Obinna Nwanna was so focused on academics when he chose to attend Case Western Reserve University that he did not even reach out to then track and field head coach Steve Rubin until his third week on campus.
In fact, it was not even his idea to become a decathlete. "Matt Kamalsky (his friend and training partner) came to my office, introduced himself, and told me he thought Obi should train for the decathlon," said Steve Rubin, who served as the CWRU head men's and women's track and field coach from 2007-12. "I met Obi and told him Matt thought he could excel as a decathlete because he was strong in so many of the 10 events and he said O.