Quincy Wilson, a rising junior at the elite Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, set new records at the Olympic Track and Field Trials in Oregon this weekend. On Sunday night, he broke his own record by running the 400 meters in 44.59 seconds, making him the fastest American under the age of 18. He’ll run in the finals tonight, and if he finishes in the top three, he’ll join Team USA for the July event in Paris. Here are four things you should know about the Maryland kid before watching his race tonight.
1. He comes from a military family that moved frequently and valued persistence in sports and school.
According to the Washington Post, Wilson’s parents relocated to Gaithersburg from Chesapeake, Virginia, so that he could attend Bullis, which has a reputation for developing athletes. Both of his parents were collegiate athletes: his mother, Monique, was a basketball and soccer standout in high school and college, while his father, Roy, played football at the Naval Academy. His older sister, Kadence, was a Virginia state track winner who now competes for James Madison University. His cousin, Shaniya Hall, was also a standout runner at Bullis and later competed for the University of Oregon’s D1 track team. The family’s hard ethic extends to the classroom as well—Quincy Wilson received consecutive A’s this school year, and his track squad has an average GPA of 3.9.
2. His K-12 school is noted for developing talented athletes.
Bullis was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1930 as a preparatory school for the Naval Academy, before moving to Potomac in 1960. Its famous graduates include Cam Brown of the Miami Dolphins, Moise Fokou of the Philadelphia Eagles, Olympic kayaker Caroline Queen, and record-breaking hurdler Masai Russell. Joe Lee, the track coach, has spent ten years improving the program, as reported in the Post. In 2014, he joined Bullis as a college runner and became a youth pastor with the goal of developing the school’s talent. Lee has coached five All-Met athletes.
3. Quincy is one of the youngest players to sign a NIL (name, image, and likeness) agreement with a major sportswear business.
In September, he signed with New Balance after winning the company’s 400-meter event. He joined New Balance with a group of high school and young college runners from across the country. Currently, 30 states and the District of Columbia allow NIL partnerships for K-12 athletes, with California leading the way in 2021, although major firms still rarely sponsor teens.
4. If he makes it to the Olympics, he will be the youngest US male runner ever. And he’ll be one of the fastest competitors.
His most recent 400-meter record this weekend would have put him at 6th place in the Tokyo 2020 rankings.
