ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Kylee Odell admits that her offseason training habits were not always the best.
After not seeing the results that she had hoped for in her first two seasons, Odelin made a commitment to adhering to her workout program last summer and her dedication is paying off in a big way.
Odell, a junior at Roberts Wesleyan University, finished sixth at the East Coast Conference Cross Country meet in November to earn first-team all-conference. She followed that up by placing 13
th at the NCAA Division II Regional meet to earn first-team All-Region.
Her success has carried over into the indoor and outdoor track seasons as well. Odell was the ECC indoor champion in the 1,000 meters and earned All-Region honors in the mile. She also set personal records in the mile (5:08.58) and the 1,000 (3:01.36) at the Boston University Last Chance Meet in February. Her 1,000 time is the third fastest in Roberts' program history.
Odell also broke a five-year old personal record in the 1,500 by five seconds while winning the event in 4:39.91 at the Geneseo Early Season Invite on April 2.
Odell, who is from Panama, N.Y., also carries a 3.86 grade-point average in Math Education and is the Roberts Wesleyan University Female Scholar Athlete of the Month for March.
Odell, who hopes to pursue a career as a high school math teacher, enjoys reading and painting in her spare time.
She took a few moments to share her thoughts on being a student-athlete at Roberts. The interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
You compete as a distance runner in both track and cross country, which do you like best?
"I prefer middle distance. I think that the mile is my favorite event."
How did you get into running?
"I started in high school and found success. I am a competitive person and I enjoy racing."
What does it take to be a successful distance runner?
"It's really about putting in the time and the hard work and being patient. Time and effort over a long period of time. If you put in the work, you usually see results."
You have set several personal records this year, what is behind your improvement since you came to college?
"I really haven't gone anywhere until this year, which is really exciting because I felt stuck in the same place for a long time. I took time off during COVID and it took a lot to get back into it. There was no motivation with no races, so that was really hard."
What is behind your renewed sense of dedication in the past year?
"I think experience and just being sick of being stuck in the same place. I was over it and I wanted something to change. I've been doing a lot more mileage than I ever used to, but it's still not a lot because I am still middle distance for track. I am on a really good training program right now, too."
What do you like about your major (Math Education)?
"I was undecided for two years and just declared my major this summer. I just really like math and in the back of my mind I could see myself teaching and now that I am getting into the major, I really like it."
Do you have any teachers that helped influence your career choice?
"There is no one specific person, but now that I am getting into my education courses I am thinking about the teachers that I had in high school and realize how good that they were and that's not something that I would have thought of before."
What have been some of your favorite courses at Roberts?
"I really enjoyed my Art courses, but I do not have time to take them anymore."
What is the bond you have with your teammates like?
"All of my best friends are on the team. We are like one big family and are always looking out for each other and always spending time together."
How does that culture manifest itself?
"We are at practice every day and we are all working hard together. We all have our good days and bad days and we experience those together."
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