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Local track standouts Nia Akins and Allie Wilson qualify for first Olympic Games in Paris

Akins, a former Penn standout, and Wilson, a Strath Haven graduate, finished top two in the 800 meters. Trenton native Athing Mu fell 200 meters into the race and will miss the Olympics.

Former Penn standout Nia Akins (center) celebrates after winning the women's 800-meter final with third place finisher Juliette Whittaker and Strath Haven graduate Allie Wilson, who came in second at U.S. track and field Olympic team trials on Monday.
Former Penn standout Nia Akins (center) celebrates after winning the women's 800-meter final with third place finisher Juliette Whittaker and Strath Haven graduate Allie Wilson, who came in second at U.S. track and field Olympic team trials on Monday.Read moreGeorge Walker IV / AP

Penn alumna Nia Akins and Allie Wilson, a Strath Haven graduate, finished first and second, respectively, in the 800-meter final at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials on Monday night, earning their spots on Team USA for the Paris Olympics.

Akins, 25, crossed the finish line with a personal best of 1 minute, 57.36 seconds, while Wilson clocked in at 1:58.32. Stanford’s Juliette Whittaker secured the third and final spot (1:58.45).

Whittaker is the younger sister of Isabella Whittaker, a sprinter at Penn who also competed in the trials. Isabella placed sixth in the 400-meter final.

» READ MORE: South Jersey’s Curtis Thompson qualifies for his second Olympics

The race took a turn 200 meters in, when top contender Athing Mu, who’s from Trenton, tripped and fell. She attempted to stay within reach of the runners, but couldn’t keep up the pace after the first lap and finished last.

Mu won the gold medal in the event at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo and is considered the youngest woman in history to hold Olympic and world titles in an individual track and field event.

Akins was a two-time NCAA-runner up in the 800 meters at Penn. She turned professional in 2020. Her previous personal record was set at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest with a time of 1:57.73. She placed sixth in the event.

Wilson, 28, who competed at Monmouth, is having an outstanding year. She won her first national title at 2024 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships. The path to the Olympics, though, wasn’t easy. Wilson was a finalist in the 800 meters at the 2021 Olympic trials but missed the team by three spots.

» READ MORE: Strath Haven grad Allie Wilson returns to Franklin Field as a pro at Penn Relays while chasing the Olympic dream

In the high jump, Vashti Cunningham, the daughter of former Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham, qualified for the Olympics for the third time. She jumped 1.91 meters to place third in the trials. She needed to win a jump-off against Jenna Rogers from the University of Nebraska to secure the final spot.

The 26-year-old placed 13th in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and sixth at the 2021 Tokyo Games.