Graduate Student Allie Wilson came in fourth place at the finals of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Indoor Championships on Saturday with a time of 2:04.12 in the 800-meter run, the best ever finish for a Monmouth female in the competition.
“It was an incredible experience overall and I was very proud to be able to represent Monmouth at the highest level,” Wilson said.
Wilson had slowly found her way to the front of the pack over the first 400 meters and led the race for nearly 300 meters. The first five runners all finished within a second of each other as she was edged by athletes from Penn State, Penn, and Virginia Tech, respectively.
“Although I was hoping for a little bit more, I gave it my all in that moment and to walk away with a fourth place finish and to be up on that podium was something I will never forget,” she said.
With the result, Wilson earned a plethora of distinctions. In addition to becoming the first female to be named a two-time All-American in Monmouth history, she is the first in the program to be named a First Team All-American since 2016. Her fourth place finish on Saturday is the best for the Hawks since Tisifinee Taylor’s fourth place finish from over a decade ago at the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
“Allie was super brave today. She took the lead in the second half and really went for it,” said Head Coach Joe Compagni. “She has come a long way with Coach Chris Tarello’s guidance and had an incredible season.”
The day before, Wilson booked her ticket to the finals by finishing second in the second of the semifinal heats with a time of 2:05.94.
Redshirt senior Corey Murphy was the only other Hawk alongside Wilson to perform at the competition as he finished 12th in the shot put on Friday, earning him Second Team All-American honors. Landing a mark of 63’2.75”, Murphy finished his final indoor season at Monmouth as the first shot putter in program history to compete in the NCAA Indoor Championships.
“Corey also competed extremely well,” said Compagni. “His third throw was his best and one of the top marks in school history. He has put in an incredible amount of work the last five years to get here with Coach [Abraham] Flores and Coach Christian Spaulding, and it is great to compete with tenacity on this big stage.”
The outdoor season for Track and Field will begin on the weekend of March 29 as the Hawks will be hosting the 23rd Annual Monmouth Season Opener at Kessler Stadium.
PHOTO COURTESY of Mark Brown Photos
