SALT LAKE CITY — With questions surrounding her participation in the NCAA’s Mountain regionals for the top-ranked BYU women’s cross country team, Jane Hedengren did what she’s done three times in her semester-long collegiate career, but also most of her life.
She ran, then kept running, and — eventually — won, by a lot.
The fast-rising distance star with nine national high school records added another first-place finish to her freshman season, taking first at the regional meet with a time of 19 minutes, 6.6 seconds Friday at the Salt Lake Regional Athletic Complex.
Her coach is “still learning” about Hedengren as an athlete, a competitor and a person. But Diljeet Taylor said she’s already been impressed by her intentional approach to the sport.
“The things that we wanted to focus on this year is just making sure that we’re doing things the right way, and building a good foundation so that she has a long, sustain able career,” she added. “I feel like we’re working really well together, and it’s been really exciting to watch.
“It’s humbling how hard she works. She always wants to continue to get better, even when she is notably notches above most of the competition in the NCAA. That’s just a character of a high-level athlete, and she is one-of-one. I talk about her being instead of a generational talent, a jane-erational talent. And that’s true; she’s proving that week in, week out. But she’s not focused on any singular result, and looking at the big picture — not just this season or the track season, but 4-5 years down the road, global championships, and building the right foundation to make sure she can show her talents for many years to come.”
Hedengren pulled away from runner-up Pamela Kosgei of New Mexico, who finished second in 19:48.7 to lead the Lobos to a first-place finish in the team title. Ranked No. 8 nationally in the latest coaches’ poll, the Lobos secured one of two automatic bids to next week’s NCAA championships.
GOING TO NATIONALS
The women’s team placed second at NCAA Mountain Regionals today with a score of 47, securing their ticket to Nationals next week. pic.twitter.com/bX5jDQ52Qc
— BYU Track & Field/Cross Country (@BYUTFXC) November 14, 2025
The Cougars likely would’ve been in, regardless of the result, as the reigning champions and No. 1-ranked team in the country. But Riley Chamberlain finished third overall, Taylor Rohatinsky added a top-10 finish, and BYU finished with runners in 1-3-9-16-18 to secure their 11th straight bid to the national meet at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Missouri.
But Hedengren proved that she was in a league of her own, a Jane-erational talent who has never lost a collegiate race — and scarcely trailed. She broke the course record at Gans Creek, finishing in 18:42.30 in her college debut, then added a Big 12 championship record for a 6K race at Rim Rock Farm course in 18:29.60 at the Big 12 championships.
The former Gatorade cross country national runner of the year opened Friday’s race with a steady headwind with an opening split in first at 32:10.9 and never looked back to soar past Kosgei — the current NCAA record holder in the women’s 10,000 meters who won national titles in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters as a freshman — by 42 seconds.
The top two teams from each regional automatically qualify for a team bid to next week’s NCAA championships, along with 14 at-large selections for a 32-team field. That could include No. 22 Utah, which was rode Erin Vringer’s eighth-place finish to fifth in what is likely the toughest regional in the country behind No. 21 Northern Arizona and No. 17 Colorado.
The top-four regional finishes from non-automatic qualifying teams or at-large team selections will also earn a bid to the championships. That will include Utah Valley’s Morgan Nokes, who ran 20:13.0 for seventh (third when removing BYU and New Mexico).
The graduate senior from Boise by way of Utah State won the WAC individual title with her school-record fifth race win of the season a few weeks back. She’s also just over eight months removed from having a baby with her husband, former BYU harrier Joey Nokes.
Utah Valley University’s Morgan Nokes holds her son, Theo, during the awards ceremony at the NCAA Mountain Region cross-country meet at the Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (Photo: Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News)
“I was so excited to have all of my family and friends here, in Utah with this community,” said Nokes, who worked with her coaches even during most of her pregnancy as well as tapering through the national meet. “I just wanted to execute this race, and gain some confidence before nationals.
“I had a good idea that I would be able to go. But I wanted to race like an All-American here so that we can do it in a week.”
And yes, her son Theo will be in Missouri, cheering mom from the sideline with dad.
Taylor, too, will have options for the plane to nationals. Hedengren and Chamberlain are a safe bet. So, too, should be Rohatinsky, the senior from Highland who was BYU’s fourth runner to cross the finish line at last year’s national championship and finish ninth Friday in 20:28.10. Carmen Alder (20:47.30), Lexi Goff-Thompson (20:51.30) and Zariel Macchia (20:51.30) also finished in the top 20.
Nelah Roberts and Taylor Lovell, who finished 10th and 11th respectively at the Big 12 championships, did not race in Friday’s regional.
“These women have been in the program for a while now, and have been part of some really good teams in the past,” Taylor said. “I’m proud of the fact that we’ve had a lot of women in the mix all season long, and there hasn’t been one particular lineup.
“It’s very obvious that Jane and Riley are our 1-2, and I think Roho is a good solid three,” she added. “Hopefully putting the two that we rested today back in there will get a nice pack in the back.”
The BYU men’s team also clinched an automatic bid to nationals, finishing a distant second to New Mexico. Freshman Tayvon Kitchen and Davin Thompson led the Cougars with fifth- and sixth-place times of 30:09.6 and 3:09.7, respectively.
NCAA Mountain RegionalSalt Lake Regional Athletic Complex
Team results
New Mexico, 45BYU, 47Northern Arizona, 76Colorado, 106Utah, 120Air Force, 198Utah State, 206Colorado State, 234Utah Valley, 265Texas Tech, 293
Individuals
Jane Hedengren, BYU; 19:06.6Pamela Kosgei, New Mexico; 19:48.7Riley Chamberlain, BYU; 19:52.8Hayley Burns, Northern Arizona; 20:01.5Judy Rono, New Mexico; 20:11.1Ava Mitchell, Northern Arizona; 20:12.4Morgan Nokes, Utah Valley; 20:13.0Erin Vringer, Utah; 20:23.5Taylor Rohatinsky, BYU; 20:28.1Marion Jepngetich, New Mexico; 20:37.0