FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Carter Cutting became the 13th BYU men's Indoor National Champion in history after clocking a 3:58.94 win Friday afternoon at the Randal Tyson Track Center.
The junior is the first Cougar to win an indoor national title in the more than a decade and a half since Miles Batty won the same event in 2011. Cutting, who holds the school record in the event at 3:52.83, came into the national championship race ranked 10th this season. The Wilsonville, Oregon product won his heat in the prelims on Friday before pulling away late in the final to earn his first ever national title.
"I am at a loss for words, winning that race is difficult." distance coach Ryan Waite said, "In a race that requires incredible fitness and tactical acumen Carter made his own luck by running smart and tough. He won because he has always had the mindset of a champion and has always believed in himself and he did all the little things leading up to this race. We did film study and scouting reports for every athlete and every possible scenario. Carter did everything in his power to prepare for this moment and he capitalized."
"I was the underdog, not many people would've picked me to win it" Cutting said of his victory, "I had people in my corner believing that I could do it and instilled that belief in me. I came out here and ran for god and the people around that have supported me."
Ben Barton finished out competition in the heptathlon ending on the podium in fifth overall with a school record setting 6025 points. The Bloomfield Hills, Michigan native became the first BYU athlete in history to score over 6000 points in the event and improved his own school record by 81 points. The All-American senior closed out his final indoor season by finishing third in the 60-meter high hurdles in 7.96 seconds, 13th in the pole vault with a 4.47m/14-8 height and fourth in the 1000-meter with a season-best 2:40.46. Barton now has finished on the podium at the NCAA indoor national championship twice after taking fourth in 2025.
“Coming into this meet I wasn’t sure what to expect out of Ben. Multi-athlete coach Tiffany Hogan said, “He was not at 100 percent during his training the last two weeks. However, he kept putting up quality marks in each event and put himself in a very good position going into the last event. He ran a gutsy race in the 1000m to move up positions and finish fifth. I am proud of how he handled himself over the seven events. I could not be happier.”
Isaac Hedengren and Tayvon Kitchen raced side by side in the 3000m, finishing seventh and ninth. Hedengren and Kitchen traded the lead early before being overtaken by Habtom Samuel of New Mexico. Hedengren, a junior from Provo, finished in 7:49.76, and Kitchen crossed in 7:57.64. The race was not without controversy, as two runners were disqualified after crossing the line, including the would-be champion.
The championship host team Arkansas won the team title and the Cougars rounded out the overall championships finishing in a three-way tie for seventh with Northern Arizona and South Carolina scoring 20 points.
A reair of the entire coverage of the NCAA Indoor National Championships will be available on ESPNU on Sunday, March 15 at 5:00 p.m. MST.
Up Next
The Cougars begin their outdoor track and field season in Saint George at the Utah Tech Invitational on Saturday March 21 at the Greater Zion Stadium.