Will BYU freshman Jane Hedengren continue her remarkable long-distance artistry at the NCAA West Regional this week in Fayetteville, Arkansas?
Her performances the past months tell us — absolutely.
This woman will hunt.
Check that, put this athlete on a track and she becomes the rabbit — every hound is chasing her. And they catch her not.
This young star is a running machine. Her ability to maintain speed over distance, achieve an almost indefatigable muscle-oxygen exchange while fueling the pistons of her legs and feet, is, well, a rare human phenomenon.
“In terms of her genetic talent, she’s wired right. ... She moves right mechanically and mentally; she simply has it all together.”
— Former BYU coach Patrick Shane on Jane Hedengren
The Big 12 just named Hedengren Freshman of the Year in track and field after she shattered outdoor NCAA records in both the 5,000-meter and the 10,000-meter. The true freshman clocked a 14:50.50 at the Bryan Clay Invitational, defeating the rest of the competition, eight of whom were professionals, by more than eight seconds in her outdoor 5,000-meter debut.
That time is the 18th fastest in the world and No. 2 in the U.S. She broke Florida’s Parker Valby’s previous record by more than a second.
Humility plus drive
On Hedengren’s maturity, work ethic, talent, humility and drive, her coach Diljeet Taylor told the Deseret News, “Just with her maturity, her work ethic, her natural God-given gift, her humility, her desire to always want to improve and work hard to get better — you just put all of that stuff together and you end up with something we rarely get to see.” Taylor coined the term “Jane-rational talent” for her.
In her first-ever collegiate 10,000-meter and first outdoor race of her college career at the Stanford Invitational, Hedengren ran a 30:46.80 to win by more than three seconds and broke an NCAA record in the process. In this race, she broke Valby’s previous mark by almost four seconds. Her time ranks as No. 1 in the world and is the seventh-fastest time ever by an American.
At the Big 12 championships, the former Timpview High star won the 5,000-meter in 15.26.94 and crossed the finish line nearly 25 seconds ahead of the rest of the competition. She also finished the 1,500-meter in 4:10.24. She did not run the 1,000-meter.
Taylor told John Ortega of Track & Field Informed, “It’s humbling how hard she works. She always wants to continue to get better, even when she is notably notches above most of the competition. ... That’s just a character of a high-level athlete, and she is one-of-one.”
Taylor focuses on long-term foundations for sustainability.
Watching Hedengren do all this is retired BYU women’s head track and cross-country coach Patrick Shane. It was Craig Poole and Shane who established BYU’s first cross-country program in 1980. Shane retired from BYU in 2016.
Shane is very familiar with the Hedengren family, having coached Jane’s father, John. Her brother, Isaac, is currently on BYU’s track team, and her uncle, Alan, ran for the Cougars.
Over the years, Shane said you have to be cautious with your enthusiasm coaching young women in what they do early in their careers. Bodies change, many sometimes lose interest in the sport and get on with other interests, and they sometimes fade.
Breaking the mold
But this isn’t Jane Hedengren.
“You can be hopeful, but as Jane came along and time played out, she has turned out to be a generational rare talent of the likes we probably haven’t ever seen,” said Shane.
“And that includes Olympians. And of course, there’s a lot of water that needs to go over the dam or under the bridge before fruition comes. But the thing that I like best about Jane is the way she approaches her skill set, her work, her running. And a lot of that, I’m sure, has to do with her dad and how he’s done it himself, and how he and his wife have raised her and the rest of their children.”
Hedengren has a “perfect mental approach” to handling and keeping her perspective of what’s important in life, where running fits in and how she manages all of it. “That’s rare,” said Shane.
What is it about this young freshman that allows her to run so fast for so long at such an impressive speed?
“Well, it’s a lot of things,” said Shane.
“First of all, she inherited the right parents. You can’t be that good without great genetics. And if you look at the other children, they are talented too. They can all run. None of them are as good as Jane and she’s better than her dad ever was. Relatively, he competed against men and she competes against women, but at a national level, she has shown she is one of the best.”
Shane said the children get their mitochondria — the endurance part of the body — from their mother. “She gets good stuff from her mother, Sarah.”
Between John and Sarah, Shane said Jane hit the lottery.
“In terms of her genetic talent, she’s wired right. I call it wiring,” Shane said. “She moves right mechanically and mentally; she simply has it all together.
“Literally, it’s a generational talent, and if she can keep things going, stay healthy, keep things in perspective and have fun, who knows? She seems to be doing that. There’s just all this excitement watching her, and you don’t want to get ahead of yourself on all of this, but it sure looks good,” said Shane.
Gaining perspective
NBC analyst and two-time Olympian Kara Goucher said Hedengren’s talent is rare, like that of former world record holder sprinter Usain Bolt.
On her uniqueness: “There’s no one comparable to her in my mind. She’s just head and shoulders above anything I’ve ever seen before,” said Goucher, who compared Hedengren’s dominance and living up to hype to the Jamaican Bolt, noting her trajectory at a young age and continued improvement.
“There’s nothing that I’m not impressed with, honestly ... I don’t think she’s anywhere near her limit yet. Everything she does has just been incredible.” Goucher highlighted Hedengren’s dissatisfaction with anything less than her best and her potential to be “the best in the world.”
Here are NCAA women’s indoor distance records (key highlights):
- 5,000-meter: Current record is 14:44.79 by Jane Hedengren (BYU) on Dec. 6, 2025, at the BU season opener in Boston. This shattered the prior mark of 14:52.57 by Doris Lemngole (Alabama, 2024) by nearly 8 seconds. Hedengren became the first collegian under 14:50 and also holds the outdoor collegiate 5,000-meter record (14:50.50). Her time ranks as the second-fastest U.S. indoor performance all-time.
- 3,000-meter: Current record is 8:31.39 by Doris Lemngole (Alabama) on Feb. 1, 2026, at Millrose Games. Hedengren holds the American collegian mark at 8:34.98 (same meet). Earlier, Katelyn Tuohy (NC State) had a strong mark of 8:35.20 (2023). Vicki Huber (Villanova) held a notable historical standard around 8:37.25 (late 1980s).
- Mile: Current record is 4:20.61 by Riley Chamberlain (BYU, 2026). This reflects rapid improvement in middle-distance as well.
Context on progression: The women’s 5,000-meter record saw a major leap in late 2025 with Hedengren’s debut collegiate track race. Prior marks hovered in the high 14:5x to mid-15:0x range in recent years, with Lemngole’s 14:52.57 standing out before being broken. Historical benchmarks include Vicki Huber’s contributions in the 1980s. The event has become faster with better training, nutrition and shoe technology.
The women’s 10,000-meter semifinals are Thursday night in Fayetteville.
Hedengren did it indoors; now it’s her challenge to repeat that title in the wind under the lights
Stay tuned.
The Jane Hedengren file
At BYU
- NCAA records (collegiate all-time bests): indoor 5,000-meter: 14:44.79
- Outdoor 5,000-meter: 14:50.50
- Outdoor 10,000-meter: 30:46.80
- Indoor Track (2026): Set NCAA indoor 5,000-meter record of 14:44.79.
- Ran second-fastest collegiate indoor 3,000-meter (8:34.98).
- Won Big 12 3,000-meter title.
- Swept NCAA indoor titles in 3,000-meter (8:36.61, meet record) and 5,000-meter (15:00.12).
- First freshman to do so, and first BYU woman with two individual NCAA titles at one meet. Outdoor Track (2026): Won Big 12 5,000-meter title (15:26.94, facility record, won by around 25 seconds).
Before BYU
Set nine national high school records including indoor and outdoor mile, 2-mile and indoor and outdoor 5,000 meters.
- 2024-2025 Gatorade National Girls Player of the Year
- 2025 Track & Field New High School Girls Athlete of the Year
- 2025 Coros Outdoor Athlete of the Year
- 2024 Nike Cross Nationals Champion
- December 2024 USATF Athlete of the Week
