NEW ORLEANS – Jane Hedengren earned a spot on The Bowerman preseason watch list, as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Wednesday afternoon.
The Bowerman, named after legendary track and field coach and Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman, was first awarded in 2009 and is presented annually to the top male and female collegiate track and field athletes.
In her collegiate track debut Dec. 6, Hedengren clocked a 14:44.79 in the indoor 5,000-meter, shattering the previous indoor record set by Alabama’s Doris Lemngole in 2024. The freshman became the first woman to break 14:50, and her time ranks as the 10th-fastest 5000m by an American and the 11th-fastest in world history.
The Provo, Utah product is the first freshman included on the preseason watchlist since Mondo Duplantis of LSU in 2019. Hedengren becomes the fourth BYU woman to make the list, joining Lacey Bleazard (2010), Whittni Morgan (2020) and Courtney Wayment (2021/22).
The Bowerman Preseason Watch List
| Athlete | School | Year | Events |
| Silan Ayyildiz | Oregon | Senior | Mid-Distance |
| JaMeesia Ford | South Carolina | Junior | Sprints |
| Grace Hartman | NC State | Senior | Distance |
| Jane Hedengren | BYU | Freshman | Distance |
| Axelina Johansson | Nebraska | Senior | Throws |
| Alyssa Jones | Stanford | Senior | Jumps/Sprints |
| Pamela Kosgei | New Mexico | Sophomore | Distance |
| Doris Lemngole | Alabama | Junior | Distance |
| Amanda Moll | Washington | Junior | Pole Vault |
| Hana Moll | Washington | Junior | Pole Vault |
The preseason watch list is voted on by members of The Bowerman Advisory Board, who select their current top 10 among collegiate track and field athletes. A total of eight watch lists are released during the season.
To view the full release, visit the USTFCCCA website.