The BYU Cougars have reason to celebrate, as two of their athletes clinched national championships at the 2026 NCAA Indoor Championships held in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Freshman Jane Hedengren made history by securing her second individual title in as many days, winning the women’s 3,000-meter final. This remarkable achievement was matched by Carter Cushing, who claimed the men’s mile title.
Hedengren’s performance in the 3,000 meters was nothing short of spectacular. Her winning time of 8:36.61 not only shattered the previous meet record held by Parker Valby but also cemented her place in BYU history. Having already triumphed in the 5,000 meters on Friday, Hedengren became the first female athlete from BYU to capture two individual NCAA titles at the same championship event.
Reflecting on her dual victories in a post-race interview, Hedengren described it as a “big privilege” to have competed in both the demanding 5,000m and 3,000m races. She elaborated on the unique challenge of balancing the desire to celebrate a recent win with the anticipation of an upcoming event. “I feel like right after the 5K it’s kind of weird because you’re in this interesting spot where you got another race coming up, but you also want to celebrate the race that just happened,” Hedengren explained. “It’s a delicate balance, but I’m just grateful it was able to wrap up the way it did and now it’s time for some downtime and some celebration.”
Hedengren’s dominance was evident throughout the 3,000-meter race. She led from start to finish, effectively racing against herself in the final 800 meters. She crossed the finish line with an impressive seven-second lead over the second-place finisher, Pamela Kosgei of New Mexico, who clocked in at 8:43.86. In a moment that captured the joy of her victory, Hedengren was seen smiling and playfully tugging on her singlet to display the BYU logo as she completed her historic run.
Other notable performances in the women’s 3,000 meters included Utah junior Erin Vringer, who finished 11th with a time of 8:57.27. Hedengren’s teammates, Riley Chamberlain and Jenna Hutchins, secured 14th and 15th place, respectively, with times of 9:07.20 and 9:13.35. Prior to the race, Hedengren was the Big 12 runner-up and held the second-fastest time in the NCAA for the event at 8:34.98. She trailed only Alabama’s Doris Lemngole, who unfortunately withdrew from Saturday’s competition due to a persistent foot injury.
Carter Cushing, a junior, also achieved a significant milestone by winning the men’s mile title. He took the lead halfway through the race and maintained it to finish with a time of 3:58.94. Cushing narrowly edged out George Couttie of Virginia Tech by a mere 0.36 seconds to secure the first NCAA title of his collegiate career. This victory marked a historic moment for BYU’s men’s track and field program, as Cushing became the first BYU male athlete to win an NCAA indoor individual title since Miles Batty achieved the same feat in the mile 15 years ago.
BYU Indoor Championships: Additional Athlete Performances
The success of Hedengren and Cushing was complemented by strong performances from other BYU athletes at the championships:
- Women’s Mile: Riley Chamberlain, who holds the NCAA mile record, finished fifth in the women’s mile with a time of 4:40.80.
- Heptathlon: Senior Ben Barton achieved a personal best in the heptathlon, securing fifth place with a total of 6025 points.
- Men’s 3,000 Meters: In a dramatic men’s 3,000-meter race, Isaac Hedengren finished seventh and Tayvon Kitchen placed ninth. The duo were instrumental in setting a fast early pace, taking turns leading the pack for the first half of the race. The latter stages of the competition were intense, culminating in a photo finish and subsequent disqualifications. New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel was initially declared the winner but was later disqualified, as was Taha Er Raouy of Eastern Kentucky, for contact on the final turn. Colin Sahlman of Northern Arizona, who was leading at the time of the contact, was ultimately named the champion.
Team Standings
In the overall team scores, the BYU women’s team tied with Arkansas for fourth place. The BYU men’s team secured a tie for seventh place alongside Iowa and Texas A&M.
