BYU freshman Jane Hedengren, left, hugs teammate Riley Chamberlain (142) as they recover after Hedengren finished second and Chamberlain finished fourth behind Doris Lemngole of Alabama at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo. on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
Krysyan Edler
Tad Walch
By Krysyan Edler, Tad Walch
Krysyan is reporting from the NCAA Division I cross country national championship in Columbia, Missouri.

The BYU women’s team and freshman sensation Jane Hedengren each finished second at the NCAA cross country championships on Saturday in Columbia, Missouri.

Hedengren completed the 6,000-meter course in 18:38.9, 13 seconds behind Alabama’s Doris Lemngole, who won the individual title for the second straight year.

BYU’s Riley Chamberlain finished fourth.

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Members of the media and team photographers surround the huddle of the BYU women’s cross country team at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
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The BYU women’s team goes for a foggy warm-up run before the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
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BYU freshman Jane Hedengren warms-up in morning fog at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
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BYU senior Taylor Rohatinsky (150) runs beside Ava Mitchell (281) and Agnes McTighe (280) of Northern Arizona at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
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BYU runners Carmen Alder (141), Taylor Lovell (147) and Zariel Macchia (148) run in the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
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BYU sophomore Nelah Roberts runs at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. Hedengren finished in second place. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
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Runners compete in the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
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BYU freshman Jane Hedengren leads early in the race before falling behind Doris Lemngole of Alabama at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
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BYU freshman Jane Hedengren, center, starts the race beside senior Taylor Rohatinsky (150) at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. Hedengren finished in second place. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
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New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel wins the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
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New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel celebrates while running in a serpentine pattern as he easily wins the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
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BYU freshman Jane Hedengren heads through the straightaway headed for a second place finish behind Doris Lemngole of Alabama at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
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BYU freshman Tayvon Kitchen led more than half of the 10k race as he looks back at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. Kitchen finished the race in 32nd place. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
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BYU sophomore Max Davis runs at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
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BYU runner Tayvon Kitchen shakes hands with Fouad Messaoudi of Oklahoma State following the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. Kitchen finished 32nd in the race. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
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BYU coach Diljeet Taylor holds up the second place trophy, surrounded by members of her team at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
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BYU runners Riley Chamberlain, left, joins Jane Hedengren, center, following the awards ceremony where the team took second place in the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
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BYU freshman Jane Hedengren, applauds race winner Doris Lemngole of Alabama, left, during the awards ceremony where Hedengren finished second at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
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BYU runner Tayvon Kitchen recovers in the chute as he talks with coach Ed Eyestone following Kitchen’s 32nd place finish at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
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BYU freshman Jane Hedengren, left, hugs teammate Riley Chamberlain (142) as they recover after Hedengren finished second behind Doris Lemngole of Alabama and Chamberlain finished fourth at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
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BYU freshman Jane Hedengren, left, awaits teammate Riley Chamberlain (142) as she recovers after finishing in second place behind Doris Lemngole of Alabama at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
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BYU freshman Jane Hedengren, left, recovers after finishing in second place behind Doris Lemngole, helped at right, of Alabama at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
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BYU freshman Jane Hedengren, left, approaches the finish line in second place behind Doris Lemngole of Alabama as Lemngole wins the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
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BYU freshman Jane Hedengren, left, runs behind Alabama’s Doris Lemngole before Lemngole wins the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
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BYU freshman Jane Hedengren, left, runs behind Alabama’s Doris Lemngole before Lemngole wins the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo. on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
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BYU freshman Jane Hedengren, left, hugs teammate Riley Chamberlain (142) as they recover after Hedengren finished second and Chamberlain finished fourth behind Doris Lemngole of Alabama at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo. on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New

The defending champion BYU men’s team placed 11th behind champion Oklahoma State.

Hedengren led the women’s race after the first 500 meters and much of the first two kilometers. She raced on Lemngole’s shoulder for most of the next three kilometers.

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Lemngole used a big kick to pull away over the final four hundred meters to win the race.

N.C. State won the women’s team championship for the fourth time in five years with 114 points.

BYU, the defending women’s champion, took second with 130 points. Oregon was third at 153.

Chamberlain took fourth for BYU in 18:47. BYU’s other scoring runners were:

  • Nelah Roberts (36th in the scoring) at 19:22.9
  • Taylor Rohatinsky (41st) in 19:29.8
  • Taylor Lovell (47th) in 19:35.4

Hedengren had been trying to become the first freshman woman to win the individual title in 40 years. N.C. State’s Suzie Tuffey is the only woman to accomplish the feat, in 1985.

Hedengren finished her freshman year just shy of an undefeated freshman season. She dominated her three other races this season.

In her college debut at the Pre-National Invitational exactly a month ago, Hedengren broke the course record by nearly 25 seconds.

Then at the Big 12 championship on Halloween, she broke the Big 12 record time.

At the NCAA Mountain Regionals last week, she won again by 42 seconds over Pamela Kosgei, the NCAA’s reigning 5,000- and 10,000-meter champion.

Habtom Samuel of New Mexico traversed the 10K course to win the men’s individual championship in 28:33.9.

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Comments

The BYU men were led by freshman Tayvon Kitchen, who was 28th in the scoring at 29:01.5.

Kitchen led the meet for much of the first five kilometers. He was at the head of a large pack of runners in a tactical race at the halfway point.

Oklahoma State won the men’s title with 57 points. BYU was 11th with 336 points.

BYU’s other men’s scorers were:

  • Noah Jenkins (35th in the scoring) 29:08.5
  • James Corrigan (78th) 29:33.2
  • Davin Thompson (82nd) 29:34.2
  • Max Davis (113th) 29:53.8
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