BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Sun Devil senior William Paulson put a bow on his final indoor campaign with a first-team All-America honor when he finished fifth in the men's mile final, Saturday at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Birmingham, Alabama.
Toeing the line in an NCAA final for the first time in his storied collegiate career, Paulson didn't let the spotlight faze him as he battled in a physical championship race to claim his first, first-team All-America honor.
He came into the meet as the No. 12 seed, but after a strong showing in the prelim that sent him into the final as the top-qualifier heading into Saturday's final, Paulson found himself in an elite group of middle-distance runners as one of the 10 NCAA finalists.
A spot on the podium was not guaranteed, though, and Paulson had to fight for it as the race got chippy after the first four laps on the 200-meter track inside the Birmingham Crossplex.
The championship mile was a slower, more tactical one than the regular-season races where all 10 finalists produced marks under 3:59 to advance to the national meet. The calculated running put only a few meters between first and last place for most of the race, and a few shoves and elbows were exchanged for positioning.
Texas' Sam Worley decided to push the tempo with a few laps to go, and a handful of men went with the Longhorn sophomore, including Paulson. As the pace quickened to an all-out sprint with 400 meters to go, Paulson stayed with the leaders and ended up crossing the finish line less than a second off the winning time in 4:08.45.
With his finish Saturday, Paulson becomes the first man in program history to earn first-team honors in the men's mile, and he is ASU's second All-American in the mile as Nick Happe scored second-team honors back in 2012.
Paulson's first and only indoor season with the Sun Devils was historic. Along with his status as an All-American, Paulson became the fourth man in school history to break four minutes in the indoor mile and set the school record in the event with his 3:58.07 at the MPSF Championships last month.
The record-setting time also gave Paulson the MPSF indoor mile title to become ASU's first indoor mile conference champion since Chuck LaBenz won the WAC title back in 1970.
A graduate transfer from Princeton, Paulson will lace up for the Sun Devils during the outdoor season with the chance to become the first Sun Devil man to earn individual indoor and outdoor All-America honors on the track in the same season since Kyle Alcorn in 2008.
Along with his teammate Garrett O'Toole, the two head into the outdoor season with a chance to take down the school's 49-year-old 1,500-meter record held by LaBenz. Both Paulson and O'Toole have personal bests around 3:39, and O'Toole's time is at the top of their Alma Mater Princeton's record list, while Paulson's time is third in Tiger history.
Paulson, NCAA women's shot put champion Samantha Noennig and second-team All-American Jessica Barreira will all be in action for the Devils as they head outside for the outdoor season.
The first meet of the season will be the Baldy Castillo Invitational, next Friday and Saturday at Sun Angel Stadium.
NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships | March 9, 2019 | Birmingham, Alabama
Men's Results
Mile Final
5. William Paulson – 4:08.45
Toeing the line in an NCAA final for the first time in his storied collegiate career, Paulson didn't let the spotlight faze him as he battled in a physical championship race to claim his first, first-team All-America honor.
He came into the meet as the No. 12 seed, but after a strong showing in the prelim that sent him into the final as the top-qualifier heading into Saturday's final, Paulson found himself in an elite group of middle-distance runners as one of the 10 NCAA finalists.
A spot on the podium was not guaranteed, though, and Paulson had to fight for it as the race got chippy after the first four laps on the 200-meter track inside the Birmingham Crossplex.
The championship mile was a slower, more tactical one than the regular-season races where all 10 finalists produced marks under 3:59 to advance to the national meet. The calculated running put only a few meters between first and last place for most of the race, and a few shoves and elbows were exchanged for positioning.
Texas' Sam Worley decided to push the tempo with a few laps to go, and a handful of men went with the Longhorn sophomore, including Paulson. As the pace quickened to an all-out sprint with 400 meters to go, Paulson stayed with the leaders and ended up crossing the finish line less than a second off the winning time in 4:08.45.
With his finish Saturday, Paulson becomes the first man in program history to earn first-team honors in the men's mile, and he is ASU's second All-American in the mile as Nick Happe scored second-team honors back in 2012.
Paulson's first and only indoor season with the Sun Devils was historic. Along with his status as an All-American, Paulson became the fourth man in school history to break four minutes in the indoor mile and set the school record in the event with his 3:58.07 at the MPSF Championships last month.
The record-setting time also gave Paulson the MPSF indoor mile title to become ASU's first indoor mile conference champion since Chuck LaBenz won the WAC title back in 1970.
A graduate transfer from Princeton, Paulson will lace up for the Sun Devils during the outdoor season with the chance to become the first Sun Devil man to earn individual indoor and outdoor All-America honors on the track in the same season since Kyle Alcorn in 2008.
Along with his teammate Garrett O'Toole, the two head into the outdoor season with a chance to take down the school's 49-year-old 1,500-meter record held by LaBenz. Both Paulson and O'Toole have personal bests around 3:39, and O'Toole's time is at the top of their Alma Mater Princeton's record list, while Paulson's time is third in Tiger history.
Paulson, NCAA women's shot put champion Samantha Noennig and second-team All-American Jessica Barreira will all be in action for the Devils as they head outside for the outdoor season.
The first meet of the season will be the Baldy Castillo Invitational, next Friday and Saturday at Sun Angel Stadium.
NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships | March 9, 2019 | Birmingham, Alabama
Men's Results
Mile Final
5. William Paulson – 4:08.45