Mahwah, NJ:  Cheickna Traore of the Ramapo College outdoor track and field team has been named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Metro Region Athlete of the Year. The USTFCCCA announced their major award winners Tuesday afternoon.
 
Traore, who was also named Metro Indoor Athlete of the year this year, will compete in the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships which begin on Thursday afternoon. Traore qualified in the 200m and 400m events; this is his second appearance on the national stage and his first at the outdoor championships. Traore finished 4th during the NCAA Indoor Championships earning his first All-American honor.
 
The prelims of the 200m dash begin at 6:55pm on Thursday while the prelims of the 400m dash is schedule for 3:15pm on Friday afternoon. Traore is ranked in the top five this season in NCAA DIII in both the events he will be running in this week at the NCAA Championships. He enters the 400m race with the 3rd best time this season (46.89 seconds) and the 4th best time in the 200m race (20.96 seconds). He holds school records in all three sprint outdoor events: 100m, 200m, 400m.
 
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