BOSTON – Emily Mackay and Elle Purrier St. Pierre finished strong in their opening race of the 2024 Olympics in Paris on Tuesday morning as both advanced out of the first round of the 1500 meters. The two will competing it the semifinals on Thursday shortly after 1 PM ET.
Mackay, a 2021 Binghamton graduate, was in the first heat of the event and was among the top six finishers in her hear to automatically advance to the semifinals. She finished with a 3:59.63 in her first Olympic competition.
St. Pierre was in the third heat and placed third with a time of 4:03.22. She is competing in her second Olympic games, after taking 10th in the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo.
"I'm officially an Olympian now and I couldn't be happier about walking off with a big Q," Mackay said to NBC after her race. "The energy is insane here and I was super excited to get this party started."
Mackay and St. Pierre are one of six Olympians with ties to the America East. Former UAlbany standout Grace Claxton competed in the 400 meter hurdles while Stony Brook’s India Pagan played basketball for Puerto Rico. Bryant’s Natalia Kuipers swam in the 400 meters for U.S. Virgin Islands and NJIT incoming freshman Illias El Fallaki also swam in the 400 meters.
ABOUT AMERICA EAST
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference and its social media channels, @AmericaEast.
- America East Conference – Where Champions Rise -