NEW ORLEANS – Ben Barton was named the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Association (USTFCCCA) Mountain Region Men’s Field Athlete of the Year following his national title performance, the organization announced Thursday afternoon.
A week after the redshirt senior finished out his final collegiate performance being crowned the NCAA decathlon national champion and setting the No. 2 all-time BYU record in the event, Barton was honored with the title of men’s field athlete of the year for the mountain region. The Bloomfield Hills, Michigan product scored 8,169 points in his performance and was the first Cougar athlete in more than 45 years to win the title in the event.
Barton notably set personal records in five of the ten events that comprise the decathlon, with him taking first overall in three. The All-American, who also helped the 4x400-meter relay group qualify for the national meet, is the first national champion under the stewardship of assistant coach Tiffany Hogan, a three time national champion herself.
Barton ends his collegiate career with his name etched in four spots on BYU's all-time top-10 lists. He holds the school record in the heptathlon and is the only Cougar to surpass 6,000 points in the event. He also ranks No. 3 all-time in the 60-meter hurdles, No. 4 in the indoor long jump and No. 2 in the decathlon. The senior now ranks 207th in the world all-time in the 114 year old event and set the 16th best score in the world this year.
To see the full release, visit the USTFCCCA Website.