Ben Barton After Winning the NCAA National Championship: Best All-Around Athlete in College Sports

Fresh off winning the NCAA decathlon national championship, Ben Barton joined Y’s Guys to reflect on one of the greatest accomplishments in BYU track and field history. Ben became BYU’s first NCAA decathlon champion since 1981, achieving a goal he had spent years pursuing. Despite the magnitude of the accomplishment, he admitted the victory did not fully sink in until the following day because of the physical and emotional exhaustion that comes from completing ten events over two days. Ben shared the emotional story behind the championship, explaining how his wife Clara and their newborn son Will were major sources of motivation. With Will born just weeks before the NCAA Championships, Clara made sacrifices to help Ben prepare, even encouraging him to prioritize rest and recovery during the final weeks before the competition. Ben became emotional discussing the phone call home after winning the national title and expressed deep gratitude for Clara’s support throughout the journey. The conversation also touched on Ben’s faith, his BYU experience, and what comes next. Ben explained that representing BYU and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was one of the primary reasons he chose to compete in Provo. Looking ahead, he plans to apply to dental school while helping with BYU sports camps and spending more time as a husband and father. The interview concluded with a fun round of rapid-fire questions, where Ben revealed that he listens to Christmas music before competitions and considers “Chariots of Fire” his favorite sports movie. #BenBarton #BYUTrack #BYU #GoCougs #NationalChampion #Decathlon #TrackAndField #BYUSports #EdEyestone #CougarNation #RedmondReLyte #YsGuys #LDS