New Zealand native made decision after earning degree at Baylor to pursue Masters program at Division 2 Simon Fraser in British Columbia, Canada, and achieved goal of being NCAA champion with memorable 2:04.04 performance in Kansas

By Mary Albl of DyeStat

Alison Andrews-Paul finally has validation.

It’s March 12 and the Simon Fraser University senior has just won the NCAA Division 2 Indoor 800-meter title in a meet-record and personal-best time of 2 minutes, 4.04 seconds.

Waiting for her final event – the 4x400-meter relay – there’s a brief moment to process. 

“Decompressing, it was like, ‘I wasn't wrong,’” Andrews-Paul said. “All these years of running the same time over and over and knowing it was there. I wasn’t wrong to push through, I wasn't wrong to continue to change my life, so I could keep doing this sport.”

The path to Simon Fraser – located in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada – and a national title was years in the making for the New Zealand native and Baylor University transfer.

While it took longer than she envisioned, the wait was worth it. This spring, in her first outdoor season for Simon Fraser, she’ll look to continue her unique journey in pursuit of more validation. This weekend she’ll compete at the Stanford Invitational. 

“She is starting to get to where she should be,” Simon Fraser head coach Brit Townsend said. “She was always a good talent when she came, but I think we are in a good place and I think she understands now the balance between going hard and recovery.” 

Growing up in Masterton, New Zealand, a tight-knit rural farming-community, Andrews-Paul’s memories consist of running on the country roads, helping with Saturday farming chores, and playing tag. For as long as she can remember running has always been a part of life. 

“I was always really competitive from a really young age, and as I got older, running was a really great space for me to take out that energy in the right place,” she said. 

With a background in soccer and netball, Andrews-Paul gravitated toward running as her dad, Wayne, was a track and field athlete himself and could see her potential and passion.

She said she experienced a bit of success early on in high school – with her dad coaching – which sparked a drive to want to continue at the highest level possible. As a prep at Wairarapa College, she won the New Zealand National Championship titles in 2016 in the 800 (2:08.97) and 1,500 (4:36.22).

Andrews-Paul was also able to represent New Zealand at the IAAF World Under-20 Championships, where she advanced to the semifinals, recording a then PR of 2:06.32. With offers to head to the United States to continue her running and academics, Andrews-Paul decided on Big 12 Conference powerhouse Baylor University in Waco, Texas. 

Coming off a successful stint at the U-20 Championships, Andrews-Paul said she had a picture in mind of continuing that successful trajectory at Baylor.

But thousands of miles away, inducted into a new training regiment, the experience was different than the picture she had created. 

“I was from a very small rural town and I don't think Texas could have been more different than where I’d come from. Especially that first year, it was almost jarring at times the contrast,” she said. 

At Baylor from 2016-19, her 800 times stayed right around the 2:07-2:10 range, earning all-conference in the 800 in 2017, but she never recorded a personal best or advanced to the NCAA Division 1 Championships in track or cross country.

“I had a really, really good experience at Baylor, I got my bachelors of Science and Public Health there, and met some great people, but I never really felt like I was at home,” she said. 

At the end of the 2019 outdoor season, with a degree in hand, and a few years of eligibility left, and the idea of wanting to pursue a Masters program, Andrews-Paul began to explore her options. 

Originally with eyes just on Division 1 programs, a friend recommended exploring the Division 2 route. A little reluctant, Andrews-Paul stumbled upon Simon Fraser, a highly successful middle-distance and distance program coached by a former Olympian, Townsend, as well as a place that would satisfy her academic needs. 

“It was kind of one of those fate moments, ‘Is this it?’” said Andrews-Paul, who also holds Canadian citizenship.

“I looked into the program in May, and it was a really quick turnaround. But Brit Townsend was so helpful and I think I connected with her quite well; it felt like the right fit really quickly.”

Townsend, who describes Andrews-Paul as someone who is very driven and passionate, but also someone who does go hard all the time, explained it took time for Andrews-Paul to get healthy, as she battled a case of mononucleosis. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic and with border restrictions, Andrews-Paul said that favored her as it allowed for uninterrupted more time to rest, train, and ease herself into Simon Fraser and the idea of becoming a more well-rounded student-athlete.

Under the guidance of Townsend, who continued to push through with their regular training plans, and advocated for Simon Fraser to host in-house time trials, Andrews-Paul was also able to soak in the guidance of program alumni Lindsey Butterworth and Addy Townsend, Brit’s daughter.

“It’s been super, super awesome to have the alumni crew, as they really shaped for me, not even from a performance aspect, but what it looks like to have a championship-level mindset and personality,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be full throttle all the time; they are very goofy and down to earth. I feel from a distance they are super intense all the time and that’s what it takes, but seeing them up close and how relaxed they are, and if they have a bad day it’s not a big deal, that has really helped me. It doesn’t have to be intense for it to go well.”

After a solid cross country season, where she helped guide Simon Fraser to a Great Northwest Athletic Conference title, and with COVID-19 restrictions easing up and allowing for Division 2 indoor track to resume, Andrews-Paul made her anticipated track debut Jan. 15 for Simon Fraser, a moment nearly three years in the making, at the University of Washington Preview.

She clocked 2:08.16 to win the women’s open 800 and nab a qualifying time for nationals. 

“Brit told me at UW that I think you can qualify today, just don’t go out too fast, that’s always her number one piece of advice for me,” Andrews-Paul said with a laugh. “(But) from there, it was just building on that confidence; this is something I can really do again.”

Andrews-Paul continued to build upon her newfound passion and zest for the sport.

At the John Thomas Terrier Classic on Jan. 30 at Boston University, she ran a personal-best 2:44.54 in the 1,000, and followed that up at the Lilac Grand Prix in Spokane, winning the 800 in 2:05.75, her first PR in the event since the U-20 Championships.

At the GNAC Championships, she guided Simon Fraser to the women’s team title, contributing in the 4x400 and DMR, along with winning the 800 in another PR of 2:05.09. 

At 24, as one of the older girls on the team, Townsend said Andews-Paul has fit right in with her work ethic and fun persona.

“When she steps on the line, even in training, she’s pretty intense and driven,” Townsend said. “She’s just challenging herself all the time. She’s outgoing, she’s talkative, and certainly not afraid to ask questions. I think people respect her work ethic and passion she’s had for improving.”

It all came together March 12 for Andrews-Paul as she won the national 800 title at the Robert W. Plaster Center at Pittsburg State in Kansas, lowering her time to 2:04.04. She also guided Simon Fraser to a fourth-place finish in the 4x400 and DMR to earn All-American status in three events. 

That moment, Townsend said, was not a surprise, as she’s seen it in the practices and the way Andrews-Paul has progressed.

Her time was the fastest oversized track performance in Division 2 indoor history and No. 3 all-time for Division 2 indoors, regardless of track size. She also broke the championship meet and facility records of 2:04.94 set by Skylyn Webb of UC-Colorado Springs in 2019.

Andrews-Paul also surpassed the previous GNAC record of 2:04.94 set by Simon Fraser’s Helen Crofts in 2011.

“I think I feel like as athletes we see ourselves at a level for so long before we get there,” Andrews-Paul said. “And I really have seen myself as a 2:04 girl for a very long time, but to actually do it, is very different. I’m really happy and proud of how I managed the mental game this season. Going into the race, I was very focused on this one job and just stuck with the front, and gave it everything. I really, really wanted it. To have it work out, it was really, really special.”

This spring, Andrews-Paul has big goals on qualifying for her first NCAA Division 2 Outdoor Championships in May at Grand Valley State in Allendale, Mich. She said despite the unorthodox path she’s taken, she wouldn’t change it.  

“I would still make those same decisions even if it hadn’t worked out because I just love the sport so much,” she said.