BYU's Jane Hedengren and Taylor Lovell Lead Charge with Ten More National Qualifiers

Jane Hedengren of BYU continues to shine in distance running as she secured her spot in the NCAA Division I Track & Field national championships. After winning the 10,000 meters at the West Preliminaries on Thursday in Fayetteville, Arkansas, she returned to the track on Saturday for the 5,000 meters. The Provo native dominated her heat, finishing with a time of 15:17.93, though she ended up third overall, as Iowa State’s Betty Kipkore and New Mexico’s Pamela Kosgei posted even faster times.

Kipkore’s remarkable performance set a new facility record of 15:14.28, surpassing the previous mark of 15:17.79 set by Mercy Chelangat in 2021. Hedengren will compete in the finals in Eugene, Oregon, from June 10-13, marking the 17th occasion that the national championships will be hosted in the state.

Joining Hedengren in Eugene will be a strong contingent of BYU athletes, including steeplechasers Taylor Lovell and Raygan Dimond, mid-distance runners Carlee Hansen, Tessa Buswell, Kristie Solomon, Carmen Alder, sprinter Paje Rasmussen, and discus thrower Kaiah Fisher. Additionally, Utah's Mackenzie Rogers and Chelsea Amoah earned their spots at nationals on Saturday.

As the meet progressed, a delay occurred due to lightning, which postponed the women's 4x400 relay featuring a BYU team. In the 5,000 meters, BYU's Taylor Rohatinsky and Jenna Hutchins competed but did not qualify for the national stage. In the steeplechase, Lovell excelled, finishing first with a time of 9:38.36, while Dimond secured fourth place, good enough for advancement.

In other events, Hansen and Alder both qualified in the 1,500 meters, finishing eighth and ninth, respectively. Rasmussen qualified in both the 100 and 200 meters, while Fisher's performance in the discus earned her a national berth. Despite strong efforts, other BYU athletes like Kali McEuen and the 4x100 relay teams fell short of qualifying.