Jane Hedengren finishes her 3,000 meter race with a smile as she sets an NCAA record with her time. March 14, 2026
BYU’s Jane Hedengren stands at the victory podium, flashing her first place trophy for her 3,000 meter championship win. March 14, 2026
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Jane Hedengren won the 3000-meter with an NCAA Championships record time of 8:36.61 as the Cougars finished fifth overall Saturday at the Randal Tyson Track Center at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Hedengren won the 3000m more than seven seconds ahead of runner-up Pamela Kosgei of New Mexico. The Provo, Utah product led the entire race but pulled far ahead in the final 800m and closed with a 66.97 over the final 400m.
Her performance set a new championship record, dethroning Florida’s Parker Valby’s 8:41.50 from March 9, 2024. Paired with her 5000m title from Friday, Hedengren became the first freshman in NCAA history to claim both the 3000m and 5000m. She is also the first BYU woman to win two individual events at the same championship in program history. The win earned her first-team All-America honors.
Riley Chamberlain earned first-team All-America honors for the second time in her track career in the mile, finishing fifth in 4:40.80. The senior finished just 0.74 seconds behind first-place Wilma Nielsen of Oregon.
Chamberlain and Jenna Hutchins also competed alongside Hedengren in the 3000m, where they finished 14th and 15th to earn second-team All-America honors. This is Hutchins’ third time receiving second-team All-America honors in her track career.
BYU finished fifth in the team competition with 27 points. Hedengren scored 20 points for the Cougars. It is BYU’s highest finish in the team standings since placing third in 2009. Georgia won the team competition with 53 points, Oregon finished second with 44, and Illinois and Arkansas placed third and fourth with 42 and 37 points.
Up Next
BYU will open its outdoor season at the Utah Tech Invitational on Saturday, March 21 at Greater Zion Stadium in St. George, Utah.
Carter Cutting became the 13th BYU men’s Indoor National Champion in history after clocking a 3:58.94 win Friday afternoon at the Randal Tyson Track Center.
The junior is the first Cougar to win an indoor national title in the more than a decade and a half since Miles Batty won the same event in 2011. Cutting, who holds the school record in the event at 3:52.83, came into the national championship race ranked 10th this season. The Wilsonville, Oregon product won his heat in the prelims on Friday before pulling away late in the final to earn his first ever national title.
“I am at a loss for words, winning that race is difficult.” distance coach Ryan Waite said, “In a race that requires incredible fitness and tactical acumen Carter made his own luck by running smart and tough. He won because he has always had the mindset of a champion and has always believed in himself and he did all the little things leading up to this race. We did film study and scouting reports for every athlete and every possible scenario. Carter did everything in his power to prepare for this moment and he capitalized.”
“I was the underdog, not many people would’ve picked me to win it” Cutting said of his victory, “I had people in my corner believing that I could do it and instilled that belief in me. I came out here and ran for god and the people around that have supported me.”
BYU baseball
BYU overcame a five-run early deficit to defeat Cincinnati 10-9 and win the first Big 12 baseball series of the year on Saturday afternoon at Miller Park.
After trailing 7-3 through four innings, BYU (9-9) reliever Nate Gray entered the game and held Cincinnati (15-6) scoreless over the next three innings, giving the Cougar offense a chance to score seven unanswered runs to take a 10-7 lead. Lefty reliever Ashton Johnson came on in the ninth and struck out the last two batters he faced to preserve the win for Gray and pick up his first save of the year.
After Gray retired his seventh Bearcat batter in a row in the top of the sixth inning, the Cougars came alive at the plate. Matt Hansen, Painter and Tualau Wolfgramm each singled to load the bases with two outs. Luke Anderson then singled to right center, scoring Hansen and Wolfgramm. Ezra McNaughton doubled deep into right field, scoring both Wolfgramm and Anderson for the Cougars first lead of the game at 8-7.
BYU took the lead for good on Jones’ second home run of the night, this one deep in the left field corner that scored Hansen and gave the Cougars a 10-7 cushion
Cincinnati punched back in the eighth scoring two runs on a single to centerfield that cut the BYU lead to 10-9. Johnson came on in the ninth and struck out the last two batters to preserve the win and give BYU the series sweep.
Up Next
BYU heads to St. George on Tuesday, March 17 to face Utah Tech at 6:05 p.m. MT. The game can be heard live on BYUradio.org and the BYU Radio app with Matt Baiamonte on the call. It will also be broadcast on ESPN+.
