BYU freshman Jane Hedengren set the NCAA record in the 10,000 meters at the Stanford Invitational on Friday.
Less than a month after she claimed the NCAA indoor titles in the 5,000 meters and 3,000 meters, Hedengren ran the 10,000 meters in 30:46.80, breaking the record Parker Valby set in 2024 by almost four seconds.
Friday’s race marked Hedengren’s debut in the distance and her first collegiate outdoor race. Hedengren told Erik Boal Sports afterward that she’s “open to anything” when it comes to running new distances.
“Just whatever coach feels good about, I wanted to try. I absolutely love trying new things. I just want to represent every time and have some fun,” she said.
New Mexico’s Pamela Kosgei finished three seconds behind Hedengren for second place (30:49.99), also breaking Valby’s record.
“She’s incredible honestly,” Hedengren told Boal of Kosgei. “It’s just really special to be out here, kind of trade miles and having that element of teamwork, especially in a race as long as a 10K.
“It honestly felt like we were out there at practice for the first three, four miles or so, just trading off the pacing duties like you would in practice, and yeah, she’s incredibly inspiring and it’s been fun to compete against her.”
Hedengren finished with an almost 47-second lead over the heat’s third-place finisher, Eastern Kentucky’s Edna Chelulei (31:33.57).
The BYU freshman is now the seventh-fastest American all-time in the distance, according to DyeStat.
Hedengren now ranks in the top 15 all-time among American women in four distances, according to USTFCCCA. She is 10th in the mile, 14th in the 3,000 and second in the 5,000.
Four months before Hedengren’s 10,000-meter debut, two-time Olympian Kara Goucher told the Deseret News in December that she could see Hedengren representing the U.S. in the 10,000 meters at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“We’ve never seen her run a 10,000. I think there’s a lot of room for growth for her, and she can run so many different events,” Goucher said.
Hedengren has dominated in her freshman season at BYU. In addition to Friday’s 10,000 meters, she placed second overall at the NCAA cross-country national championship, set the NCAA indoor 5,000-meter record and claimed national indoor titles in the 3,000 and 5,000 meters.
“There’s no one comparable to her in my mind,” Goucher said. “She’s just head and shoulders above anything I’ve ever seen before.”
Hedengren wasn’t the only BYU Cougar to win their race at the Stanford Invitational Friday.
Junior Raygan Peterson won the 3,000-meter steeplechase with the eighth-fastest time in program history (9:55.03), according to BYU.
Senior Taylor Lovell won the 5,000 meters in 15:15.46, shaving over 45 seconds off of her personal best for the third-fastest time in program history.
Senior Carmen Alder added a third win for the BYU women after running a 4:08.56 in the 1,500 meters for the fourth-fastest time in program history.