Carter Morton Photo by Sue Rieder

Dave Paulsen is the Director of Track & Field at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. A former Panther runner himself, Paulsen talked with Raccoon Valley Radio about 2020 Greene County High School graduate Carter Morton of Jefferson. Last week, Morton, a sixth year senior for the Panthers, became an NCAA Division I All-American in the heptathlon for the second straight year. He has the outdoor season to compete with the Panthers, then his collegiate career will be over.

Paulsen told Raccoon Valley Radio Carter is always coaching his teammates, so that’s a path available to him, as is continuing as a heptathlete/decathlete. “I think the future is there if he wants to pursue the decathlon and continue to train, compete in the USA Championships with aspirations to be a professional decathlete when it’s all said and done. I definitely think he has the skill set for that, not just physically, but mentally, to make that happen. The decathlon is one of those things you have to do a lot of work on your own. You’ve got to put in a lot of work when nobody’s watching, and he does that and does it well!”

Carter is the son of Chad and Deb Morton of Jefferson.