It wasn't the final result BYU freshman Jane Hedengren had hoped for in the final event of the season.
After dominating for much of the season, Hedengren fell well short in the NCAA Nationals, finishing 9th overall in the 5,000-meter race and falling well short of the immaculate standard she had set for herself with BYU.
"Kind of mixed emotions," Hedengren said following the 5,000-meter event. "I feel like I wanted to keep an open mind after coming into the final heat today. After the 10k, I've been i got an illness on friday of last week, and I've been bedridden for much of the last week and didn't do much. Coming off that 10k, I thought that would be the kind of stimulus I needed to feel a little bit better in this 5k."
But Hedengren slipped down the order, far from the standard she would hope to reach in an event of this magnitude. She was one of just three runners in the top 11 to not post a personal best in the championship heat, with a 15:22 pace and a ninth-place finish. That was good enough for a 9-second gap to the first-place runner, Marion Jepngetich.
For reference, Hedengren's personal best for a 5,000-meter run is 14:44.
"I was feeling a little bit better coming into today, but I think my body didn't quite have it today. People were better than me today, and that showed."
BYU freshman Jane Hedengren revealed after finishing 9th in the 5,000m that she'd been battling "an illness" since last Friday. Said she tested negative for flu, COVID and strep.
— Sean Walker (@ActuallyDSW) June 14, 2026
"People were better than me today, and that showed." pic.twitter.com/5MuGGfuZw5
An unfortunate result, and one not indicative of her body of work through her first year at BYU. A competitor at her level is never content by chalking up a poor finish to illness, but after a week of limited activity due to illness, it's hard not to imagine that Hedengren was a victim of poor timing above all. Only a freshman, however, Hedengren should be back at nationals in a year's time.
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