Carter Morton of Jefferson, the 2020 Greene County High School graduate, has done what no other male athlete from the Jefferson-based track & field program has done. Morton, a fifth year athlete at the University of Northern Iowa, has qualified for the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships March 14-15 in Virginia Beach, VA. Morton is one of just 16 qualifiers in the seven event Heptathlon and he’s one of just two from a school not from a Power Four (Big 10, Big 12, ACC, SEC) school. He’s the son of Chad and Deb Morton of Jefferson.

Morton goes into the two day competition at 5,807 points, the 10th highest point total of the 16 qualifiers, which he set at Nebraska in early February. Morton did not compete in the Heptathlon at the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships March 2-3. The UNI coaching staff felt confident that the score would hold up and qualify for the NCAA’s, which it did. Instead, he entered four events, at the conference meet, winning three of them, placing fifth in the other, and taking home Outstanding Male Field Event Performer honors, as well as Outstanding Male Athlete of the Meet.

Morton is UNI’s first male NCAA Indoor qualifier since 2022 and the first in the Heptathlon since 2013. His high school coach was his Dad, Chad.