The Brigham Young University (BYU) men’s track and field team has qualified seven entries for the 2026 NCAA Indoor National Championships, which will take place at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Freshman Tayvon Kitchen secured places in both the 3000-meter and 5000-meter events. Kitchen finished the regular season ranked third nationally in the 3000m and twelfth in the 5000m. He set a new BYU school record with a time of 7:36.23 in the 3000m, making him the fastest true freshman to compete in that event at the NCAA level. He also finished second overall at the Big 12 Championships in the same event and recorded a time of 13:19.17 earlier in the season to qualify for the 5000m.
Carter Cutting qualified for the mile after breaking BYU’s school record twice during the season, finishing with a time of 3:52.84 and ranking tenth nationally. Cutting, a junior from Wilsonville, Oregon, is also expected to participate in the distance medley relay (DMR).
Isaac Hedengren will join Kitchen in competing in the 3000m after achieving a time of 7:41.48, ranking fourteenth nationally and setting BYU’s third-best all-time mark for that event.
Creed Thompson earned his spot in the 5000m with a time of 13:21.43 at Boston University’s John Thomas Terrier Classic, placing thirteenth nationally. Thompson also won this year’s Big 12 Championship title in the 3000m.
Ben Barton qualified for the heptathlon by scoring 5,818 points at January’s Penn Elite Invite, ranking fifteenth nationwide.
The DMR team earned its place at nationals by posting an adjusted time of 9:18.97—eleventh best nationally—after altitude conversions from their performance at Colorado Last Chance Meet. The relay squad also captured victory at this year’s Big 12 Championship on February 28.
