Records? What records? Nothing survives when 19YO Jane Hedengren picks up the pace. After a jaw-dropping debut at the Pre-Invitational with her 18:42.3, she nearly toppled Doris Lemngole at the NCAA Women’s XC, her first loss in years. But how long can you keep a phenom from her throne? At the BU Season Opener, Hedengren struck back, rewriting history and smashing Shalane Flanagan’s 5000m mark.

Not only did Hedengren clock 14:44.79 in her debut, becoming the youngest American woman to run under 15:00, but her performance was also the #2 all-time indoor performance by an American woman. But here’s the catch: she has ousted veteran runner Shalane Flanagan with her recent record.

Flanagan’s all-time best over 5,000 meters indoors stands at 14:44.80, which means Hedengren now holds a razor-thin 0.01-second edge over the decorated veteran. She earned three World Cross Country bronze medals and claimed Olympic silver in the 10,000 meters at the 2008 Beijing Games.

Jane Hedengren’s 14:44.79 now stands as the 11th-fastest indoor 5000m performance in world history.

“This season, there’s been a lot of growth, and I think there’s still so much to build on, lots of gratitude approaching this race and this season, and I’m excited to keep working,” Hedengren told Nia Gibson on the  broadcast after the race.

The BU Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener became the stage for Jane Hedengren’s redemption. Just two weeks after her shocking setback in Cross Country, Hedengren delivered a historic response. At the season opener, she demolished Doris Lemngole’s NCAA indoor 5000m record of 14:52.57, stopping the clock at 14:44.79.

In addition to that, the athlete broke Parker Valby’s all-time collegiate record of 14:52.18, which the athlete set back at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

“This season, there’s been a lot of growth, and I think there’s still so much to build on, lots of gratitude approaching this race and this season, and I’m excited to keep working,” said Hedengren after the race.

Back-to-back wins? Yeah, that’s generational-talent energy. And it instantly brings to mind what her old coach said about her.

Jane Hedengren’s old coach gives an honest opinion on her advancement

“She has done everything to prove she’s the best at every distance,” said Timpview High School track coach Jaimie Ribera about Jane Hedengren.

Back in September, Nike released an exclusive about Jane Hedengren. The six-minute video had candid interviews with Jane’s parents & former coach, and in that interview, Ribera summed Hedengren’s journey perfectly:

“She’s just getting started.”

“You see a kid going after a big goal, a big dream. Even though she got discouraged, she got back up,” said her father, John.

He realized his daughter had something extraordinary back in sixth grade, when he first noticed her natural distance-running potential. That was the year she set her sights on breaking her elementary school’s 1600-meter record, and immediately began training with the determination of someone who knew exactly where she was headed.

Her season has been nothing short of astounding. She racked up wins across every level, earning 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 ESPY for Female High School Player of the Year. Now, she’s carrying that dominance into the senior ranks as well.