BYU runner Ben Barton hit the gas to win decathlon national championship

BYU track and field (and cross country, by extension) has a long history of excellence on the national scale. Must be something about that whole "run and not be weary" thing, I guess. But the decathlon has not been the Cougars' strong suit during their recent stretch of exceptional performance -- the Cougars hadn't won the multi-event in 45 years before this June's NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

That was until Ben Barton overcame a severe deficit to steal the national title from Louisville athlete Kenneth Byrd, who held a 50-point advantage leading into the final leg of the event: the 1,500 meter race.

Spanning 10 events in two days, the decathlon is all about versatility and consistency. Through nine events, the title appeared to be in Louisville's grasp, just one strong run away from securing the national championship.

"Coach Hogan put me in a really good spot to take the title today," Barton shared following the event. "I made a few mistakes in some areas but was able to make up for it in others and ultimately win it."

Despite being the most numbers-intensive event on the slate, and one that left very little margin for error from its competitors, Barton's objective was clear the moment that the runners stepped up to the line: win the race by a margin of seven seconds or more.

He opted for the "more" route. An excellent choice.

A senior in his final race with the Cougars posted the time of his life, and finished the decathlon with a score of 8169 points, the most since Tito Stiener's title-securing output all the way back in 1981 -- the last time a Cougar took home the national title. Barton's score is second-best in BYU history.

An incredible performance, Barton gave every ounce of effort he could gather in his last hoorah as a college athlete.

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