Former Bearcat Emily Mackay ‘21 will represent the United States at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France after finishing second in the 1500m finals at the Team USA Olympic Track and Field Trials.

“I’m super excited, and it is all still sinking in,” Mackay said after the race. “I was not expecting the race to be that fast, and we’ve had a lot to process right now between becoming an Olympian and running a huge PR. I couldn’t be happier.”

To begin the trials, Mackay qualified for the 1500m semifinals with a second-place finish in round one, finishing with a time of 4:06.47.

Then, in the 1500m semifinals, Mackay finished first in her heat with a time of 4:02:46, good enough for sixth overall, advancing to the finals.

Finally, on Sunday, in the 1500m finals, Mackay powered her way to a second-place finish with a time of 3.55.90. With her time, Mackay also broke her personal record of 3:59.76, which she set at the Prefontaine Classic back in May.

In attendance was Annette Acuff, who coached Mackay during her time as a Bearcat.

“[Mackay] knew what she needed to do, and she did a great job of executing,” Acuff said. “She was so happy about that because that’s the trick. A lot of those girls are super fit as well and most of the field had personal bests that day. So I think everyone except for maybe one person had a personal best, but she’s very proud of her development with her tactics.”

Notably, Mackay finished ahead of former UNH standout Elle Purrier St. Pierre, who also qualified for the Paris Olympic games.

Mackay had a decorated collegiate career, qualifying for the NCAA championships five times, earning a total of four All-American honors and winning eight America East championship titles. She was also a five time USTFCCCA All-American.

“I am very proud of [Mackay’s] development here,” Acuff said. “Obviously she’s the greatest success story at Binghamton for our program because it’s hard to beat someone who walks onto your team in terms of a success story. Someone that … really started from ground zero when she walked in the door here.”

Mackay will now look ahead to the 1500m race at the Olympics, which will be on Tuesday, August 6 at 4:05 a.m. EST.