LEXINGTON, Ky. – Junior distance runner Lottie Chappell set a new program standard with the fastest 1500m time in school history at 4:14.92 on Thursday evening at the NCAA East First Round. This marks her first career school record to complement her five top-five program marks set across the 2025-26 season.
Chappell claimed one of the final 48 spots in the field after her 4:16.53 time at the Penn Relays. The time was the second-fastest Tech mark, just 0.19 seconds off the program record.
The junior lined up in the second heat of the race and paced herself through the first three laps. On the final trip around the oval, she gained ground on the main pack and made two overtakes before sprinting home as the new program leader in the women’s 1500m.
The new program time now stands at 4:14.92, the first-ever women’s 1500 time under 4:15 for the Yellow Jackets. Chappell overtakes Nicole Fegans’ five-year hold of the program record which stood at 4:16.34.
Chappell placed 19th overall and 10th in the fastest heat of the session. She etched her name in several sections of the record book this season, recording indoor top-five times in the 800 and mile along with the third-fastest indoor DMR mark. She also ran the fastest outdoor 800 time since 2002 for the Jackets while earning the 1500 outdoor program crown.
The Tech runners will continue tomorrow with program-record holder Billy Carlton and Matt Castronuovo racing in the 3000m steeplechase at 5:40 p.m. before Taylor Wade competes in the 5000m event at 8:10 p.m. The meet will be available to stream on ESPN+ with live results online.
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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