CULLOWHEE, N.C. (May 11, 2026) - Nate Hillis saved his best for last.
In the final week of his senior season, Hillis delivered a personal best time in the 3000m steeplechase that included a pass of Furman's Colton Kempney on the final lap of the race to win the ETSU track and field team's first medal of the 2026 SoCon Outdoor Championships, hosted by Western Carolina.
The Knoxville native and Hardin Valley product ran in second for most of the race and was four seconds behind Kempney three-quarters of the way through, but he rallied to close the gap to less than a second with 400 meters left. He took the lead on the final lap with a blistering 1:09.6, the fastest single lap by any runner in the race and claimed the top step on the podium in the setting Cullowhee sun with a final race time of 9:14.53 and beat Kempney across the line by more than 11 seconds.
Hillis is the first Buccaneer to win the men's 3000m steeplechase since Noah Charles in 2019.
In addition to 10 points from Hillis, ETSU also scored three points in the 3000m steeplechase from senior Ben Kenner, who came home sixth with a 9:52.76. Gavin Deery brought home three points with a sixth-place finish in the pole vault, clearing 4.45 meters before bowing out.
In the preliminary races, Conner Overly and Wesley Luisi both advanced to Tuesday in the 800m run. Overly delivered a 1:51.23 with the second fastest time in the prelims, and Luisi was third with a personal best 1:51.39. Milo Willets set the fourth-fastest time in the 400m hurdles with a personal best 54.19, and Theo Curling qualified for the finals with a 57.48 to claim the final spot in Tuesday's race. Deery advanced in the 110m hurdles with a personal best time of 15.25 seconds, and Ben Smith advanced in both the 100m and 200m sprints, scoring a personal best in the former race at 10.70 seconds.
With six of 21 events complete, ETSU is tied with Wofford and VMI for fifth with 16 team points. Samford leads the overall standings with 51, and Furman is hot on their heels with 50.
For more information on ETSU men's track and field, go to ETSUBucs.com.
