To say Jane Hedengren had a week to remember would be an understatement.
On Thursday, the running sensation from Timpview High in Provo, Utah, broke the U.S. high school and U.S. under-20 record for the 5,000 meters by completing the event in 15:13.26.
Three days later, the senior BYU commit shaved more than a second off the previous U.S. high school mile record (4:27.97) by running a mile in 4:26.14.
Hedengren’s record-setting performances came at Nike Indoor Nationals in New York City, where she competed alongside top high school runners from across the country.
Even though her competition was fierce, she ran solo for most of her record-setting mile, pushing herself rather than being pushed by others, according to Runner’s World.
“I just wanted to keep it hard the whole time,” Hedengren said after Sunday’s event. “Sometimes you can let up on the pace a bit and not realize it, so I really wanted to keep my foot on the gas and come through with a really hard effort.”
She added that, heading into the Nike Indoor Nationals, she had been gunning for the 5,000-meter record, but that the mile record was a surprise.
“I’m just stoked, lots of momentum going forward,” Hedengren said, per Runner’s World.
Jane Hedengren’s big year
Hedengren’s achievements in New York City add to an already-impressive résumé.
This fall, she won the 5A state cross-country title in Utah, the Nike Cross Southwest regional title and the Nike Cross National title.
She won each of those cross-country races by more than 40 seconds, as the Deseret News previously reported.
For these efforts and others, Hedengren was named the 2024 Nike Cross-Country Girls National Player of 2024.
She is also the reigning Deseret News female athlete of the year.
Hedengren signs with Nike
On Monday, FloTrack announced that Hedengren has signed an NIL deal with Nike, noting that Nike described the signing as part of its effort to “expand the sport for the next generation.”
“Being part of the Nike family means a lot to me,” Hedengren said about the deal, per FloTrack. ”I get to represent the best innovative products while being with a supportive and winning group.”
Diljeet Taylor, the associate track and field director at BYU, coaches one of Nike’s distance running clubs.