COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS - Most people are apprehensive about change in life. The uncertainty causes hesitation. They will avoid it at all costs due to the unknown that it can bring. When you jump over to athletics, trying to get an athlete to change a bad habit or learn a new skill in general can be like pulling teeth for both student-athletes and coaches.
That is what makes the story of Northern Arizona University track and field standout
Ashley Taylor so special as she gets ready to compete in her first NCAA National Championships this weekend in College Station, Texas at Texas A&M's Gilliam Indoor Stadium.
The redshirt senior from Burlington, Canada switched from the 400-meter hurdles, where she had success with two Big Sky Conference golds and a silver, and made the change to the 800-meter event during her final season.
While most would shy from such a drastic change, Taylor embraced it and ended up punching her ticket to her first national meet after her performance this indoor season.
Taylor will compete in the women's 800-meter semifinals on Friday at 6:25 p.m. MST and if she advances will be back on the track on Saturday for the event's finals.
So how did Taylor make such a transition to a new event her final year of competition, only to watch it conclude with a NCAA appearance?
Getting to NAU
While some people might struggle at first to locate Northern Arizona University on a map, Taylor was very familiar with the school and the success of the program despite being over a 30-hour car ride and 2,000 miles away.
"I came to NAU because Coach McDaniel recruited me and I saw that one of my friends, Shamelle Pless, went here and she was on the world youth team with me," Taylor said. "So I took a visit and I just fell in love with the campus, program, the team and the coaching staff. The Skydome in general was just awesome and once I got out here I had my heart set on becoming a Lumberjack."
As one could imagine making a move not just across the country but to an entirely new country in general had its struggles.
"I was homesick my first semester freshman year but Flagstaff quickly started to feel like a home away from home. The support and journey with school and track gave me a purpose and I quickly grew to love where I was going to school."
Having a close friend on the team and family behind her ended up making the transition a successful one.
"Shamelle really helped me with the process and just letting me know what the program was like. I didn't walk in totally unfamiliar with the program. My parents visit Flagstaff at least once a year and that also helps."
Switching Events and Training Groups
Taylor not only switched events so late in here career she was also forced to switch training groups. This wasn't just an athlete moving up or down in distance for a race, Taylor was forced to learn an entirely new aspect of the sport.
"Not only was she changing events, she changed disciplines," director of track and field
Michael Smith said. "This wasn't a runner moving up or down in distance, she didn't just change events she changed training groups with the move to the 800-meters. I think that's a really important piece to understand of what Ashley did this year. She moved from sprints and hurdles to our middle distance group so we're talking about completely different elements of training."
"I came into distance and I just couldn't run a mile," Taylor said with a laugh. "I literally just could not do it. I'd have to stop after a half-mile to catch my breath. I just kept chipping away and slowly aerobically I got better. My mindset also changed. Instead of a sprint mentality, I had to change my thinking to that of a distance runner."
"I had to change my lifestyle too," Taylor added. "I needed a lot more sleep and to start living a much simpler life. I had to eat a little better along with making sure I ate enough with the new training program. The most important thing for me was prioritizing for my goals. I surrounded myself with positive, hard working people and this truly helped my stay focused and work towards my personal goals."
The coaching staff was impressed with how open Taylor was to the change as it seemed to give her a new love for the sport.
"She just embraced it, was open to learning, asked great questions and I think what we're really seeing in the racing is a reflection of her character and attitude that she put into this," Smith said. "You can have someone talented enough to do it but they have the ability to embrace it? A lot of us aren't that way with the unknown or with new things and I think that's what I'm most proud of. The results are just a reflection of that character and hard work."
"I think a lot of times the paths we take as athletes is the story we tell ourselves," Smith added. When people get discouraged, a lot of what ends up happening is a reflection of what they're saying to themselves. When you have an athlete get a little bit down in the sport or not having the success they want and this is happening over and over it's easy to make a prediction about the future and that's where the mind is so powerful."
"Just in the way athletes make a prediction about bad happening, we can also make a prediction about something positive happening and I think the change allowed for Ashley to get almost a fresh start in track and field," Smith concluded. "When you've been competing in this sport since a kid that opportunity is often a welcomed one for the athlete. Change is good in those ways. It allows us to change the story we tell ourselves."
Taylor would agree.
"I was ready for a change," Taylor said. "It really did give me a new love for the sport."
As the 18th Qualifier, Would She Get Left at Home?
Taylor ran a 2:04.53 altitude-converted time in the 800-meter race at the Mountain T's Invitational in Flagstaff on Feb. 2.
The mark was a brand new school record but she had to wait over a month to know if it was enough to qualify for her first nationals.
"It was exciting to see whether I was going to make it or not," Taylor said. "I was kind of preparing for the worst as I was stuck waiting around and was almost turning my focus to start getting ready for outdoors. When I found out I was just elated. My mind instantly went to preparing for this national meet and I couldn't be more excited to get the chance to be here."
"At first when I ran the time that got me into the rankings the coaching staff made sure that I didn't think I was guaranteed anything," Taylor added. "They just wanted me to not settle. Closer to the deadline we all started to realize I had a shot to get in."
And sure enough two athletes from other schools were scratched for different events, punching Taylor's ticket to NCAAs.
"When we saw the list we took it in and paused and appreciated the fine margins of track and field," Smith said. "The truth is, as a coach you become all too accustomed to what fractions of seconds mean, and way before finding out about qualifications you have to detach from outcomes."
"Whether or not Ashley qualified won't change how I've seen this unfold over the last eight months," Smith concluded. "It's different for the athlete, this is a massive moment of validation for her. She no longer has to suspect she's among the very best at what she does. My happiness for Ashley is that she knows it now too."
Giving Thanks
With such a dramatic shift in events, Taylor realized she had a lot of people to thank for getting her to where she is today.
"I'd like to thank Coach McDaniel for recruiting me at NAU," Taylor said. "We had many highlights together that made me the athlete and person I am today. His training gave me the strength base that I still hold to this day in my new event.
"I want to thank Coach Smith for giving me a chance and believing in me through the process," Taylor added. I also wanted to thank Coach DeLoache  for being my mentor. She was a great 800-meter runner herself and I look up to her and everything she accomplished. Her and Coach Smith really helped me believe it was possible through the hard times I went through."
"Last but not least, I also wanted to thank my mom and dad for the constant support and believing in me. They always knew I was destined for something great and we're just waiting for me to do it."
Shooting for Gold at Nationals
Now that she made it to College Station, both Taylor and the NAU coaching staff have their sights set high for her 800-meter race.
"Ashley has gained great experience in this event this season," Smith said. "We think she's in a great position to compete. She's got a great chance of making that final and we're just excited for her to get in there and continue to gain confidence navigating this strong field."
"My goal this weekend is to make finals and compete against these girls, because I know I'm just as good if not better," Taylor said. "16th and last in doesn't mean anything to me coming into this. I want to come out an All-American."
"I feel really confident," Taylor concluded. "I don't feel as if I'm in the wrong playing field. I feel like I'm meant to be here."
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