Beyond the Finish Line: Stories from the 2025 Nike Outdoor Nationals
Hayward Field, University of Oregon | June 19-22, 2025
Every summer, the best high school track and field athletes in America gather in Eugene for a shot at greatness and a chance to take advantage of everything Hayward magic has to offer. But this year? They rewrote the definition of it. At the 2025 Nike Outdoor Nationals (NON), Hayward Field didn't just see fast times, far throws and high jumps - it bore witness to history, and a generation of athletes determined to finish on empty.
And no one embodied that ethos more than Jane Hedengren.
PHOTOS | VIDEOS | RESULTS
Jane Hedengren: The Greatest Final Lap
When Jane Hedengren stepped onto the track for her final high school race, the crowd already knew they were watching a once-in-a-generation athlete. The BYU-bound senior, already owner of multiple national records, lowered her own high school and U20 record in the 3000m, clocking 8:40.03 - a time that put her more than 40 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Blair Bartlett, just 15 years old.
The performance was only the exclamation mark on a historic season. She's the first high school girl to break 15:00 in the 5000m (14:57.93), and she nearly took down Mary Cain's 1500m record with a 4:04.68 split. National records in the mile, 3200m, 2 mile, and indoor 5K - Hedengren didn't just dominate in 2025, she redefined the upper limits of what a high school distance runner can do.
Her resume? It speaks for itself:
- 4:04.68 1500m
- 4:21.81 1600m
- 4:23.50 Mile
- 8:40.03 3000m
- 9:14.65 3200m
- 9:17.75 2 Mile
- 14:57.93 5000m
- 15:50.01 5000m XC
Simply put: thank you, Jane, for forever changing the sport.
Jane Hedengren After 3000m National Record and Final HS Race
Distance Dominance Beyond Hedengren
While Hedengren effortlessly took her rightful position under the spotlight of Hayward, several other distance athletes showcased incredible endurance. Cooper Lutkenhaus, the grade 10 phenom from Texas, continued to build on a historic year. After breaking Michael Granville's nearly three-decade-old national 800m record with a stunning 1:46.26 in Seattle earlier in June, Lutkenhaus entered NON as the nation's top high school runner in his age group. In a loaded Boys Championship 800m final, he dominated with a 1:45.45 - shattering his own national record and winning by over two seconds. His range is impressive, boasting times of 46.30 over 400m, 2:23.57 for 1000m, and 4:06.33 in the mile.
Corbin Coombs, a Wake Track commit, made a strong statement by capturing both the 3000m and 5000m titles with times of 8:03.58 and 14:04.49, respectively. His breakthrough came recently when he broke the elusive four-minute mile barrier at RunningLane - an achievement that established him firmly as one of the top high school distance runners in the country.
As for the mile, the race featured a duel between Quentin Nauman and Evan Noonan, who finished in a close 4:00.52 and 4:00.53. Nauman, a Western Dubuque junior, entered NON riding the momentum of an extraordinary Iowa State Championships performance where he won the 800m, 1600m, and 3200m, while anchoring his team to victory in the sprint medley relay. His ability to break 1:50 in the 800m, 4:00 in the mile, and 9:00 in the 3200m all in one meet is a feat rarely seen in high school. His national title win at the HOKA Festival of Miles in June, with a time of 3:58.65, was the cherry on top.