Jane Hedengren 's captivating freshman cross country season came to an end Saturday at the NCAA cross country championship , where she finished as the individual runner-up behind Alabama's Doris Lemngole.
The BYU women's team, was the reigning champions , also finished second behind N.C. State following strong performances from Hedengren and Riley Chamberlain, who finished fourth.
Following the race, BYU coach Diljeet Taylor found her team and huddled them together.
"You did your jobs. I'm very proud," Taylor said.
Taylor told them their second- and fourth-place finishes were a first for BYU. She then praised their courage and encouraged them to remember "who they are" before they had a team prayer.
As the rest of the team went to greet their supporters, which included BYU President C. Shane Reese , Taylor and Hedengren stayed behind.
Taylor leaned over the barricade, her feet now on its bottom rung, and grabbed her freshman phenom by the shoulders. She told Hedengren to be proud of herself and her efforts and that they're "just going to keep working," Hedengren told reporters.
She later added that "it's a huge privilege to know and love (Taylor) and get to work with her."
Hedengren beat the course record she had set in her debut at the Pre-National Invitational (18:42.30) on Oct. 17, completing the 6,000-meter race in 18:38.9 minutes.
But it wasn't enough to beat Lemngole (18:25.4), who pulled away in the last kilometer.
Many projected Hedengren could take down Lemngole and win the individual title — something only one true freshman woman has done before .
When asked post-race how she felt about finishing second, Hedengren paused before answering.
"I'm proud of my efforts today. I wanted to put myself out there and be proud of that effort," Hedengren said.
Members of the media and team photographers surround the huddle of the BYU women's cross country team at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
The BYU women's team goes for a foggy warm-up run before the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
BYU freshman Jane Hedengren warms-up in morning fog at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
BYU senior Taylor Rohatinsky (150) runs beside Ava Mitchell (281) and Agnes McTighe (280) of Northern Arizona at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
BYU runners Carmen Alder (141), Taylor Lovell (147) and Zariel Macchia (148) run in the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
BYU sophomore Nelah Roberts runs at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. Hedengren finished in second place. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
Runners compete in the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
BYU freshman Jane Hedengren leads early in the race before falling behind Doris Lemngole of Alabama at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
BYU freshman Jane Hedengren, center, starts the race beside senior Taylor Rohatinsky (150) at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. Hedengren finished in second place. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
New Mexico's Habtom Samuel wins the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
New Mexico's Habtom Samuel celebrates while running in a serpentine pattern as he easily wins the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
BYU freshman Jane Hedengren heads through the straightaway headed for a second place finish behind Doris Lemngole of Alabama at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
BYU freshman Tayvon Kitchen led more than half of the 10k race as he looks back at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. Kitchen finished the race in 32nd place. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
BYU sophomore Max Davis runs at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
BYU runner Tayvon Kitchen shakes hands with Fouad Messaoudi of Oklahoma State following the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. Kitchen finished 32nd in the race. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
BYU coach Diljeet Taylor holds up the second place trophy, surrounded by members of her team at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
BYU runners Riley Chamberlain, left, joins Jane Hedengren, center, following the awards ceremony where the team took second place in the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
BYU freshman Jane Hedengren, applauds race winner Doris Lemngole of Alabama, left, during the awards ceremony where Hedengren finished second at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
BYU runner Tayvon Kitchen recovers in the chute as he talks with coach Ed Eyestone following Kitchen's 32nd place finish at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret News
BYU freshman Jane Hedengren, left, hugs teammate Riley Chamberlain (142) as they recover after Hedengren finished second behind Doris Lemngole of Alabama and Chamberlain finished fourth at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
BYU freshman Jane Hedengren, left, awaits teammate Riley Chamberlain (142) as she recovers after finishing in second place behind Doris Lemngole of Alabama at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret News
BYU freshman Jane Hedengren, left, recovers after finishing in second place behind Doris Lemngole, helped at right, of Alabama at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret News
BYU freshman Jane Hedengren, left, approaches the finish line in second place behind Doris Lemngole of Alabama as Lemngole wins the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret News
BYU freshman Jane Hedengren, left, runs behind Alabama's Doris Lemngole before Lemngole wins the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret News
BYU freshman Jane Hedengren, left, runs behind Alabama's Doris Lemngole before Lemngole wins the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo. on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
BYU freshman Jane Hedengren, left, hugs teammate Riley Chamberlain (142) as they recover after Hedengren finished second and Chamberlain finished fourth behind Doris Lemngole of Alabama at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo. on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
She thought she executed her plan for the race "very well."
"I was hoping with putting my best self out there today that I would have a chance at the win," Hedengren said. "I really wanted to chase that in a way that I thought had the best shot of (that), and today for me, I felt like that meant going out and setting the pace and trying to pull myself and others through a fast race hopefully.
"No one else could hang with that pace, but Doris was there today, and that was an awesome fight out there to be with her," she said.
It was a fast race indeed. At Pre-Nationals, Hedengren became the first woman to complete the Gans Creek course in under 19 minutes.
On Saturday, the top 13 women all accomplished that feat.
Hedengren quickly found her way to the front of the pack with Arkansas' Sydney Thorvaldson, Washington State's Rosemary Longisa and Lemngole on the muddy Gans Creek course in Columbia, Missouri, the grass still wet from the previous day's rain.
Following the first 3,000 meters, Lemngole, the defending champ, and Hedengren began pulling away.
Hedengren continued to stick with Lemngole. The two were either side by side or Hedengren just a stride behind.
In the final kilometer, the broadcast on the big screen near the finish line had panned away from the battle for No. 1. When it returned, Lemngole's lead over Hedengren had grown significantly as she kicked on the afterburners, and a wave of "oh no's" and "no's" escaped from the spectators glued to the screen.
Lemngole would finish 13.5 seconds ahead of Hedengren to secure back-to-back individual titles.
Following nationals, Hedengren said she will focus on the upcoming indoor track season and not the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in January.
"I'm looking forward to years ahead of me to keep building and to keep working and learning and failing and just getting back up again," Hedengren said.
BYU's scorers behind Hedengren and Chamberlain were Nelah Roberts in 41st place (19:22.9), Taylor Rohatinsky in 47th (19:29.8) and Taylor Lovell in 55th (19:35.4).
The University of Utah was the only other Utah-based team in the championship and placed 17th.
Utah Valley University senior Morgan Nokes competed individually and finished 23rd (19:10.4), just eight months after giving birth.
The BYU men, who finished 11th, also featured their own strong freshman performance with Tayvon Kitchen leading the pack for roughly half the race.
Kitchen confessed to reporters that that was not his plan and probably not what coach Ed Eyestone wanted.
"But I felt good, and by like 600 meters, I was in the front, and I was like, 'I guess I'm here. Might as well stay here,'" he said.
BYU freshman Tayvon Kitchen looks back at the NCAA cross country championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. Kitchen finished the race in 32nd place. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
Kitchen made rationalizations to keep his position at the front for as long as he did, he said. After 6,000 meters, Kitchen fell back to sixth place and then back to 37th at the 7,000-meter mark. He finished 32nd overall.
"I think I could have raced it a little smarter, maybe not wasted so many gears in the beginning and maybe have been in the pack a little more comfortably," he said. "But, I mean, you got to get used to being in front and doing stupid things at some point, so freshman year is the time to do it."
Kitchen had high praise for BYU's cross country program and fellow BYU freshman Hedengren.
"I will just say that BYU is the place to get good if you want to get good. I mean, Jane's a testament. She was incredible in high school and honestly, even more incredible now. She was second and really incredible," he said.
Kitchen then acknowledged critics' assertion of BYU having an unfair advantage with older athletes who served missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"I think people get confused and think the mission is an advantage with age and stuff, but you don't really get to run on their mission. I think it's a testament — if you go straight to BYU, member or not, (Ed) Eyestone is the right coach, and that's the right team to get really fast," he said.
Behind Kitchen, BYU's scorers were Noah Jenkins in 43rd place (29:08.5, James Corrigan in 94th (29:33.2), Davin Thompson in 99th (29:34.2) and Max Davis in 141st (29:53.8).
No other men's teams from Utah competed Saturday, but Weber State's Peter Visser finished 35th individually and won the men's Elite Athlete Scholar award, which is given to the male student-athlete at the championship with the highest cumulative GPA.
Runners compete in the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Robert Cohen for the Deseret New
