At the Pre-Nationals Invitational, 19-year-old Jane Hedengren didn’t just win her collegiate debut; she obliterated the course record with an 18:42.3 masterclass. Weeks later, she doubled down at the Big 12 Cross Country Championships, storming to an 18:29.60 over 6 km and rewriting yet another course record. One after another, the freshman phenom is tearing down barriers, inching closer to a 40-year-old mark that has stood untouched for generations. But as she surges ahead, a new challenge rises in her path.

For those who may not know, the BYU athlete arrived in Provo already carrying the reputation of a once-in-a-generation recruit. Just a few months earlier, she tore through the Hoka Festival of Miles in St. Louis with a stunning 4:23.50, rewriting the meet’s mile record by a huge margin. Not long after, she dominated the Brooks PR Invitational in Seattle, stopping the clock at 9:17.75 for the two-mile. After breaking the records, the athlete returned to break the record as the first freshman in 40 years to win the NCAA women’s XC title.

Suzie Tuffey remains the only freshman to achieve that record, set back in 1985, and it has stood untouched ever since. However, Hedengren might have a legitimate chance to break it. At the NCAA Regional Cross Country Championships, Jane Hedengren crossed the line in a record-setting 19:06.6 for the 6k, her lead ballooning to a massive 42 seconds over Pamela Kosgei, the reigning NCAA champion in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters.

In Salt Lake City, the damage had been done by the time Hedengren ousted Kosgei earlier in the race. After breaking away, the two were so far ahead that the pack was nowhere in sight. Another kilometer in, the entire narrative flipped: Hedengren didn’t just pull ahead, she dropped Kosgei, hammering out a vicious 13-second gap that ballooned with every stride. By the final turn, the 19-year-old stormed past her opponent to make sure that she grabbed the win.

Across her last three outings, the average margin of victory sits at a ridiculous 37 seconds, and Kosgei isn’t the only top athlete she has defeated. At the Big 12 Championships, Hedengren held off West Virginia’s Joy Naukot, who finished right behind her. For those who don’t know, Naukot placed third in the NCAA 10,000m final back in June and carries a personal best of 31:34. Jane obliterated her by 44 seconds.

“It’s hard to gauge if you’re going all-out when the effort is solo and you’re winning by such a big margin. I think it’s even hard for her to gauge, because I’m asking her the same question: how all-out is that?” said Diljeet Taylor on Jane Hedengren’s career till now, but that’s not the only thing she said about the athlete.

Diljeet Taylor celebrates Jane Hedengren at the NCAA Mountain Regional

Claiming the NCAA Mountain Regional, Jane Hedengren asserted herself as the next big thing in the world of distance running, but her victory was anything but ordinary. Her dominance also secured BYU an automatic berth to next week’s championship meet. With such a performance, it was just palpable that Coach Taylor’s attention was fixed on the freshman, reflecting on the race, she stated, “It probably felt harder and not as rhythmic as maybe some of her races because just the pacing was a little bit different. It was kind of windy out there, and we’re at altitudes, so things are going to feel a little bit harder. But I was pleased with just a good, hard effort eight days out.”

Records exist to be rewritten, and Jane Hedengren looks determined to erase every one that stands in her way. Her former coach, Timpview High School track coach Jaimie Ribera, summed it up best, “She has done everything to prove she’s the best at every distance.” Back when Hedengren crushed the national high school marks in the 5,000 meters (14:57.93) and the mile (4:23.50), the track world realized that she is a prodigy born to break untouched records of years.

With her eyes locked on the target and her coach fully behind her, determined to help her surpass Suzie Tuffey, we might be witnessing history in the making after 40 long years. Given that, what are your thoughts on all the hubbub? Share your opinion in the comments below.