LEXINGTON, Ky. – Junior distance runner Billy Carlton secured his first-ever appearance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a new program-best time in the 3000m steeplechase event on Friday evening at the NCAA East First Round. Carlton becomes the first male athlete to qualify for the national championships since 2023.
Carlton and Matt Castronuovo raced among the head of the pack through the opening two laps of the first heat before dropping back midway to conserve their pace. The Yellow Jackets stayed patient, keeping distance with the top-five of the heat before the final stretch.
Carlton began to ascend up the leaderboard and crossed the line at 8:36.97 to extend his own program record, finishing 1.52 seconds clear of his previous best set at the Raleigh Relays. The junior claimed one of the final three spots to seal his qualification to the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
He becomes the second male steeplechase runner to qualify for the final round since Zach Jaeger appeared in 2023. Castronuovo finished behind in 27th in his NCAA postseason debut at 8:52.32 with a ninth-place finish in the opening heat.
Taylor Wade also made his NCAA Championships debut on the track, placing 36th overall in the 5000m with a time at 14:18.92.
Tech will finish out the weekend with 2025 NCAA Outdoor National Championship participant Kendall Ward competing in the women’s high jump at 2 p.m. Live results will be available online at Flash Results.
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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