For the first time in seven years, Boise State will send multiple Broncos to compete at the annual NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
This year’s national meet, taking place at the University of Arkansas, will feature Kaiya Robertson and Landon Helms representing the university. Each ranking in the top 10 nationally in their respective events, the pair hopes to bring individual indoor titles back to the program for the first time since 2009.
Despite capturing an outdoor title as recently as 2022 when Kristie Schoffield won the 800 meters, Boise State track and field hasn’t seen an individual indoor championship since Eleni Kafourou’s first-place long jump finish in ‘09.
In Fayetteville, Robertson will run the mile and Helms will take part in the heptathlon. The senior duo will be the first Broncos to compete in those events since 2019 and 2012, respectively.
Qualifying for the NCAA championships, in any event, is no easy feat.
Athletes must rank among the top 16 nationally in their respective events, edging out thousands of other title-hungry competitors.
The two qualifying Broncos rose to the occasion, finishing in the top 10 nationally and breaking program and conference records in the process.
The broken records aren’t just symbols of program excellence — they also reflect personal growth.
Helms and Robertson didn’t just break records. They topped their own marks, raising the bar higher with each performance and surpassing records they had already set themselves.
Helms captured his second consecutive heptathlon title at the Mountain West Indoor Championships on Feb. 28, finishing with 5,964 points and ranking eighth nationally. His score broke the conference championships record in addition to the program record, which he set at his season opener in Spokane.
Heading into Arkansas, Helms’ goals are clear.
“To me, it just feels like the job’s not finished,” Helms said when asked about his record-breaking performance that sent him to the NCAA Indoor Championships. “Now, I’m going after the Mountain West all-time record.”
Robertson qualified in the mile after finishing the season with the sixth-fastest time in the country. Her time is the fastest in Boise State history, beating her own previous record by four seconds
Robertson first shattered three-time national champion Allie Ostrander’s mile time record at last year’s Don Kirby Invitational, finishing with a time of 4:33.69. She continued to shave time and improve on her mark before running a 4:24.51 and setting a new program best to close the regular season at the 2026 edition of the same tournament.
Robertson discussed how her approach to a championship meet compares to her approach in the regular season.
“It’s way different,” she said. “[Championship racing] is kind of just jogging until the last 400 meters, so it always becomes a sprint finish. It’s very much based on where you’re at with 400 meters to go, whereas in] the regular season meets, you kind of just get on the line and run as fast as you can. Championship racing is a lot more mental and you have to be ready for that.”
Robertson will be the first Bronco to compete in the indoor mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships since Alexis Fuller in 2019. Helms, on the other hand, is the first Bronco to compete in the heptathlon at the national meet since 2012 and just the second in program history.
The 2026 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships will take place at the Randal Tyson Track Center at the University of Arkansas from March 13-14. With both Broncos set to begin competition on Friday, they continue to make their final mental and physical preparations before heading south for shots at titles.
Head coach Pat McCurry’s praise for his team after the Mountain West Indoor Championships echoes the sense of confidence and pride he, Robertson and Helms are carrying as they head into Fayetteville.
“I’m really happy with the progress and this meet showed that for both our men’s and women’s squads,” McCurry said. “I’m grateful for the fight our athletes showed. We asked a lot of them over the last three days, and they wore the jersey proudly and showed up every time.”
