Olympic Gold Medalist Signs With UMD Track and Field Program

2024 Olympic gold medalist and under-18 400-meter world record holder Quincy Wilson signed with the University of Maryland track and field program, head coach Andrew Valmon announced on Monday.

Wilson, a senior at the Bullis School in Potomac, Md., chose UMD over South Carolina, Southern California, Texas A&M and UCLA. He said at a livestreamed announcement party that being close to home in the DMV played a big role in his decision. 

“I started my legacy in 2024 at the summer Olympic Games, and I had the whole city behind me,” Wilson said. “With 2028 coming, I want the whole city behind me. And I’m ready to do it at the University of Maryland.”

He said that attending Maryland would ease his transition to college while keeping his family and friends—and his mom’s cooking—nearby. 

Wilson also said he was looking forward to being coached by Valmon, a former Olympic and internationally successful quarter-miler himself. Valmon still owns the 4x400 world record set at the 1993 World Championships and won gold medals in the 1998 and 1992 Olympic Games. (Terps assistant throws coach Rudy Winkler and Maryland associate head coach Danielle Siebert were also part of Team USA in Paris.)

"Quincy is a generational athlete who has the upside to continue to thrive at the top of our sport," said Valmon. "His support system here at Maryland, in his home state, is unmatched. I am excited to get to work on this next phase of his journey."

In Paris, Wilson became the youngest track and field male Olympian in United States history when he was a member of the 4x400 meter relay pool. In 2024, he was also named the USATF Youth Athlete of the Year.

Wilson owns a 44.10 personal best in the 400 meters; it is the U.S. high school record, the under-18 world record and the second-fastest time recorded by an under-20 athlete. He finished the 2025 outdoor season tied for seventh-fastest in the world and defended his indoor and outdoor 400 meters national titles at New Balance Nationals.

While Wilson is the first Olympic competitor to sign with the Terps, the track and field program has a long history of other Olympians, including Mark Coogan (1996 Atlanta); Thea LaFond, who won gold in the triple jump in 2024 representing Dominica; Renaldo Nehemiah (1980), Chioma Onyekwere (2021 and 2024), Micha Powell (2016) and Rudy Winkler (2016, 2021 and 2024).

He becomes just the latest high-profile local student-athletes to sign with Maryland. Last week, Baba Oladotun of Silver Spring signed with the men's basketball program, following in the footsteps of current New Orleans Pelican and Baltimore native Derik Queen. The football program includes quarterback Malik Washington, one of the top freshman signal callers in the country.