LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Georgia Tech men’s and women’s track and field teams closed out the 2026 NCAA East First Round on Saturday afternoon. The Jackets will send an athlete to outdoor nationals for the fourth consecutive season.
Kendall Ward entered the competition as the only Tech competitor to reach the NCAA Outdoor Championships last year after her 1.79m clearance in the high jump. She went on a strong stretch to close out the regular season with three straight appearances with 1.75m+ jumps.
She cleared the opening effort of 1.71m on her second attempt to secure a top-20 spot on the leaderboard. She was unable to clear the next mark after three attempts on the 1.76m height, placing 35th overall.
Ward completes a strong junior season, including a bronze medal performance at the 2026 ACC Indoor Championships for her first-ever conference podium finish.
Tech will return to Eugene, Oregon, for the 2026 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships from June 10-13. Billy Carlton is set to race in the 3000 steeplechase semifinal on Wednesday, June 10, with the opportunity to reach the final on Friday, June 12.
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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