EUGENE, Ore. – Junior distance runner Billy Carlton punctuated his incredible steeplechase season with another 3000m program record on the opening night of the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Carlton now sits over 2.5 seconds clear of the next fastest Tech time.
The junior emerged as one of the nation’s best in the event early with a program record time of 8:38.49 before securing his first-ever conference podium finish in third place and was named to the All-ACC First Team. Carlton ran the race of his life and extended his program record time with an 8:36.97 to punch his ticket to his first-ever trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
He lined up across the line for the second heat of the semifinals, aiming to finish among the fastest runners in the sport. Carlton stayed within distance for the opening half of the race; all his first four complete laps were run under 1:10.
Carlton saved his best for last, running a 1:05.41 on the bell lap, coming across the line at 8:36.88. He improved on his mammoth of a program record by 0.09 seconds and claimed 10th overall in the heat, 18th overall on the night.
His 18th-place finish was just one place off Zach Jaeger’s 17th-place performance in 2023 of 8:47.94. The pair are now the only two Tech runners to compete in the 3000 steeplechase national semifinals.
Tech completes the 2025-26 track and field season with four new program records and 17 total top-five performances set across the campaign. The Jackets claimed two ACC bronze medals with Kendall Ward’s indoor high jump performance alongside Carlton’s outdoor steeplechase bronze. Both athletes were named to the All-ACC First Team with sophomore Aaron Jones earning second team honors in the 400m hurdles.
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
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