Local Olympian Emily Mackay wins 5000m national title at USATF meet

Binghamton University graduate and world-ranked track star Emily Mackay secured two top-three finishes at the 2026 USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships — one finish, just a hair short of a national title, and the other, her best finish of the year.

Mackay placed third among twelve of the nation’s top middle-distance runners in the 1500m event and first among thirteen in the 5000m event at the 2026 USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships at Icahn Stadium this past weekend.

Two hundredths of a second separated the Union-Endicott High School graduate and World Indoor bronze medalist Addy Wiley, who finished in second place with a time of 4:06.96, and only sixth hundredths of a second stood between Mackay and Nikki Hiltz, who secured her eighth consecutive national title with a first-place finish of 4:06.92.

The World Indoor silver medalist got hers on Sunday after jumping from fifth place to first in the last four splits of the 5000m event. Mackay finished with a time of 14:55.82, outpacing Shelby Houlihan (14:57.88) and Parker Valby (15:06.25) for her season’s best.

Mackay made headlines earlier in the year after securing her first-ever senior national title and setting a meet record of 8:30.01 in the women’s 3,000-meter run at the USATF Indoor Championships. This weekend’s first-place finish marks her second national title this year.

This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Local Olympian Emily Mackay wins 5000m national title at USATF meet