Quincy Wilson, a senior at Bullis School, committed to continuing his track and field career at the University of Maryland on Monday night, the next step in a journey that already includes an Olympic gold medal and multiple U18 world records.

He announced his decision on the Citius Mag YouTube channel. Wilson first picked up hats for UCLA and South Carolina, trying each on before discarding them. With Texas A&M, Maryland and the University of Southern California left in front of him, he cut into a cake to reveal his decision.

At Maryland, Wilson will join a program that has produced six Olympians. Coach Andrew Valmon is a two-time Olympian and coached the U.S. team at the 2012 Olympics.

“Quincy is a generational athlete who has the upside to continue to thrive at the top of our sport,” Valmon said in a statement. “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.”

To help develop his talent, Wilson’s family decided to move from Virginia to Gaithersburg so he could attend Bullis, a school with a record of producing top track and field athletes. Masai Russell, a fellow 2024 Olympian, graduated from the school in 2018, and Wilson’s cousin Shaniya Hall, who ran at the University of Oregon, graduated in 2020.

Wilson first made waves in the track world in 2023, when he won the indoor title at the New Balance Nationals, a top high school meet, as a freshman. That race, his coach Joe Lee said on the YouTube stream, changed everything.

“He wasn’t even in the camera shot at 200 meters,” Lee said. “Then something amazing began to happen. He tilted that little head back, he started running, his little arms started flapping everywhere and all of a sudden he started closing the gap. Now all of a sudden I’m like, ‘OK, well it’s going to be a respectable finish now at least.’ But he wasn’t satisfied with just finishing respectfully, he came to win.”

Later that season, Wilson finished second in the outdoor race. Wilson entered 2024, Lee said, without the Olympic trials on his agenda. Quickly they became a real possibility for him. Then, at just 16 years old, he was suddenly in contention.

That summer, Wilson placed sixth in the 400-meter final at the trials. That finish earned him a place on the 4x400 relay team, and he became the youngest-ever member of a U.S. men’s Olympic track and field team.

“Everything happened so fast we almost didn’t have time to catch our breath,” Lee said. “That wasn’t a part of the plan three months ago, yet here we are, in Paris.”

At the Games in Paris, Wilson ran the leadoff leg in the qualification heats, doing enough to help the team qualify for the final. The U.S. team won gold, and while Wilson did not race in the final, he still earned a medal for his qualifying contribution. He is the youngest track and field gold medalist in Olympic history.

Since the Olympics, Wilson has lowered his U.S. high school and U18 world records in the 400 meters to 44.1 seconds.

He also returned to football this season, a sport he stepped away from to focus on making the Olympic team. Wilson played wide receiver and safety, helping Bullis win the Interstate Athletic Conference football title earlier this month.