BYU’s Jane Hedengren and Riley Chamberlain pulled off career-best performances on Saturday at Boston’s Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener — and made some history while they were at it.
In her first collegiate track race, Hedengren won the 5,000-meter race and set a new NCAA record for the event with a time of 14:44:79 — over 14 seconds faster than runner-up and teammate Chamberlain — to become the first collegiate woman to run sub-14:50, as the Deseret News previously reported.
Hedengren’s time was nearly eight seconds faster than the record previously set by Alabama’s Doris Lemngole in 2024 and is also the second-fastest indoor time posted by an American woman in the event.
On Monday, U.S. Track and Field and Cross Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) named Hedengren the women’s national athlete of the week.
Chamberlain’s performance Saturday is also deserving of attention. Her previous 5,000-meter best — though outdoors — was 15:23.88 at the Bryan Clay Invitational in April.
On Saturday, she shaved 25 seconds off that time to finish 14:58.97 and become the sixth fastest woman in the NCAA all-time.
Chamberlain earned a shoutout from Hedengren in a Monday Instagram post.
“Man what a privilege to be out there with my people. If you didn’t see, Riley broke 15 in the 5K this weekend. She is truly one of a kind. Ri has such a contagious uplifting energy, is always looking to others and puts herself out there every time. Grateful for the opportunity to keep building with her & others,” Hedengren wrote.
Together, Hedengren and Chamberlain’s combined efforts helped the BYU women’s track and field program become the first in NCAA history to have three women run the 5,000-meters in under 15 minutes, according to The Stride Report.
Lexy Halladay-Lowry was the first to do so for BYU, running 14:57.63 on Feb. 1 at the John Thomas Terrier Classic, which is also in Boston.
Halladay-Lowry sits in fifth place on the NCAA all-time list for the 5,000-meters — one spot above her former teammate Chamberlain.
Only one other school, the University of Florida, has had two women run sub-15: Parker Valby (14:52.79) and Hilda Olemomoi (14:52.84), both in 2024.
The top 10 NCAA women’s 5,000-meter all-time list currently stands as the following, per USTFCCCA.
- Jane Hedengren (BYU): 14:44:79
- Doris Lemngole (Alabama): 14:52.57
- Parker Valby (Florida): 14:52.79
- Hilda Olemomoi (Florida): 14:52.84
- Lexy Halladay-Lowry (BYU): 14:57.63
- Riley Chamberlain (BYU): 14:58.97
- Pamela Kosgei (New Mexico): 15:00.36
- Amy Bunnage (Stanford): 15:00.75
- Elise Stearns (Northern Arizona): 15:08.07
- Sophia Kennedy (Stanford): 15:10.71