Jane Hedengren Makes History As BYU Cruises, Georgia Men Win Pre-Nats

Jane Hedengren Makes History As BYU Cruises, Georgia Men Win Pre-Nats

At the 2025 Pre-National Meet, Jane Hedengren and BYU dominated in her Cougar debut, and the Georgia men raced like veterans as they upset ranked squads.

Oct 17, 2025 by Maxx Bradley
Jane Hedengren Makes History As BYU Cruises, Georgia Men Win Pre-Nats

Our return to Columbia just three weeks later couldn’t have been more eventful. Jane Hedengren delivered a record-breaking collegiate debut, while the men’s race came down to a wild sprint finish.

JANE HEDENGREN MAKES HISTORY IN BYU DEBUT AS COUGARS CRUISE

She’s truly inevitable, and there’s no other way to describe it.

In her collegiate debut, BYU freshman Jane Hedengren — an eight-time high school national record holder and multiple-time North American U20 record holder — delivered an absolute masterclass.

From the opening gun, Hedengren looked composed and in control, settling into the lead pack alongside Clemson’s Silvia Jelego and Tennessee’s Mary Ogwoka. By the 3k mark, the trio had opened a 10-second gap on the field.

One kilometer later, Hedengren broke things open. Her 3:12.9 split over that stretch dropped both Jelego and Ogwoka, who would go on to finish second and fourth, respectively.

From there, it was all Hedengren. She came through 5k alone in 15:36 before stopping the clock at 18:42.3, crushing the previous course record by 25 seconds.

BYU’s depth was every bit as impressive. Over the next 68 seconds, five more Cougars crossed the line, giving Diljeet Taylor’s squad six in the top 10 and eight in the top 25.

The Cougars made it look effortless in the team standings as well, tallying just 25 points to dominate Villanova (170), Missouri (216), and Tennessee (219).

GEORGIA MEN PLAY SPOILER, UPSET RANKED SQUADS IN STATEMENT WIN

After a dominant yet quiet win at the FSU Invite a few weeks ago, the Bulldogs should have already been on everyone’s radar, but after a comfortable victory in Columbia, their presence is officially known.

Georgia started conservatively through the opening 2k, then methodically pulled away from Missouri, building a 16-point cushion by the halfway mark. From there, the gap only widened. The Bulldogs closed it out with a 94–157 win over the host Tigers, while Ole Miss placed third with 183 points.

Ryan Olree (23:21) led the way in ninth, followed by Will Aitken (15th, 23:28), Conner Rutherford (19th, 23:37), and Matias Reynaga (28th, 23:51), giving Georgia four inside the top 30 and a decisive team edge.

The individual race delivered a bit more suspense. Florida’s Kelvin Cheruiyot, Wichita State’s Elkana Kipruto, and Arkansas’ Timothy Chesondin broke away with 3k to go, setting up a dramatic finish. In the final stretch, Cheruiyot edged Kipruto by a single second, 22:44 to 22:45, with Chesondin close behind in 22:49.

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