The Athletics Department on Monday afternoon held its 20th-annual Celebrating Women’s Athletics Luncheon. The event welcomed Emily Mackay ‘21 — her first return to campus since she represented the United States in the Summer Olympics last year in Paris.

Since its inception in 2006, the luncheon has raised over $500,000 for scholarships that have benefited 92 recipients of the Binghamton Bearcats Athletic Association Scholarship. This year’s event, attended by over 900 people, helped to raise scholarships for 10 current female Bearcat student-athletes.

Mackay, the first alumna to participate in the Olympic games, was a five-time U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-American, placing as high as sixth in the 1500m at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. During her time at BU, Mackay attended the 2019 luncheon, headlined by Joan Benoit Samuelson, and she began her speech by reflecting on her experience.

“Standing here today is such an honor,” Mackay said. “I remember sitting in this very room six years ago, listening to Joan Benoit Samuelson speak, the first woman to win an Olympic gold in a marathon. I left that luncheon feeling incredibly inspired, and I only hope to pass that feeling along to you all today. This is such a full-circle moment for me.”

Before her professional career, which began when she signed with New Balance Boston in June 2022, Mackay began her collegiate career with a redshirt freshman campaign at Oregon State. However, citing homesickness and injury, the Endicott native transferred to Binghamton to compete for a spot on the track and field roster as a walk-on. During the 2020 NCAA championship, Mackay placed a program-best 14th overall in the 1500m. Mackay highlighted this accomplishment as a turning point in her career.

“Probably about six-ish years ago, when things really started to pick up here at Binghamton University in my collegiate career under Coach Annette Acuff,” Mackay said in response to a question about when she first thought she could compete on the world stage. “I just started to continue to improve and after my cross country race — my first national championship — I came in 14th place, and I was all-American in a race I thought I would never qualify for, and after that is when Annette told me, ‘I think you can run professionally,’ and that’s when the dream started. I knew that I had so much room to continue to improve, and I definitely started to picture myself competing on the world stage after that.”

As a student-athlete, Mackay earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology while also adding several MBA courses to her resume, and she was awarded the John Bilos Female Athletic Award for her academic accomplishments. Mackay highlighted the role of strong women as role models and the University’s support system when addressing her off-the-field successes.

“I think Binghamton sets up female athletes incredibly well, both on and off the field,” Mackay said. “I think that there’s so much support here, and I think we have so many great examples of very strong women here at Binghamton University — really great role models and all the support that we need to be successful.”

Other keynote speakers included a current member of the women’s soccer team, senior midfielder Isabella Martillo. She too reflected on her time at Binghamton and the leadership role that female student-athletes occupy for the younger generations.

“Being a female student-athlete means embracing both the challenges and achievements that come with competing in a space that demands resilience, strength and determination,” Martillo said. “It means pushing past barriers — whether that is societal expectation, physical limits or moments of doubt. It means lifting up those who come after us and showing that women belong in every arena.”