It was her first time competing as a college freshman in the 10,000m on Friday at the Stanford Invitational at Cobb Track and Angell Field. And with just one race, Jane Hedengren already ignited her outdoor track season with her 30:46.80 finish, the fastest time in NCAA history, breaking the record set by Parker Valby two years ago.
It was an exciting race, with the reigning 10k NCAA outdoor champion Pamela Kosgei (New Mexico) on the BYU athlete’s heels, seconds ahead of the rest of the competition by the two-mile mark.
Hedengren made her move with two laps to go, surging away from Kosgei, who finished in 30:49.
This is the second NCAA record Hedengren, a freshman, set. She holds the indoor 5000m record of 14:44.79, making her the holder of three school records now.
She recently broke the meet and facility record for the women’s 3,000m race at the Big 12 Track and Field Championship in Lubbock, Texas, finishing in 8:46.11.
At the Stanford Invitational, Edna Chelulei finished the race in third place on Friday in 31:33.57, followed by Jadyn Keeler in 31:56.03, Jenna Hutchins in 32:01.02 , and Diana Cherotich in 32:19.06.
Photo: Jane from her high school win at NXN-Photo by: Ken Martinez