Mackay earns All-America honors at NCAA meet

Senior Emily Mackay is now a two-time All-American.



Running in the women’s 5,000 at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Heyward Field on Saturday afternoon, Mackay placed seventh overall out of 24 finalists with a school-record time of 15:42.38. By finishing among the top eight runners in the race, she earned first-team All-America honors from the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association (USTFCCCA).

Elly Henes of N.C. State won the race with a time of 15:28.05. She was part of a group of six runners that broke away from the pack in the final mile. Mackay, however, used a kick in the final 800 meters to grab seventh place.

“What an amazing finish in the last 800 meters for Emily tonight,” Binghamton distance coach Annette Acuff said. “She raced so incredibly tough to take seventh place and get first-team All-America honors. She absolutely deserved it.”

“I am over the moon to be able to call myself a two-time All-American,” Mackay said. “It was a very tough race and I wasn’t feeling 100 percent but I was able to really gut it out in the last 800 to crack the top eight. It was an amazing experience to race at Heyward Field.“The race on Saturday concluded a banner year for Mackay. She earned All-America honors at the NCAA Cross Country Championships back in March with a 14th-place finish. In addition, she captured the America East women’s individual cross country title and the conference outdoor track crown in the 1,500. At the NCAA East Region Meet two weeks ago, she placed third overall in the 5,000.

“I am beyond thankful for the support that I have received this year,” she said. “There are a lot of people at Binghamton who made this all possible.”

Mackay’s seventh-place finish was worth two points in the team standings at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. As a result, Binghamton tied for 58th place at the meet.

Mackay is just the second Binghamton female athlete to compete at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Keishorea Armstrong took part in the long jump in 2015 and 2018 – earning honorable mention All-America honors both times.

In addition, Binghamton as a program has had three men’s qualifiers for the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Rory Quiller competed in the pole vault in 2006 and 2007, Erik van Ingen took part in the 1,500 in 2011 and 2012 while Jesse Garn ran in the 800 in 2015 and 2016. Quiller placed a career-best fourth in 2007, van Ingen was sixth in 2011 while Garn was fourth in 2016.

NOTES: Places 9-16 in each event at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships earned second-team All-America honors from the USTFCCCA while finishers 17-24 earned honorable mention distinction. Mackay set the previous Binghamton program record in the 5,000 with a time of 15:48.15 at the Toldeo Rocket Invitational on May 15.