The BYU Cougars women’s track and field team finished as runner-up at the Big 12 Championships on May 17, led by Jane Hedengren’s victory in the 5000-meter race at Drachman Stadium in Tucson, Arizona.
The team’s strong performance is significant as it highlights the depth of talent among its athletes and their ability to compete closely with other top programs. Texas Tech claimed the championship title with a total of 119.5 points, while BYU followed with 108 points. Arizona, Iowa State, and Baylor completed the top five teams.
Hedengren won the 5000 meters by nearly 25 seconds with a time of 15:26.94, setting a facility record and earning ten points for her team. Senior Jenna Hutchins placed third in that event, finishing in 15:53.41. Teammates Taylor Lovell, Taylor Rohatinsky, and Carmen Alder also reached the podium by finishing sixth through eighth place.
In other events, five Cougars combined for twenty points in the 1500-meter final; Hedengren took third place with a time of 4:10.24—the seventh-fastest mark in program history—while Alder finished fourth (4:12.55), Carlee Hansen-Thompson fifth (4:12.96), Hutchins sixth (4:13.41), and Rohatinsky seventh (4:13.66). Kali McEuen set a school record in the women’s 400-meter hurdles by finishing fourth with a time of 55.88 seconds—becoming the first Cougar to break fifty-six seconds in that event.
Other notable performances included Tessa Buswell’s runner-up finish in the women’s 800 meters (2:06.23), Kaiah Fisher’s fourth-place discus throw (53.67 meters/176-1), McEuen’s sixth-place finish in the women’s 100-meter hurdles (13.17 seconds), and Paje Rasmussen taking eighth place in the women’s 200 meters (23.32 seconds).
With several athletes reaching personal or school records during this competition, BYU demonstrated both individual excellence and overall team strength as they closed out their appearance at this year’s conference championships.
