Reigning NCAA-All American seeks repeat, named VMI Athlete of the Week
LEXINGTON, Va. – Sophomore sprinter Paulvince Obuon (Kisumo Kenya, Chianda) has qualified for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in the 200-meter dash for the second straight year and will be aiming to achieve his second All-American Honor in as many years. Obuon is the lone representative for VMI and will be competing at the championships which take place Friday and Saturday March 11-12 in Fayettville, Ark. Both the preliminaries and the finals of the 200 will take place Friday night with the preliminaries set for 7:30 pm and the finals scheduled for 9:00 pm.Obuon punched his ticket to the championships following his performance last weekend in Boston, Mass. where he won the 200 in a season-best time of 20.93 seconds at the IC4A Championships. That time is the 20th fastest time in the world this year in the 200. Obuon is ranked 10th nationally in the 200 going into the NCAA Championships and is one of 16 competitors who have qualified for the meet in the event.
Furthermore, in recognition of his IC4A victory in the 200 combined with his NCAA qualifying performance, Obuon has been named VMI Athlete of the Week for the week ending March 6 as announced by the VMI Sports Information Office Wednesday afternoon.
At last year's NCAA Championships, Obuon placed sixth overall in the 200 with a time of 20.89 en route to receiving NCAA All-American Honors.
So far this year, Obuon has been a major factor in the success of the Keydets while also excelling individually. Obuon was named the Men's Track Performer-of-the-Year for the second straight year at the Big South Conference Championships on February 19 in Blacksburg, Va. where he won three events. Obuon's first-place performances came in the 60-meter dash at 6.75 seconds, the 200 at 21.60, and the 400 at 48.32.