BYU men’s track and field will participate in five events at the NCAA Track and Field Indoor National Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas on March 13-14.
The event is significant for BYU as several athletes have achieved top national rankings this season, with some setting school records and earning conference honors. Their performances throughout the indoor season have positioned them among the leading collegiate athletes in the country.
Ben Barton will represent BYU in the Heptathlon, beginning with the first half of events on March 13 and concluding on March 14. Barton, an All-American senior from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, recorded a season-best score of 5,818 points at the Penn Elite Invitational and previously finished fourth at last year’s national championships. He is also the reigning Big 12 champion in the outdoor Decathlon.
Carter Cutting will compete in the mile preliminaries after breaking BYU’s school record twice during this indoor season. Cutting ended his regular season with a time of 3:52.84 at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational, ranking him tenth nationally. Creed Thompson is set to run in the 5000-meter event after finishing eighth nationally last year and recently becoming Big 12 champion in the 3000-meter race.
Tayvon Kitchen joins Thompson in both distance races. Kitchen set a new BYU freshman record and was named Big 12 outstanding freshman after running a time of 13:19.17 in the 5000 meters and achieving third place nationally among freshmen for his performance in the indoor 3000 meters. Isaac Hedengren will also compete in the 3000 meters after improving his personal best by over fifteen seconds this season.
The Distance Medley Relay (DMR) squad qualified for nationals with an altitude-adjusted time of 9:18.97 at Colorado Last Chance Meet, ranking eleventh nationally.
With multiple athletes ranked among national leaders and holding conference titles or records, BYU aims to make a strong showing at this year’s championships.
