Why Jane Hedengren’s 3000m At Millrose Games Was a Huge Step Forward

Jane Hedengren, the BYU freshman who has quickly become one of the most exciting talents in collegiate distance running, ran 8:34.98 to finish third overall in the Millrose Games women's 3000m and set an American collegiate record (No. 2 overall). The performance was particularly impressive given she hadn’t raced since December.

Kyle Merber: “It’s kind of wild how quickly we’ve raised our expectations for Jane. Going through the results, she’s a freshman and it’s almost like, ‘Aww… Jane didn’t win.’ She’s a freshman! It’s funny how quickly we suddenly make the expectation—oh dang, you didn’t beat all the pros and set the collegiate record on the way.”

Aisha Praught-Leer: “That’s unprecedented, right? We don’t see teenagers—I mean on the men’s side, we do, but it typically takes women a little bit longer to develop—so we don’t often see phenom teens taking down—we don’t see the Cam Myers-types on the women’s side. It takes a little bit longer to develop and to get through the system and to get your legs under you to be able to take down a professional field. So I would say for Jane coming in third in 8:34, that’s an incredible day… I think it’s an important part of development in the sport: learning to process losses. If you think that it’s just going to be great races and wins, then you haven’t been in the sport long enough. This is part of this and it’s also great for the viewers. It builds this Jane and Doris rivalry that’s good for the NCAA and good for the sport overall.”

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