Emily Mackay 'super excited' after earning a berth in September's Tokyo World Athletics Championships.
Emily Mackay secured a berth in the World Athletics Championships with a third-place finish in the women's 1500 meters at the USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships on Aug. 2 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
The Union-Endicott graduate and five-time Binghamton University All-American posted a time of 4 minutes, 4.38 seconds in Saturday afternoon's race.
Nikki Hiltz overtook Sinclaire Johnson to win in 4:03.15. Johnson finished second in 4:03.77.
The top-three finishers qualified for the World Athletics Championships, to be held Sept. 13 to 21 in Tokyo. Round one of the women's 1500 is scheduled for the first day of the event, with the semifinal scheduled for Sept. 14, and the final set for Sept. 16.
"I overcame a lot of challenges to get here and I'm very proud of how I handled them," Mackay said in an interview with NBC Sports. "I stayed true to myself through everything.
"I'm super excited. I think I'm in a great place heading into the next month and getting ready for Tokyo."
Last year Mackay advanced to the semifinals of the 1500 at the Paris Olympics following a runner-up finish at the Olympic Trials. Hiltz won the qualifier, finishing in 3:55.33, followed by Mackay in 3:55.9.
Mackay, 27, captured a bronze medal at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, in March of 2024.
Former Corning-Painted Post standouts Lindsey Butler and Jessica (Lawson) McGorty joined Mackay in competing in the first round of the 1500 on Thursday night. They were not among the 12 runners to qualify for the final.
Maine-Endwell alum Stokes 11th in steeplechase
Maine-Endwell graduate Parker Stokes, last year's national champion at Georgetown University, placed 11th in the final of the men's 3000 steeplechase Saturday.
Stokes posted a time of 8:33.04 after finishing Thursday's prelim in 8:22.6 to earn one of 12 spots in the final.
Kenneth Rooks won the tactical final in 8:26.58.
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This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: U-E grad Mackay third, M-E alum Stokes 11th at USA Track Championships
Category: General Sports
