I would say this year’s winner, with that performance, has sealed her position as THE defacto American high-school cross-country G.O.A.T.
Certainly the GOAT performance.
Hard to say what's the best performance ever. Tuohy's Holmdel course record, Fairchild's Balboa Park course record, and Amber Trotter's Foot Locker win are at least as good as Hedengren's NXN win.
I would say this year’s winner, with that performance, has sealed her position as THE defacto American high-school cross-country G.O.A.T.
I would say this was the GOAT xc race by an American HS girl. Absolutely. Even above Melody Fairchild’s Footlocker record.
I wouldn’t say she is the GOAT HS girl, though. She has suffered some notable defeats (due to illness this year, injury last year.) This is the only year she was able to run NXN.
Against the strongest field ever assembled, taking down the course record on a muddy day; she briefly reminded of Jim Ryun out there. She’s now the G.O.A.T.
According to Tullyrunners.com the highest numerical score for any girl in the history of hs cross country was Amber Trotter at 181 followed by Melody Fairchild at 178. Hedengren was course graded at 172 which tied Touhy's graded score for this course though I think she was mid 170s perhaps at Holmdel. This is somewhat of a subjective scale so the GOAT performance is debatable. For guys Dathan Ritzenheim still probably has highest score of all time,
No doubt this was a stunning performance. But I don't think it can be called the GOAT race for all high school girls of all time. It just feels like that because the gap was so big.
But sometimes if you have one athlete who is clearly better, the rest of the field has to accept that and run for second. That certainly also played a role here.
The girls who were in the chase pack knew they were not going to catch Hendengren, so they really were running a separate race. That is why the time difference was so extreme. If they had all been willing to sacrifice their chances for getting on the podium by going after Hendengren, I best the gap would not have been so big.
After all, these other kids are also freakishly good. But they are also smart, so they race the race they were in (which was for second).
In the lead up to the race, I wasn’t convinced on the golf course accomplishment. The Woodward Park all-time record is no joke, and so I thought the high school mile record holder would sit on her and win in a sprint finish. But the rain factored into the actual result, and there is rumbling Englehardt is dealing with an injury, which unfortunately, is part of the sport.
But Jane showed up and delivered on a big day. Against the strongest field ever assembled. Just like that, it happened: she became the G.O.A.T of high school cross country.
Time to see what she can do on the track before leaving high school.
I don’t know how old she is. Hopefully it isn’t a Cade Flatt situation that would diminish the accomplishment.
Against the strongest field ever assembled, taking down the course record on a muddy day; she briefly reminded of Jim Ryun out there. She’s now the G.O.A.T.
Despite what I just wrote three posts up, I'd like to think this was the GOAT. Can you list her other palmares so we can put what she has done into context next to people like Tuohy, Hasay, Fairchild, Cain, Efraimson, etc.
What would you write in one paragraph bio for Hendengren? I know she's run 15:50, so that has to be at the top of the list, right?
p.s. trivia question: can you name the other female BYU runner who broke 16 minutes for XC while in high school?
This post was edited 5 minutes after it was posted.
In the lead up to the race, I wasn’t convinced on the golf course accomplishment. The Woodward Park all-time record is no joke, and so I thought the high school mile record holder would sit on her and win in a sprint finish. But the rain factored into the actual result, and there is rumbling Englehardt is dealing with an injury, which unfortunately, is part of the sport.
But Jane showed up and delivered on a big day. Against the strongest field ever assembled. Just like that, it happened: she became the G.O.A.T of high school cross country.
Time to see what she can do on the track before leaving high school.
I don’t know how old she is. Hopefully it isn’t a Cade Flatt situation that would diminish the accomplishment.
Of course her living at altitude factors into what she accomplished. Duh. But that is what it is.
Against the strongest field ever assembled, taking down the course record on a muddy day; she briefly reminded of Jim Ryun out there. She’s now the G.O.A.T.
Despite what I just wrote three posts up, I'd like to think this was the GOAT. Can you list her other palmares so we can put what she has done next to people like Tuohy, Hasay, Fairchild, Cain, Efraimson, etc.
What would you write for Hendengren? I know she's run 15:51, so that has to be at the top of the list, right?
That race quite likely will go down in lore years into the future. It will take someone special to replace the new G.O.A.T.
Despite what I just wrote three posts up, I'd like to think this was the GOAT. Can you list her other palmares so we can put what she has done next to people like Tuohy, Hasay, Fairchild, Cain, Efraimson, etc.
What would you write for Hendengren? I know she's run 15:51, so that has to be at the top of the list, right?
That race quite likely will go down in lore years into the future. It will take someone special to replace the new G.O.A.T.
At this point, Englehardt is might be backing up thinking, “what can I do to take down the cross-country G.O.A.T on the track?”
That race quite likely will go down in lore years into the future. It will take someone special to replace the new G.O.A.T.
But that is what we said about Hasay and Cain and Efraimson and Tuohy and on and on. It seems like every two years we have a new GOAT. Every other year we have a new jaw-dropping performance. Now, the number of girls who run as fast as Hasay did (in cross) is up into the double digits each year...
In 2028 there might be two dozen girls running sub-16:30 in cross. Nothing would surprise me anymore...
This post was edited 6 minutes after it was posted.
Lol. I will go with a runner who won nxn three times, set multiple course records on storied courses, had higher srs, and who did not lose in three years despite injury. But whatever.
But that is what we said about Hasay and Cain and Efraimson and Tuohy and on and on. It seems like every two years we have a new GOAT.
In 2028 there might be five girls running sub-16:30. Nothing would surprise me anymore...
At the time, Cain arguably was a G.O.A.T., though not sure if that is true in cross-country. Maybe Cain still is the high-school distance/mid-distance G.O.A.T. on the track.
But that is what we said about Hasay and Cain and Efraimson and Tuohy and on and on. It seems like every two years we have a new GOAT.
In 2028 there might be five girls running sub-16:30. Nothing would surprise me anymore...
At the time, Cain arguably was a G.O.A.T., though not sure if that is true in cross-country. Maybe Cain still is the high-school distance/mid-distance G.O.A.T. on the track.
G.O.A.T.s can be replaced
I agree. But if they are getting replaced every two to three years, then something unusual is going on.
Jordan and Gretzky and Phelps don't get surpassed every couple seasons...
Lol. I will go with a runner who won nxn three times, set multiple course records on storied courses, had higher srs, and who did not lose in three years despite injury. But whatever.
NXN was weaker back then. Footlocker still had precedence.
But Nike has continued to pour gobs of money into NXN, and the Newbury Park boys, coached by persona Sean Brosnan, greatly increased the visibility, prestige, and consequent importance of NXN.
Regarding Tuohy, I don’t think any sensible person would think the G.O.A.T. would have any trouble crushing her too, if high-school Tuohy had been on the start line yesterday.
At the time, Cain arguably was a G.O.A.T., though not sure if that is true in cross-country. Maybe Cain still is the high-school distance/mid-distance G.O.A.T. on the track.
G.O.A.T.s can be replaced
I agree. But if they are getting replaced every two to three years, then something unusual is going on.
Jordan and Gretzky and Phelps don't get surpassed every couple seasons...
There is something going on with hs girls. 6-7 years ago very few in a year broke 10:00 or 4:40 and now those lists get long (and 2 now sub 4:30 in same year (same day).
NXN was weaker back then. Footlocker still had precedence.
But Nike has continued to pour gobs of money into NXN, and the Newbury Park boys, coached by persona Sean Brosnan, greatly increased the visibility, prestige, and consequent importance of NXN.
Regarding Tuohy, I don’t think any sensible person would think the G.O.A.T. would have any trouble crushing her too, if high-school Tuohy had been on the start line yesterday.
Seriously, it should be obvious that “higher SR, a made-up metric, is irrelevant.
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