AUSTIN, Texas – Sun Devil senior William Paulson made history when he became the first man in Arizona State history to score in the 1,500-meter run at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Friday night in Austin, Texas.
Friday's championship race went off in less than ideal conditions, but the heat and humidity of central Texas didn't impact the quality of the title race as the first and second-place finishers finished within three-thousandths of a second of one another, and seven-tenths of a second separated third through ninth.
Just as he had raced all season, Paulson stayed near the front with the pace-setters and found a spot on the inside rail. As the laps quickened, Paulson did the same and hung in with the leaders for the entirety of the race, eventually finishing in 3:42.32.
"I thought it was a heck of a race," distance coach Cory Leslie said. "I think any time you get into a championship race like this, you could run it five different times and get five different outcomes. I think Will made the best of the situation and did a great job down the last straight of picking off a few guys to come up with fifth."
Paulson's fifth-place finish gave him his second first-team All-America honor of the year as he took fifth in the NCAA Indoor mile final back in March. His two first-team designations this season were the only two of his career, but the senior will finish his collegiate career with four NCAA Championship appearances, including back-to-back outdoor showings at Princeton, and two in his one year in Tempe.
In one season with ASU, Paulson cemented his legacy in Tempe by setting the indoor mile record (3:58.07) and 1,500-meter record (3:38.35), earning two first-team All-America honors and becoming the only man in program history to earn first-team honors in the indoor mile and 1,500. His indoor mile title was ASU's first in the MPSF and his 1,500-meter conference title snapped a near 40-year championship drought in the event.
"Aside from his accomplishments on the track where he, in a sense, rewrote the mile record books for Arizona State, he just changed the whole trajectory of this distance program," Leslie said. "From him all the way down to the younger guys, and even some of the guys he helped recruit for next season, he's done a great job for ASU and his impact goes beyond what he did on the track."
The four points from Paulson gave the Devils 46th-place, their highest finish at the Championships since they finished 36th back in 2016.
Earlier in the day, Seri Geisler earned her first All-America honor in the women's javelin throw by taking 15th-place overall in the competition. The second-team honor was ASU's first All-America honor in the javelin throw since 1978.
Friday marked the conclusion of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships for the men. The Texas Tech Red Raiders brought home their first NCAA team title in school history.
The conclusion of the women's championship will take place tomorrow and the Sun Devils currently sit in third-place with 12 points from day one's action.
Friday's championship race went off in less than ideal conditions, but the heat and humidity of central Texas didn't impact the quality of the title race as the first and second-place finishers finished within three-thousandths of a second of one another, and seven-tenths of a second separated third through ninth.
Just as he had raced all season, Paulson stayed near the front with the pace-setters and found a spot on the inside rail. As the laps quickened, Paulson did the same and hung in with the leaders for the entirety of the race, eventually finishing in 3:42.32.
"I thought it was a heck of a race," distance coach Cory Leslie said. "I think any time you get into a championship race like this, you could run it five different times and get five different outcomes. I think Will made the best of the situation and did a great job down the last straight of picking off a few guys to come up with fifth."
Paulson's fifth-place finish gave him his second first-team All-America honor of the year as he took fifth in the NCAA Indoor mile final back in March. His two first-team designations this season were the only two of his career, but the senior will finish his collegiate career with four NCAA Championship appearances, including back-to-back outdoor showings at Princeton, and two in his one year in Tempe.
In one season with ASU, Paulson cemented his legacy in Tempe by setting the indoor mile record (3:58.07) and 1,500-meter record (3:38.35), earning two first-team All-America honors and becoming the only man in program history to earn first-team honors in the indoor mile and 1,500. His indoor mile title was ASU's first in the MPSF and his 1,500-meter conference title snapped a near 40-year championship drought in the event.
"Aside from his accomplishments on the track where he, in a sense, rewrote the mile record books for Arizona State, he just changed the whole trajectory of this distance program," Leslie said. "From him all the way down to the younger guys, and even some of the guys he helped recruit for next season, he's done a great job for ASU and his impact goes beyond what he did on the track."
The four points from Paulson gave the Devils 46th-place, their highest finish at the Championships since they finished 36th back in 2016.
Earlier in the day, Seri Geisler earned her first All-America honor in the women's javelin throw by taking 15th-place overall in the competition. The second-team honor was ASU's first All-America honor in the javelin throw since 1978.
Friday marked the conclusion of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships for the men. The Texas Tech Red Raiders brought home their first NCAA team title in school history.
The conclusion of the women's championship will take place tomorrow and the Sun Devils currently sit in third-place with 12 points from day one's action.