Pre-Nats XC Women — Hedengren Exceeds Hype With Dominant Debut

Frosh Jane Hedengren (center) blasted off with the pack, soon reached the front and by 2½M was building an enormous lead. (SHAWN PRICE)

COLUMBIA, MISSOURI, October 17 — Jane Hedengren, making a long, sweeping left turn at about 4900m, took a good look over her left shoulder at any possibly pursuers.

There was no one there.

And no wonder. The BYU frosh would cross the 5K mark of the Gans Creek XC Course moments later in 15:36.0. She had just covered the fifth kilo of the 6K Pre-Nationals course in a blistering 3:01.5, increasing her gaping margin over Clemsonâ€s Silvia Jelego from 7.6 to 19.2 seconds.

Every question as to whether Hedengren would make her BYU debut here at Gans, whether she would run steady with her teammates or push hard to win, and whether she would pick up where she left off in June — with the greatest distance campaign a prep girl has ever authored — had been answered with a resounding “YES!â€

The 9-time HS recordsetter would go on to smash the course record in 18:42.3, more than 23 seconds up on Jelego (19:05.8). She had made it immediately clear she would run at or near the lead from the start and went with Jelego when she started to break it open in the second K. Then Hedengren began running purposefully just after 2K (Jelego 6:17.7), alternating the lead with the Kenyan. At about 2M (9:21.7 3K) she took control for good.

It was in that fourth kilometer, though, where Hedengren really showed how good she could be.

Now the Timpview, Utah, grad could hardly be called an NCAA favorite yet, not with the likes of defending champ Doris Lemngole and â€24 runner-up Pamela Kosgei out there (and yet to debut this fall). But anyone who argued Hedengren would rank high among the nationâ€s top 10 NCAA runners right away this fall would appear well vindicated.

Nearly as impressive were Coach Diljeet Taylorâ€s No. 1 defending champ Cougars as a team. Closing hard on Jelego at the end after running a solitary 4th much of the way was Riley Chamberlain, taking 3rd in 19:08.6. Taylor Rohatinsky ran in the top 10 after 2K and finished 6th, while Jacey Farmer, Lexi Goff and Nelah Roberts — all well outside the top 30 at 2K — surged all the way to 7th, 8th and 10th in the end.

Hence, BYU crushed the field with 25 points, 145 ahead of No. 19 Villanova (170). The Wildcats, in turn, had chased host No. 21 Missouri as a team all race long, finally surpassing them in the last K. The Tigers did hold off No. 30 Tennessee, 216–219.

Tennessee frosh Mary Ogwoka, who broke away with Hedengren and Jelego in the second kilo, held 4th (19:27.6) after getting passed by Chamberlain. Libertyâ€s Allie Zealand rounded out the top 5 in 19:40.4, just ahead of Rohatinsky.

Many had hoped to see whether No. 3 Florida could challenge BYU in the team battle, but the Gators — who also ran here in Septemberâ€s Gans Creek Classic — did not run their top 4 and finished just 13th in the 38-team field (though they were top 6 through 4 runners).

And, of course, it goes without saying that at least one or two of the Florida quartet of Hilda Olemomoi, Judy Chepkoech, Tia Wilson and Desma Chepkoech would have battled Hedengren and/or challenged for top 10 individual spots. They ran as a group in the meet here last month, finishing 5-7-8-9 while the Volunteer Ogwoka was 2nd behind Washington Stateâ€s Rosemary Longisa in that earlier meet.

PRE-NATIONALS WOMENâ€S RESULTS

Teams: 1. BYU 25; 2. Villanova 170; 3. Missouri 216; 4. Tennessee 219; 5. Florida State 255; 6. Clemson 286; 7. Boston College 306; 8. Arkansas 309; 9. Liberty 325; 10. Kentucky 330.

Individuals (6K): 1. ***Jane Hedengren (BYU) 18:42.3; 2. **Silvia Jelego’ (Clem-Ken) 19:05.8; 3. *Riley Chamberlain (BYU) 19:08.6; 4. ***Mary Ogwoka’ (Tn-Ken) 19:27.6; 5. **Allie Zealand (Lib) 19:40.4; 6. Taylor Rohatinsky (BYU) 19:41.6; 7. *Jacey Farmer (BYU) 19:45.6; 8. *Lexi Goff (BYU) 19:46.5; 9. ***Monica Wanjiku’ (Mo-Ken) 19:47.9; 10. **Nelah Roberts (BYU) 19:50.5;

11. *Gladys Chepngetich’ (Clem-Ken) 19:50.9; 12. Sydney Thorvaldson (Ar) 19:51.1; 13. Imogen Gardiner (BC) 19:51.6; 14. ***Rylee Blade (FlSt) 19:53.0; 15. *Tilly O’Connor (Vill) 19:55.7; 16. ***Doricah Minsari Isoe’ (Ky-Ken) 19:55.7; 17. *Bieke Schipperen’ (FlSt-Neth) 19:56.1; 18. *Taylor Lovell (BYU) 19:57.5; 19. Nicole Vanasse (Vill) 19:58.1; 20. ***Zariel Macchia (BYU) 20:00.8; 21. Kyra Holland (BC) 20:01.3; 22. *Josphine Mwaura’ (Ar-Ken) 20:01.6; 23. Carmen Alder’ (BYU-Ecu) 20:02.3; 24. *Ali Bainbridge (Nb) 20:03.9; 25. ***Anastasia Nilsson’ (Ga-Swe) 20:05.1.

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