Burgess, who prepped at Lone Peak and graduated from Oklahoma in the fall after spending two seasons in Norman, will join the Cougars for her final year of eligibility.

The six-foot-two Lehi, Utah native was named an AVCA All-Central Region Honorable Mention for the Sooners last season while also earning an All-SEC Second Team nod.

She tallied 195 kills on a .411 clip, second highest on the team, and recorded 136 total blocks, including 18 solo stuffs, as well. Burgess posted a career-high 11 blocks against Kentucky in 2025.

Prior to OU, she spent two years at Utah, redshirting her 2023 sophomore season. As a freshman with the Utes, Burgess was tabbed the AVCA Pacific South Region Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the All-Pac-12 Freshman Team.

The middle blocker led all Pac-12 freshman in hitting percentage (.376) and blocks per set (1.20), ranking in the top six nationally among freshmen in both categories in 2022.

A three-time state champion at Lone Peak High School, Burgess was a 2021 Second Team AVCA High School All-American and the Deseret News 6A Player of the Year to go along with a pair of First Team All-State selections (2020-21).

The daughter of BYU men’s basketball assistant coach, Chris Burgess, her younger sister, Zoey, is also a middle blocker and currently plays at Arizona State.

Burgess will join Kylie Buttars, Brooke Hardy, Rachel Jepsen and Kaylie Kofe as the fifth member of the Cougars’ 2026 signing class this summer.

Hedengren honored by Big 12

IRVING, Texas – Jane Hedengren was awarded the Big 12 Women’s Outstanding Freshman of the Year honor, the conference announced Thursday afternoon.

Hedengren earned the award after she shattered outdoor NCAA records in both the 5000-meter and the 10,000m. The true freshman clocked a 14:50.50 at the Bryan Clay Invitational, defeating the rest of the competition, eight of whom were professionals, by more than eight seconds in her outdoor 5000m debut. She dethroned Florida’s Parker Valby’s previous record by more than one second.

In her first-ever attempt at the 10,000m and first outdoor race of her collegiate career at the Stanford Invitational, Hedengren ran a 30:46.80 to win by more than three seconds. As she set an NCAA record in the process, she took down Valby’s previous mark by almost four seconds. It ranks as World No. 1 and is the seventh-fastest time ever by an American.

The Provo, Utah product won the 5000m at the Big 12 Championships, crossing in 15:26.94, nearly 25 seconds ahead of the rest of the competition. She also finished runner-up in the 1500m with a 4:10.24.

Hedengren also won the indoor track & field Big 12 Women’s Outstanding Freshman of the Year award. She is set to compete in the NCAA West Preliminary Round on May 27-30.

Kitchen, Cutting top Big 12 honors list

IRVING, Texas – Tayvon Kitchen earned the Big 12 Outstanding Freshman of the Year award and Carter Cutting became the Big 12 Outdoor Scholar-athlete of the Year, the conference announced Thursday afternoon.

Kitchen was selected as the 2026 Outstanding Freshman of the Year after setting the BYU school record in the 5000-meter posting a 13:16.27 at the Bryan Clay Invitation in his first collegiate season. The Central Point, Oregon product also holds the BYU school record in the indoor 3000-meter and the No. 2 all-time BYU record in the indoor 5000m. Kitchen finished as an All-American in his first season of Cross Country in the fall after taking 32nd at the NCAA Cross Country National Championship.

The true freshman adds the award to a resume that also includes his name on a list of seven athletes to ever record a sub four minute mile in the state of Utah. Kitchen qualified for the NCAA Outdoor West Regionals in the 5000-meter with the fifth ranked time among athletes in the west region which is also the fifth fastest time in the NCAA nationally as well since all five of the top national times reside in the west region.

Cutting earned the honors of the 2026 outdoor Scholar-athlete of the year after recording a 3.90 GPA while simultaneously crowning himself the Big 12 1500-meter outdoor champion posting a 3:58.63 win that featured a final 200-meters where the junior overtook nearly the entire field of competition. The Wilsonville, Oregon product is the reigning NCAA indoor national champion in the mile after winning the title in March of 2026.

The junior also holds the No. 8 all-time BYU record in the 1500m and the No. 7 all-time BYU mark in the outdoor 800-meter. He is the school record holder in the indoor mile and goes into the NCAA West Regional meet ranked No. 11 nationally in the 1500m.