“She has done everything to prove she’s the best at every distance,” said Timpview High School track coach Jaimie Ribera about Jane Hedengren. When Hedengren smashed the national high school records in the 5,000 meters (14:57.93) and the mile (4:23.50), the track and field world, and her competitors, immediately realized they were witnessing something extraordinary. And even on her very first day as a professional, with a commanding debut at the Pre-National Invitational, Ribera’s words about Hedengren stood true and haven’t wavered: “She’s just getting started.”

So, what actually happened? On October 16th, Jane Hedengren ousted her competition at the Pre-National Invitational in her cross-country NCAA debut. Blazing through the 6K at the Gans Creek Cross-Country Course in Columbia, Missouri, she clocked 18:42.3, a new track record. She added another feather to her crown with this victory. Outpacing elite runners from 37 teams, Hedengren spearheaded the No. 1-ranked Brigham Young University to a commanding win, with just 25 points.

The Cougars continued their dominance in distance running, placing six runners in the top ten, while eight of their runners found their place in the top 20. Even with Hedengren smashing the course record, the top five Cougars finished within just 1:04.2 of each other. When the guns went off, Hedengren immediately asserted herself in the front pack, keeping pace with early leaders Anna Buettner of San Francisco and Clemson’s Silvia Jelego through the opening kilometer.

The athlete blazed through the first 5,000 meters in 15:36 before pushing the pace to a strong finish, crossing the line 23 seconds ahead of runner-up Jelego. In her season-opening victory, she maintained an impressive average pace of 5:00 per mile on the grass. This was quite a start for the former Timpview standout, who had shattered nine high school records earlier this year, with the full backing of her coach and family.

Jane Hedengren’s crew give thier honest opinions on her career

Last month, Nike released a new video putting BYU freshman Jane Hedengren in the spotlight. The six-minute feature included candid interviews with Hedengren, her parents, and her former coach, Jaimie Ribera. “This is such a gift, and I just want to see how far I can take it,” Hedengren said. Her father, John, recounted how they recognized Hedengren’s potential for distance running early on—back in sixth grade, when she set her sights on breaking her elementary school’s 1600-meter record and began preparing to do just that.

“You see a kid going after a big goal, a big dream. Even though she got discouraged, she got back up,” he said. Chiming in on the topic, Jaimie Ribera came forward to state that, “She has done everything she needed to do to prove she is the best at every distance.” Her performance this season has been astounding, with a number of wins, including the 2025 Deseret News High School Sports Female Athlete of the Year, Gatorade’s National Girls Track and Field and Cross Country Player of the Year honors, and the coveted title of Female High School Player of the Year at the ESPYs

“It means a lot,” she told the Deseret News following her ESPY win. “I think, coming into this year, there’s a lot more that happened than I initially had anticipated, and so I was just really grateful that I was able to stay healthy and work hard and enjoy the process and kind of see what was capable for this year.” With her NCAA debut ticked off, the athlete is just getting started, and we have yet to see her full potential. Regardless, what are your thoughts on her?