BYU freshman Jane Hedengren earned a pair of Big 12 yearly cross country awards, the conference announced Thursday.
Hedengren won both the Big 12 women’s cross country runner of the year and the newcomer of the year.
She is the first freshman to win women’s runner of the year in Big 12 history, and the first BYU runner to win both awards, according to the conference.
BYU claimed three of the four yearly women’s cross country awards with head coach Diljeet Taylor winning her third consecutive women’s cross country coach of the year award.
Taylor and BYU won the program’s third conference title and finished as the national runner-ups this season.
Texas Tech’s Lily Mather won the remaining award for women’s scholar-athlete of the year.
For the Big 12 men’s cross country awards, Oklahoma State’s Brian Musau won runner of the year, Iowa State’s Meshack Kimutai won newcomer of the year, TCU’s Brayden Schick won scholar-athlete of the year and Oklahoma State’s Dave Smith won coach of the year.
A look at Jane Hedengren’s freshman cross country season
In addition to being a national runner-up with BYU, Hedengren was the national runner-up for the individual title.
“I’m looking forward to years ahead of me to keep building and to keep working and learning and failing and just getting back up again,” Hedengren said after nationals.
Hedengren won the first three of her four collegiate races this season (Pre-National Invitational, Big 12 championship and NCAA Mountain Regionals), setting a course record at Pre-Nationals and the conference record later at the Big 12 conference championship.
She earned both All-American and All-Big 12 honors this season.
On Monday, Hedengren was also named as a finalist for the Cross Country Honda Sport Award alongside teammate Riley Chamberlain.
They’re the first BYU women runners to be named finalists since Whittni Orton in 2021, according to BYU. Alabama’s Doris Lemngole and Florida’s Hilda Olemomoi are the other two finalists for the award.
The winner will be a finalist for the collegiate woman athlete of the year award and join the Class of 2025 Honda Cup, according to the Collegiate Women Sports Awards.
Hedengren will make her collegiate track debut in the 5,000-meter Saturday at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener in Boston.