exact same. It is the same as going to Seattle, where was preparing to get the national mark, and it was the same preparing for conference, where I was running for a championship."
Dodd said she feels the same.
"Preparation has kind of been the same for this meet - nothing has really changed," Dodd said. "I've cut down a little bit on mileage and things like that, but I am just really excited."
Dodd said she's aware of the uphill battle ahead of her as one of the final runners to make the cut, but she is ready.
"I want to make that final." Dodd said. "The odds are pretty much against me. I am the 15th person in now, so on paper I shouldn't make it, but I think I definitely can. I really want to. Training now has been going better than it ever has. So I think if I have the right attitude, which I do, I'm probably going to have to run a personal best to get to that final."
Lucky for Dodd, Oklahoma State has multiple athletes that have competed at the NCAA Championships, and have done the improbable in almost identical circumstances.
Senior All-Americans Savannah Camacho and Kaela Edwards both know how to train for the indoor championships and have both finished in the top-three despite entering the event with two of the slowest times in the field.
"They just said have fun," Dodd said. "It is probably going to be very overwhelming. But their freshmen year they were both like 14th and 16th coming in and they ended up second and third. So they both went in with an attitude that I have to know that I can keep with any of those girls on the line. Time doesn't matter and don't be intimidated by the girls that have run two flat. Just go out, enjoy it and have fun and compete hard."
Fayers and Dodd are over 4,500 miles from home. They have moved far and trained hard for a chance to compete at a National Championship. Now they have their chance, and they are more than ready.
"I feel like training has gone a lot better, and I'm ready for it," Dodd said. "I am just very excited about it."
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