Carter Morton earns First Team All-American status in NCAA decathlon

EUGENE, Ore. --- One of the most decorated track and field careers by a UNI Panther came to a close on Thursday night as Carter Morton closed out his collegiate career at historic Hayward Field with a sixth place finish in the decathlon at 2026 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Earning First Team All-American status in Oregon with a UNI and Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) record 7,972 points, Morton, who finished in the top three in four of ten events, concludes his career with Northern Iowa as a three-time All-American in the multi-event competitions, along with a pair of school records and multiple MVC individual championships. A full list of Morton's career accolades are listed below.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Morton kicked off the ten-event marathon on Wednesday with a 19th place showing in the 100-meter dash in 11.18 second. In the long jump, the Jefferson, Iowa native put together a strong showing with a second-place finish after leaping for 24' 4 ¼" on his third and final attempt.

After throwing for a career-best 44' 10 ¾" on his final attempt to take ninth in the shot put, Morton placed third in the high jump after clearing 6' 10 ¾". Rounding out the opening day of action, he would clock a season-best time of 49.87 seconds in the 400-meter dash, finishing in 19th place.

Day two of competition began in strong fashion as Morton ran a career-best 14.71 seconds to take 12th overall and first in his heat in the 110-meter hurdles. After throwing for 122 feet even in the discus, Morton would put together strong performances back-to-back in the pole vault and javelin with top-three finishes in both events. In the pole vault, Morton cleared 16' 1 ¼" before throwing a career-best 195' 2" on his first javelin toss to position himself for a top-eight finish heading into the final event. Closing out the decathlon, Morton roared across the finish line with an 11 second time drop and personal best time of 4:36.28 to finish ninth in the event.

Morton's 7,972 total points top his all-time career-best score of 7,882 points by 90 points, a mark set competing unattached in 2025. The redshirt senior also broke the MVC record by 86 points, previously set by Wichita State's Hunter Veith in 2017.

MORTON'S CAREER ACCOLADES

2x NCAA Indoor First Team All-American (2025, 2026 heptathlon)
2026 NCAA Outdoor First Team All-American (decathlon)
4x First Team All-MVC Outdoor
3x First Team All-MVC Indoor
9x MVC indoor individual champion
2x MVC outdoor individual champion
3x MVC indoor team champion
2021 MVC outdoor team champion
2026 MVC Outdoor Men's Most Valuable Athlete
2026 MVC Outdoor Men's Most Outstanding Field Athlete
2x MVC Indoor Men's Most Valuate Athlete (2023, 2026)
2x MVC Indoor Men's Most Outstanding Field Athlete (2025, 2026)
6x MVC Men's Field Athlete of the Week
MVC Men's Track Athlete of the Week (Jan. 21, 2022)
USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week (Dec. 15, 2025)
2x USTFCCCA First Team All-American Indoor
UNI and MVC heptathlon record holder (6,054 pts)
UNI and MVC decathlon record holder (7,872 pts)

UP NEXT
Katy Stephens and Joey Perry will conclude the 2026 outdoor track and field season for UNI on Friday and Saturday as both athletes compete in the NCAA heptathlon.

Action begins with the 100-meter hurdles at 1:45 p.m. CT followed by the high jump, shot put and 200 meters on Friday. Saturday's action kicks off at 4:30 p.m. CT with the long jump, javelin and 800 meters. Live coverage of the meet can be found on ESPN+.

2026 NCAA DIVISION I DECATHLON FINAL RESULTS

Ben Barton (BYU) - 8,169 pts
Kenneth Byrd (Louisville) - 8,160 pts
Luuk Pelkmans (Illinois) - 8,079 pts
Ryan Gregory (Long Beach State) - 8,001 pts
Emil Uhlin (Kansas State) - 7,996 pts
Carter Morton (UNI) - 7,972 pts
Edgar Campre (Miami-FL) - 7,870 pts
Joshua Mooney (Connecticut) - 7,869 pts
Cole Wilson (High Point) - 7,855 pts
Dorian Charles (Kansas State) - 7,764 pts
Maximus Tucker (Georgia) - 7,727 pts
Michael Bennett (Duke) - 7,494 pts
Steven Schmidt (Oklahoma State) - 7,479 pts
Zach McGlynn (North Dakota State) - 7,430 pts
Blake Harris (Texas A&M) - 7,407 pts
Easton Hammond (Texas State) - 7,360 pts
Keith Orona (CSU Fullerton) - 7,270 pts
Paul Olson (North Dakota State) - 7,185 pts
Seth Johnson (California) - 6,643 pts
John Swabik (Kansas) - 6,587 pts
Maxwell Forte (Duke) - 5,921 pts
DNF. Andreas Hantson (Illinois)
DNF. Tomeko Cates (Washington)
DNF. Jip DeGreef (Illinois)

CARTER MORTON - 2026 NCAA DECATHLON RESULTS

FINAL SCORE - 7,972 pts (6th Place)

19th | 100m - 11.18
2nd | Long Jump - 24' 4 ¼"
9th | Shot Put - 44' 10 ¾" [Career-best]
3rd | High Jump - 6' 10 ¾"
19th | 400m - 49.87 [Season-best]
12th | 110m Hurdles - 14.71 [Career-best]
22nd | Discus - 122'
2nd | Pole Vault - 16' 1 ¼"
3rd | Javelin - 195' 2" [Career-best]
9th | 1,500m - 4:36.28 [Career-best]

KATY STEPHENS & JOEY PERRY - 2026 NCAA HEPTATHLON SCHEDULE

Friday, June 12

1:45 p.m. CT - 100m Hurdles
2:45 p.m. CT - High Jump
4:45 p.m. CT - Shot Put
8:43 p.m. CT - 200m

Saturday, June 13

4:30 p.m. CT - Long Jump
3:45 p.m. CT - Javelin
8:43 p.m. CT - 800m

UNI track and field action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Track and Field), X (@UNITrackFieldXC) and on Instagram (@uni_tf_xc). Schedules and rosters, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.

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