Our 2024 COROS MileSplit50 Indoor AOY: Quincy Wilson

There are still certain things that make Quincy Wilson a regular, every day teenager. 

Take family road trips, for example. 

He still needs to take a few of those with his family this spring when they plan to travel to Harrisonburg, Virginia to watch Kadence Wilson, Quincy's sister, compete for the James Madison track and field team. 

Kadence, like Quincy, is a 400 meter runner. 

"His mother wants him to learn life and what maturity means," said Joe Lee, Wilson's head coach at Bullis School. "He needs to be in places where he's not in the spotlight. Those are the things that his mom is being very intentional about."  

As it stands, there are two worlds with Wilson, a 16-year-old who's fast becoming a name to remember in track and field.

There's the track side, where the early signs of a legendary career are forming, along with the building blocks of an every day teenage life ...school, friends, relationships. 

So far, Wilson is passing those tests with flying colors. This winter, he broke a national high school indoor record at 400 meters, erasing a mark that had stood for 20 years in 45.76 seconds. 

That was on top of U.S. No. 1 times in the 500m and 600m and No. 1 relays in the 4x400 and the SMR, the latter for which his team broke a national record. Wilson also ranked third-best in the 300m and fifth in the 200m. 

He was unquestionably the top dog over the 2024 indoor season and has won our COROS MileSplit50 Athlete of the Year honor.

Related Links:

King Quincy! Bullis School Star Takes Down Crazy 400m Record

Quincy Wilson At It Again! Nearly Breaks 21 For 200 Meters

Bullis School Is Aiming For A 4x800 National Record This Week

Bullis School Breaks SMR National Record At The VA Showcase

WATCH: Quincy Wilson Wows Again, Clocks No. 2 All-Time 500m

Jaden Marchan Downs Quincy Wilson, Jumps Up National Radar

These Boys Recruits Excelled At The U20 Championships

So what makes Quincy the athlete he is today? 

"Great athletes have the ability to lock in when all the noise is going on around them," Lee said, "and create this inner quiet in themselves, this inner peace, because they're so in-tune with who they are and what it takes to get there. It's like 'I know my strength, I know my gifts, I know my weaknesses.' It's a quiet strength."

Lee described Wilson as a "caged tiger" on the starting blocks, and who could blame him with the record Wilson put up in 2024? 

The race everyone will remember for a long time will be that 400m, when Wilson jettisoned out of the blocks and just kept barreling on until he crossed the line in an incredible 45.76 seconds. 

But between the lines, maybe all of that was possible due to the motivations that set him up for March.

Wilson's season was not perfect. In December, he lost at 600 meters against Jaden Marchan at the Marine Corps Holiday Classic. Three weeks later in January, he lost again, this time to Jayden Horton-Mims at 300m. 

Perfection is an illusion in track and field, and Wilson certainly realized he wasn't invincible early on. But after his last loss, Wilson went on to record eight straight wins. 

He gained steam, kept working and ultimately finished the year with the best assortment of performances we've seen in quite some time. 

"When everyone is calling you the next great one, a lot of times they're waiting for you to make a mistake," Lee said. "Now you say to yourself, 'I have to be perfect.' No, you can be human. You can do your best."

Lee said Wilson's most important growth might not come on the track, but in how he adapts to the challenges around him.

After that record 400 meter run, champion track and field runners -- some of the World's top stars in the sport -- reached out to congratulate him, while no doubt a bevy of organizations were also circling with ideas of their own to capitalize off of Wilson's growing fame. 

Which brings us back to his parents. 

To many around Wilson, he remains the same kid who came into Bullis a year ago, a happy-go-lucky teenager with a constant smile printed on his face.

The foursome that broke a national record in the sprint medley relay are close, and they all train together on a daily basis. Those are the moments that bring Wilson back home. 

"He's got that thing about him," Lee said. "Have you just watched him when he steps to the blocks? He's not arrogant. When he gets in the blocks, he's caged tiger. When he crosses the finish line, he looks around and has this look on his face. 'You get it?'"

"When everyone is calling you the next great one, a lot of times they're waiting for you to make a mistake. Now you say to yourself, 'I have to be perfect.' No, you can be human. You can do your best."

COROS MileSplit50 Indoor Season Outdoor: 

Quincy Wilson Stats: 

Weeks at No. 1: Week 2, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6

Final Rankings, March 20: Quincy Wilson, Bullis School (MD)

March 4: Drew Griffith Enters Top 10 Of The COROS MS 50 Rankings

February 16: JoJo Jourdon Moves Up To No. 2 In AOY Race

January 25: Jelani Watkins Moves Up, Plus Other Shake Ups

January 16: King Quincy Moves Up To No. 1 After Wild Week

January 3: A Hurdle Superstar On The Horizon?

MileSplit50: Athlete Of The Year History: 

2024 Indoor AOY: Quincy Wilson, Bullis School (MD) - Story

2023 XC AOY: Drew Griffith, Butler (PA) - Story