FAYETTEVILLE — Almost as soon as Kaley Todd set foot inside a pool as a Fayetteville Lady Bulldog, her dreams and goals in the sport of swimming took of. And now, three years since her first days as a Lady’Dog, Todd is closer to those goals than ever before.

A senior now at Fayetteville, Todd is one of the team’s top all-around swimmers this season, with state meet-qualifying times already secured in both the 50-yard freestyle and 200-yard freestyle. But with Todd also competing in the 100-yard free and 200-yard individual medley relay, her busiest days for the Lady’Dogs may still lie ahead.

“It would be a dream come true if our team could do well at state and maybe even win state,” Todd said. “But we are a young team. A lot of these younger swimmers are going to be really good.”

Todd was one of those up-and-coming swimmers herself when she first joined Fayetteville’s team. After her freshman season, she began training with the local AquaHogs to improve her swimming skills.

From that point on, she was hooked.

“After that first year (at Fayetteville) I wanted to do more,” Todd said. “That’s when I knew I wanted to do this competitively and even in college.”

Todd finished ninth in the 100-yard freestyle and 10th in the 50-yard free at last year’s state swimming and diving championships. But that was done just one year removed from a shoulder injury that forced her to miss her entire sophomore season with the Lady’Dogs.

“After being out for an entire season I felt like I was never going to get back out there,” Todd said. “But once I got back, I was even more motivated than before.”

This season, Todd — who will swim at Division II William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo. — finally feels back to full health.

And her performances in the pool indicate Fayetteville will count on Todd in a big way as district and state meets approach.

“An injury like she had can be really frustrating, but I think that fueled her,” Fayetteville swim coach Mike Kaminski said. “She’s having her best season for us this senior year and she’s also developed into a really great leader for the team.”

Todd still has some work left before the state meet. While she’s qualified in two events, two more qualifying times in the 100-free and 200 IM are still out there. But Todd is confident her best days are still ahead.

“I’m a lot less experienced than a lot of swimmers in the AquaHogs,” Todd said. “The coaches always tell me that I’ve got a lot left and that I still haven’t peaked.”