PROVO, Utah – BYU men’s track and field is set to compete in five different events at the NCAA Track and Field Indoor National Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. on March 13-14.
Ben Barton will lead the way for the Cougars competing in the first half of the Heptathlon events in the morning of March 13 and will finish out the rest of the events on the morning of March 14. The All-American senior set the 15th best mark in the event this season after a 5818 point performance at the Penn Elite Invitational in late January. The Bloomfield Hills, Michigan product took fourth at the national championships in 2025 scoring 5898 points and is the reigning Big 12 champion in the outdoor Decathlon.
Carter Cutting will compete in the mile prelims in the afternoon of March 13 after setting the BYU school record twice during the 2026 indoor season. The Wilsonville, Oregon product finished out the regular season with a 2026 season NCAA No. 10 ranked 3:52.84 that he set at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston in February. The Junior improved his personal best time in the event by just under seven seconds this season.
Creed Thompson is set to compete in the 5000-meter in the evening on March 13 having finished the season ranked 13th in the NCAA with a 13:21.43 set at the John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston in late January. The All-American senior finished eighth in the indoor 5000m national championship during the 2025 season finishing in a personal-best 13:19.24, which currently sits as the third best time run by any BYU athlete. The Lehi, Utah native is set to finish out his collegiate indoor career after becoming the Big 12 champion in the 3000-meter earlier this month.
Tayvon Kitchen will join Thompson in the 5000m after setting the second fastest time at BYU with a 13:19.17 performance at the John Thomas Terrier Classic where he finished third overall. The true freshman who was named the Big 12 men’s track and field outstanding freshman and is ranked 12th in the NCAA this season in the event.
The Central Point, Oregon product will also race in the 3000m in the evening of March 14 after setting the No. 9 all-time NCAA record in the event and finishing the season ranked third in division one with his 7:36.23 set at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston. With that performance Kitchen established himself as the fastest true freshman to ever compete in the indoor 3000m and currently holds the BYU school record by nearly five seconds. He was also named the Big 12 men’s co-athlete of the week after setting the record last month and took second at the Big 12 indoor championship in the 3000m just behind Thompson.
Isaac Hedengren will join Kitchen in the 3000m in the evening of March 14 having finished the season ranked 14th in the NCAA this season with his 7:41.48 performance he set alongside Kitchen at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational. The mark currently sits as the third best time by any BYU athlete in the event. The Junior from Provo finished eighth at the Big 12 Championships in the 3000m and has improved his personal best in the event by more than 15 seconds over the course of his BYU career.
The DMR squad qualified after finishing the season ranked 11th in the NCAA this season with an altitude adjusted time of 9:18.97 set at the Colorado Last Chance Meet in late February. The relay group will compete in the evening on March 13.