Mackay earns Cross Country All-America honors

For senior cross country runner Emily Mackay and for the Binghamton Athletic Department, it was a race for the ages on Monday afternoon at Oklahoma State University.

Making the first-ever appearance by a Binghamton women’s cross country runner at the NCAA Division I Championships, Mackay placed 14th out of 255 runners. She covered the 6,000-meter course in a time of 20:34.5. The top 40 finishers in the race earned All-America honors from the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association (USTFCCCA).

“What an amazing race for Emily,” head coach Annette Acuff said. “She went out today and took complete advantage of her first opportunity to compete at the national level. I am beyond words, ecstatic for her, Binghamton University and for every Bearcat.”

Mackay got out to a good start and was positioned among the top 25 runners for most of the race. She even passed four runners on the final straightaway. Still, she had little idea how far up she was until she saw the results on the scoreboard after she finished.

“I went into the race with the goal of seeing what I could do and getting a good feel for where I was fitness-wise,” she said. “I was able to get out into the fast pack and halfway through the race, my goal was to hold my position. I wasn’t sure how much I would have left to be passing people at the end of the race. When I passed four runners down the stretch, I knew I would at least be in the top 40. But when I saw I was 14th, it was an unbelievable feeling. I was so excited and it was a big surprise to me.”

Mackay’s road to becoming Binghamton’s first NCAA Division I cross country All-American started at nearby Union-Endicott High School, from where she graduated in 2016. After her freshman college season at Oregon State, she transferred to Binghamton in the fall of 2017. Mackay has won two conference track relays during her career and back on March 5, she captured the America East cross country title as well as the accompanying automatic bid to the NCAA meet.

“I’m honored to be the first cross country All-American but it means even more to me to have done it for the college in my hometown,” she said. “I’m thankful for Binghamton University giving me this chance and especially for my coaches for helping me grow and develop and get me to this point.”

Mackay becomes the 14th All-American in Binghamton University’s history since the athletic program moved up to the NCAA Division I level in 2001. She is also just the third Binghamton female athlete to earn NCAA Division I All-America honors, joining swimmer Yun Qu (2002) and track & field standout Keishorea Armstrong (2015 & 2018).

The last Binghamton women’s cross country runner at any NCAA Division level to earn All-America honors was Sarah Bunting in 1995 at the Division III Meet. Known then as the Colonials, the women’s program posted two other All-Americans in Alice Willis (1983 and 1984) as well as Marilyn Milligan (1983). Willis placed a program-best 12th overall at the 1983 meet.

During its NCAA Division I era, the Binghamton men’s cross country program has sent Erik van Ingen to the national meet in both 2009 and 2010. He placed a career-best 42nd at the 2010 race.