No. 1 BYU secured the Big 12 Championship title on Saturday morning, tallying 56 points to maintain an undefeated streak. The victory marks the fourth consecutive year the Cougars have taken first place at the Big 12 Championships.
Jane Hedengren won the individual conference title for the second season in a row, finishing with a time of 19:28.0. Hedengren, who led the race from the start, finished 10 seconds ahead of Oklahoma State's Billah Jepkirui. Her performance was 4.5 seconds faster than her previous time on the same course during the Cowboy Jamboree.
BYU finished nine points ahead of No. 3 West Virginia, which was projected to win the title by the XCRI. The host, No. 7 Oklahoma State, finished in third place with 116 points, followed by Colorado in fourth with 117 points.
The BYU scoring group included senior Taylor Rohatinsky, who placed 11th, and Lexi Goff-Thompson, who finished 12th. Other BYU scorers were Taylor Lovell in 15th, Nelah Roberts in 17th, and Karrie Baloga in 19th.
Head coach Diljeet Taylor expressed pride in the team's depth and noted the group's focus on preparing for the upcoming NCA
As. Hedengren stated that the race provided great data for the season and noted the enjoyment of racing in the rain.
The Cougars have won the conference championship meet every year since joining the Big 12 Conference in 2023. All 10 BYU runners finished in the top 35, with five scorers finishing in the top 20.
The Cougars are scheduled to travel to Albuquerque, N.M. in two weeks to compete at the NCAA Mountain Regionals. The women's race is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 13, at 11 a.m. MST, followed by the men's race at 12 p.m. MST.
