Emmie Boese
Business Manager
Deciding to run track and attend Butler wasn’t the plan, but it is working out for sophomore exercise science major Mark Doyley.
Doyley is from Clarendon, Jamaica. He competes in the 60m, 200m and 400m during the indoor season for Butler, and the 100m, 200m and 400m during the outdoor season. In Jamaica, track is popular, but Doyley said it was not something he thought about until he had someone who encouraged him to try it.
“I started in sixth grade,” Doyley said. “It was honestly I would say by mistake. I used to always sprint down the hallway for no apparent reason, until one day my teacher got like fed up with me and was just like, you’re doing track.”
From there, Doyley said track stuck with him. He tried basketball, soccer and football, but track was the sport he enjoyed most. That love for track led him to go run for a school in San Francisco, California at Academy of Art University. He had been in contact with Butler prior to going to school in California, but his dream was to start off at a bigger school.
“I stayed there for one semester, and it didn’t go as planned because of grades wise,” Doyley said. “So (Franklin) actually contacted me before I ever decided what college I wanted to go to, but I’m like; oh, it’s a junior college; it won’t look good on my track career that I went to a junior college.’”
Since Doyley has been at Butler, he has continued to excel on the track. One of those accomplishments includes being a part of the 4x100m relay team that won nationals in Hobbs, New Mexico last spring.
“Honestly this season, I expect a lot more,” Doyley said. “For instance, like the guy that was here that won the 100m, he’s not here anymore, so I’m thinking I got to step up and take his place, and do something that he couldn’t do, which is probably win the 60m and the 200m for this indoor season coming up.”
Assistant Track Coach Greg Franklin said that Doyley is a strong runner who understands the program well, which translates to his performance. Hwe expects Doyley to do well in his events this indoor season.
“Mark for me is a very strong runner,” Franklin said. “He’s able to have range to go up from the 100m to the 400m.” I think indoor Mark should top place in the top three.”
After Butler, Doyley hopes to run at a division one school, and then go pro. He has had looks form LSU, Kentucky and Georgia. If he goes pro, he is undecided on whether he will run for the United States or Jamaica.
“I don’t mind picking the United States because I mean I feel like I have a better opportunity here than I do in Jamaica, but at the same time I’m like Jamaica is home, that’s where all the original things are,” Doyley said. “If I do pick here I’m going to have to train in Jamaica, because the atmosphere is different.”