Never Count Out The Underdog

By: John Spinelli ‘22

If there was a modern-day David vs. Goliath, this middle-distance runner would certainly be “David” in the iconic underdog story.

This year at the 2024 Elliott Denman International Meet we honor a young woman who needs no introduction to New Jersey and USA Track and Field. 

Shore AC honors Professional Runner Allie Wilson ‘19. Before she gained national attention, she began her journey right here at Monmouth University and the Shore Athletic Club. 

During her time as a Monmouth University student, she worked as the Operations Coordinator for Shore AC under (then) President Walter MacGowan. 

“The Shore A.C. has had five different Monmouth Track & Field student-athletes work with the club over the last ten years, and they have all been super valuable in that role,” said former Monmouth University Head Coach and current Shore A.C. Vice President Joe Compagni. “Allie did an excellent job with the club and was also an amazing teammate at Monmouth. 

Wilson made history this winter by becoming a national champion this year in the 800 meters at the USA Track and Field Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico Feb. 17 with a time of 2:00.63.
Before the gun went off, Wilson was not predicted to be a contender for the national title. Unlike her competitors, at the time she was not sponsored by any professional club or agency. She had also never won a national title nor had she run in a World Championship. 

But after that race before she knew it, Nike would be calling her agent to get a deal ASAP. 
Only two weeks later she represented Team USA in Glasgow, Scotland, finishing fourth in her preliminary heat at the World Athletics Indoor Championship, an opportunity that was long overdue for her.  

Currently ranked top fifteen in the world in the 800-meter by World Athletics, Wilson will have to face some stiff competition to make Team USA again, however this time with better odds. Some of her friendly professional competitors include other well-known New Jersey athletes, like Ajeé Wilson (no relation) from Neptune Township and Olivia Baker from South Orange. 

Just recently to sharpen the iron, she ran 2:00 again at the elite Drake Relays in Iowa.
Allie Wilson’s career first began to spark with the Monmouth Hawks under coaches Chris Tarello and Joe Compagni. For the first time during her senior year in 2018, she qualified for the NCAA Championships. Only one year later, while earning her MBA at Monmouth in 2019, she joined the All-American club with a 5th place finish at NCAAs in a time of 1:59. 

Even in college, representing a lesser known Division 1 school like Monmouth University, she has always been used to being overlooked in the discussion about national title contenders. . 

This critical year she now hopes to qualify again for Team USA at the United States Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, June 21 and earn a plane ticket to Paris, France for the Olympic Games. 

But with this time compared to her attempt in 2021, the odds are much more in her favor. 

When I was a freshman, I had the pleasure of being her teammate on the track team at Monmouth University. 
Wilson exemplifies what it means to be a member of Shore AC: working hard to live out your dreams, giving back to the community to inspire people to give Track and Field a chance, and being humble and kind. 

She also proves what it means to be resilient. In the buildup to the Olympic year, she left the Atlanta Track Club to stay with her coaches, Amy Yoder Begley and Andrew Begley, as they moved to Indiana. This meant being unsponsored leading into an Olympic cycle, a risk that paid off as she was able to train on her own and pull through to win a national championship. 
​
There are many lessons to learn from an inspirational athlete like her. Good luck to all the competitors today, and remember never count out the underdog!