It was so disappointing to see 8 Kenyans lined up behind Hedengren. NIL etc is killing the development of US female distance runners at the collegiate level.
- LRC Coverage
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2026 NCAA indoor men's sprint preview
March 12, 2026
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- Jane x 2
- Sahlman x 2
- Jane 5k
Jane MF Hedengren. Hedengren takes down Kosgei and Lemngole from the front!! 15:00.11 FTW
College Running
D1
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Fan Out West -> wrote:
And, you underscored my point.
I mentioned past/present superstars in the mile & Steeple.
Should have mentioned Madeline Manning, Kim Gallagher, Raevyn Rogers, and Athing Mu in the 800.
You mentioned all the 10,000 & marathon greats.
But the 5000? Shelby is the only contender for a global medal the US has ever had in this event, yet she still came up 2 seconds short of a bronze. And, she never showed this kind of potential or talent when she was still a teenager at Arizona State. Took her another 10 years or so to get to where she was in Toyko last September.
Tonight, at age 19, Jane showed all the fitness & racing skills necessary to win championships it took Shelby & the other runners mentioned -- save Athing -- years to develop.
Like everyone else, I was stunned by the huge amounts of time Jane took off most of the distance event records her senior year in high school. Continued to be amazed by her fall xc performances followed by her tear thru the college record books this indoor season.
But now? Amazement at seeing Jane break class and age records left and right over the past 12 months has turned to belief she is now one of America's best 5000 runners -- possibly the best at the moment -- and has the potential to win medals on the global stage before her running career is over.
Can't recall thinking that of any other US 5000 distance woman since the 5000 began being contested in WCs & Olys back in the mid-90s.
Yes most of Americas best at 5,000 have been late-bloomers with big improvements around age 24-26 (Monson, Cranny, Schweizer, Houlihan). Granted, all of these athletes didn’t go to altitude as early as Jane (literally born there). But they pretty uniformly exploded after raising mileage to 70-90mpw. The exciting thing for Jane like a young Battocletti is she hasn’t added that element and is still far ahead of numerous women who ran 14:2x. The ceiling here is very high and she has good enough natural speed and is developing her kick. She seems to respond well to training without breaking down too.
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Fan Out West -> wrote:
McRunnin wrote:
I'm happy for Jane, but she's not the first US female distance runner to beat strong African competition . . .
Although US women haven't medaled in the 5k, we've had several do it in the 10k and marathon. . .
And, you underscored my point.
I mentioned past/present superstars in the mile & Steeple.
Should have mentioned Madeline Manning, Kim Gallagher, Raevyn Rogers, and Athing Mu in the 800.
You mentioned all the 10,000 & marathon greats.
But the 5000? Shelby is the only contender for a global medal the US has ever had in this event, yet she still came up 2 seconds short of a bronze. And, she never showed this kind of potential or talent when she was still a teenager at Arizona State. Took her another 10 years or so to get to where she was in Toyko last September.
Tonight, at age 19, Jane showed all the fitness & racing skills necessary to win championships it took Shelby & the other runners mentioned -- save Athing -- years to develop.
Like everyone else, I was stunned by the huge amounts of time Jane took off most of the distance event records her senior year in high school. Continued to be amazed by her fall xc performances followed by her tear thru the college record books this indoor season.
But now? Amazement at seeing Jane break class and age records left and right over the past 12 months has turned to belief she is now one of America's best 5000 runners -- possibly the best at the moment -- and has the potential to win medals on the global stage before her running career is over.
Can't recall thinking that of any other US 5000 distance woman since the 5000 began being contested in WCs & Olys back in the mid-90s.
ESP has had 5k medal potential for the past two years, but she chose to focus on the 1500m after winning the 5k at the US Olympic Trials, and she was on maternity leave last year.
Cain showed great potential as a teenager by winning 3k gold at the world junior championships.
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Fan Out West -> wrote:
McRunnin wrote:
She did a fantastic job of tightening the screws in that last k, going 34.58, 34.12, 33.14, 31.81, and then cruising home in 32.62.
Which is roughly the same strategy Jane used back in December when she ran her 14:44 CR. Followed the rabbits thru 3000 in 8:59 then squeezed down the pace running low 35s then 34s then 33s.
Today, much slower, going thru 3000 in 9:15, kept those mid-high 35s going thru 4000 in 12:13, then the big squeeze down to a couple of 34s, a 33, the 31 back-breaker, then a 32 closer.
Just speculation at this point since she's so young, but Jane & Diljeet seem to have figured out the strategy for Jane to win 5000 championship races.
Let's see if she employees the same strategy tomorrow in the 3000.
That’s the difference between her and Valby: the ability to change pace, which is why she can be competitive at the international level. That finish was a thing of beauty.
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joedlrt wrote:
Fan Out West -> wrote:
Today, much slower, going thru 3000 in 9:15, kept those mid-high 35s going thru 4000 in 12:13, then the big squeeze down to a couple of 34s, a 33, the 31 back-breaker, then a 32 closer.. . .
Let's see if she employees the same strategy tomorrow in the 3000.
That’s the difference between her and Valby: the ability to change pace, which is why she can be competitive at the international level. That finish was a thing of beauty.
Today's 3000 was more a traditional lead-from-the-gun race for Jane. Probably she & Diljeet felt comfortable with that strategy, knowing Doris was a DNS thus Jane had the superior fitness of anyone in the field. Mid-34s from the gun to eventually drop Kosgei by 2200 meters then a couple of 33s just for fun to close out the race.
And, yes, at this point, Jane does appear to be a new, improved version of Parker Valby -- at least the PV we knew from college a couple years back. If Parker can regain her college fitness this spring, would be fascinating to see those two in a race together.
Also, very much enjoy watching & listening to the contrast between Jane's personality and Marco's in their post-race interviews. Calm & composed vs edgy & combative. Good girl vs. bad guy, if you will. Jane's Beatles vs. Marco's Stones . . . for those of you who remember how those two groups were portrayed by the media back in the '60s.
Looking ahead to outdoors, BYU women will be at the Stanford Invite three weekends from now. Then Bryan Clay two weeks later. There are other smaller meets in that time frame but those are the two one would expect where Jane would open outdoors and get her top-48 Regional Q in the 5000.
One lingering question throughout this spring will be, does Jane race USAs at the end of July, or call it a season after NCAAs mid-June to rest up for another attempt at a xc title in November?
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Best freshman seasons (only freshmen with 2 NCAA titles):
1986-87: Suzy Favor XC 2nd, Indoor mile 1st, Outdoor 1500 1st
2024-25: Pamela Kosgei XC 2nd, Outdoor 5000 1st, Outdoor 10000 1st
2025-26: Jane Hedengren XC 2nd, Indoor 3000 1st, Indoor 5000 1st
When you add in the NCAA record in the 5000 and #2 all-time in the 3000, she already has the greatest freshman season ever. And she still has the Outdoor season to come. With Lemngole doing the steeple, the only thing preventing a 5000/10000 double is her choosing to do only one.
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Kchckckhch wrote:
They Really Hate wrote:
In other words you’re fuming because the over age African (real age likely 26) lost. 🤣
If Doris is indeed 26, then she is doing great
How good was Cain by the time she was 18?
How good are Tuohy and Valby at 23?
How is Jane doing at 19 against a horde of Kenyans who are probably in their mid 20s? Just askin’.
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What happened to Lemngole? She didn't really challenge Jane at all. I was happy tro see Jane win but I wonder if Doris was sick or injured since she was a DNS in the 3000.
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I thought Sydney Vaught from Arkansas is all American.
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Djwalk wrote:
What happened to Lemngole? She didn't really challenge Jane at all. I was happy tro see Jane win but I wonder if Doris was sick or injured since she was a DNS in the 3000.
Per FL coaches, managing a sore foot tendon for some time.
Since Doris was great @ Millrose, have to believe the injury started soon after.
Certainly explains her narrow win in the 3000 @ SECs a couple weeks back as well as her NCAA results.
Probably did what she did off a ton of x-training -- but pretty clearly lost quite a bit of her xc fitness.
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THOUGHTSLEADER wrote:
Yes most of Americas best at 5,000 have been late-bloomers with big improvements around age 24-26 (Monson, Cranny, Schweizer, Houlihan). Granted, all of these athletes didn’t go to altitude as early as Jane (literally born there). But they pretty uniformly exploded after raising mileage to 70-90mpw. The exciting thing for Jane like a young Battocletti is she hasn’t added that element and is still far ahead of numerous women who ran 14:2x. The ceiling here is very high and she has good enough natural speed and is developing her kick. She seems to respond well to training without breaking down too.
In 3 summers at the Olympics we will be seeing a new batch of runners on the middle and long distance US team. It won’t be anyone 30 yrs old. Lots of Jane types rising up to the top.
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Fat lady sang wrote:
In 3 summers at the Olympics we will be seeing a new batch of runners on the middle and long distance US team. It won’t be anyone 30 yrs old. Lots of Jane types rising up to the top.
Class of 2024
Mu - 2021 Olympic gold, 2022 World Outdoor gold, 2023 World Outdoor bronze, 2023 Diamond League Final winner
Valby - 2024 Olympic team
Morris - 2026 World XC team, 2026 World Indoor team
Roe - 2025 World Outdoor teamClass of 2025
Congdon - 2025 World Outdoor team
Appleton - 2026 World Indoor teamClass of 2026
Wiley - 2024 World Indoor team, 2026 World Indoor Team, 2023 World Road Race team, 2025 Diamond League finalist
Whitaker - 2024 Olympic team
Willis - 2025 World Outdoor teamClass of 2027
Halladay-Lowry - 2025 World Outdoor team
Napoleon - 2025 World Outdoor team
Hartman - 2026 World XC teamClass of 2029
Hedengren - TBD31 -
Fan Out West -> wrote:
Djwalk wrote:
What happened to Lemngole? She didn't really challenge Jane at all. I was happy tro see Jane win but I wonder if Doris was sick or injured since she was a DNS in the 3000.
Per FL coaches, managing a sore foot tendon for some time.
Since Doris was great @ Millrose, have to believe the injury started soon after.
Certainly explains her narrow win in the 3000 @ SECs a couple weeks back as well as her NCAA results.
Probably did what she did off a ton of x-training -- but pretty clearly lost quite a bit of her xc fitness.
Agreed, sounds like a sensible assessment of Doris' present status. Rolling into outdoors and recalling a low-key road 10k last summer at which Jane clocked an alt conv 31:0X, surely Valby's NCAA 10000m record could fall at The Ten in two wks...if Jane is up for it.
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l'enantiomer wrote:
Agreed, sounds like a sensible assessment of Doris' present status. Rolling into outdoors and recalling a low-key road 10k last summer at which Jane clocked an alt conv 31:0X, surely Valby's NCAA 10000m record could fall at The Ten in two wks...if Jane is up for it.
I hope so. Not much NCAA competition for Jane over 10K. The Ten includes Houlihan, Jess McClain and the silver medalist from World Cross.
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Fan Out West -> wrote:
Djwalk wrote:
What happened to Lemngole? She didn't really challenge Jane at all. I was happy tro see Jane win but I wonder if Doris was sick or injured since she was a DNS in the 3000.
Per FL coaches, managing a sore foot tendon for some time.
Since Doris was great @ Millrose, have to believe the injury started soon after.
Certainly explains her narrow win in the 3000 @ SECs a couple weeks back as well as her NCAA results.
Probably did what she did off a ton of x-training -- but pretty clearly lost quite a bit of her xc fitness.
I'm happy for Jane; she had a fantastic weekend. That being said, Doris being in a walking boot on Saturday certainly adds some important context to the head-to-head 5K results and the Doris-less 3k. Let's see what happens when they next are both 100%.
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1955 wrote:
I'm happy for Jane; she had a fantastic weekend. That being said, Doris being in a walking boot on Saturday certainly adds some important context to the head-to-head 5K results and the Doris-less 3k. Let's see what happens when they next are both 100%.
Yeah, thinking the same.
Possible Doris should not have raced NCAAs. Hope the injury doesn't derail her outdoor season. Jane & she likely wouldn't race each other anyway since they compete in different outdoor events.
Digression: with those long legs of hers, anyone not believe Jane could essentially walk over the hurdles to a sub-9 Steeple?
Presuming Doris does not turn pro, this fall's rematch will likely be the most anticipated NCAA XC championships ever.
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Given the tendon injury Doris might decide not to run the steeple this season and instead run the 5 and/or 10 after some time off.
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ignore
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