PARIS, France – For Emily Mackay '21, it's time to make history.

The Binghamton track & field and cross country alum is set to represent the United States Olympic Team at the Paris Games in the women's 1,500 this week.

The first round of the women's 1,500 will begin on Tuesday at 4:05 a.m. EST and air live on the USA Network. It can also be streamed on Peacock. The semifinals are set for Thursday at 1:35 p.m. EST on NBC and through Peacock. The finals, meanwhile, will take place at 2:25 p.m. EST on Saturday and will also air live on NBC and Peacock.

"I'm so excited," Mackay told on-site correspondent and former Bearcat wrestler Justin Hoch '04 Sunday afternoon at the Olympic Village. "It's a dream come true ... I'm so proud of where I'm from and super thankful for all the people who have helped me get here through my years at Binghamton University. I feel ready to go and am very excited to see what I can do here."

There will be three heats of 15 runners in the first round of the women's 1,500 with Mackay running in the opening heat. The top six finishers in each heat will automatically advance to Thursday's semifinals.

The remaining runners in each heat of the first round will advance to the Repechage Round on Wednesday at 6:45 a.m. EST (which will air live on the USA Network). There will be two heats in the Repechage Round with the top three finishers in each heat also advancing to Thursday's semifinals.

Five weeks ago, Mackay officially qualified for the US Olympic Team by placing second overall in the 1,500 at the United States Track & Field Association (USATF) Trials on June 30. She joined her New Balance Boston Teammate Elle St.-Pierre as well as Nikki Heltz as the three qualifiers from that event.

Mackay is the most accomplished Binghamton University student-athlete during its 24-year NCAA Division I era. She graduated as a five-time United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) All-American and won seven America East championships between cross country and track & field. She placed a program-best 14th overall at the 2020 NCAA Cross Country Championships and was sixth overall in the 1,500 at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Following her illustrious career at Binghamton, Mackay signed professionally with New Balance Boston. Since then she has represented the United States in several acclaimed international events. Mackay was the bronze medalist in the 1,500 at the 2023 Pan Am Games as well as at the World Indoor Championships this past March.

Mackay is the fifth Binghamton student-athlete ever to have qualified for the Olympic Games. She is preceded by John Moreau '77, Chris Coleman '89, Yun Qu '05 and Hui-Jue Cai '05. Moreau and Coleman shared some of their OIympic reflections here.

Moreau qualified in fencing for both the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics as well as the 1988 Games in Seoul. Coleman was a five-time All-American sprinter on the Binghamton track & field team from 1986-89 but advanced to both the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympic Games in the bobsled events. Qu and Cai, meanwhile, competed for their native China in the swimming events at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics prior to joining the Binghamton program.