Personal
Born in Milan, Italy ... parents are David and Marian Hedengren ... served in the Italy Rome Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ ... married to Sarah Dahneke ... majoring in chemical engineering.
At BYU
1995-CC: Finished third in the WAC Championship meet ... placed 79th at the NCAA Championships.
1996-T&F: Placed fifth in the WAC Indoor 5,000m in 15:20.59 ... finished 3rd at the WAC Outdoor Championships in the 10,000m (31:22.55) and 5th in the 5,000m (15:21.51).
1998-CC: Red-shirted the season.
1999-T&F: Finished 9th in the 3,000m and 12th in the 5,000m at the WAC Indoor Championships ... finished in sixth place at the WAC Outdoor Championships.
1999-CC: Won the Mountain West Conference individual title in 24:38 for the 8K course, leading BYU to the team title ... finished fourth at the NCAA Regional meet in 30:24 for the 10K course ... ran 32:49 at the NCAA Championships ... earned Academic All-Conference honors and was named to the GTE Academic All-America Third Team ... was named MWC Athlete of the Year for his performance at the championship meet.
2000-T&F: Took 3rd in the 3,000m (8:49.28) and 3rd in the 5,000m (15:32.56) at the MWC Indoor Championships ...finished 3rd in the 10,000m with a 32:03.06 at the MWC Outdoor Championships ... selected to the GTE Academic All-America 2nd team for maintaining a 3.95 GPA in chemical engineering.
2000-CC: Top team finisher in four of the six races he entered ... finished 8th at Roy Griak Invitational, finishing the 8K race in 24:41 ... finished second at Mountain West Conference Championships in Fort Collins, Colorado ... took seventh to lead the team to a second-place finish at NCAA Mountain Regional ... earned All-America status for the first time in his career with a 37th-place finish at NCAA Championships ... named to Verizon Academic All-America first team.
2001-T&F: Took second in the 10,000m (30:17.61) at Mountain West Conference Championships ... named Verizon Academic All-American.
2001-CC: Top team finisher in four of five races the team entered ... finished fourth at MWC Championships, earning first-team All-MWC honors for third straight season ... led team to third-place finish at Mountain Regional with a sixth-place finish (31:19) on the 10K course ... top team finisher at NCAA Championships, covering 10K course in 30:18.
Before BYU
Set Richland HS record in cross country and the 300m run (9:00).
2015 BYU Hall of Fame
Success both in athletic competition and the classroom defined the career of 2015 BYU Hall of Fame inductee John Hendengren. An accomplished runner and respected chemical engineer, Hedengren has represented BYU in all aspects of his life.
During his time as a BYU athlete, Hedengren was a catalyst on both the men’s cross country and track teams. He was part of a combined 11 conference championship teams in both cross country and track during his BYU career. He earned first-team All-Mountain West Conference honors in cross country three years in a row, highlighted by a MWC individual title in 1999. The next season he earned NCAA All-America status at the NCAA Championships. In track, Hedengren’s most notable accomplishment came at the 2001 MWC Championships, where he took second in the 10K.
Hedengren was also an outstanding performer in the classroom. He was named a CoSIDA Academic All-America an amazing five times — more than any athlete in BYU history. Hedengren was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team in both cross county and track in 2000. He also garnered Academic All-America Second Team honors in track (2000) and cross county (2002) and Third Team honors in cross country (2000) for maintaining a 3.95 GPA in chemical engineering. At the conclusion of his senior year, Hendengren was awarded the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
After receiving bachelor’s and master’s degrees from BYU in chemical engineering, Hedengren went on to receive a Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Austin. After graduate school, he and his family moved to Houston to work with oil and gas companies on research and development projects. After six years in Houston, Hedengren accepted a position to return to BYU as an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering.
In 2014, Hedengren received the AIChE CAST Division Himmelblau Award, which recognizes an individual or group making new and novel contributions to computer aids for chemical engineering education. He was a 2000 Thrust Fellowship recipient, and he earned a scholarship from 2002-04 at Texas.
Hedengren has continued to run in races since finishing his BYU career. In 2007, he won the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) 10K national championship. Hendengren served a two-year LDS mission in Rome, Italy. He and his wife, Sarah, have five children — Eric, Isaac, Jane, Peter and Susan.
Finished third in the WAC Championship meet...placed 79th at the NCAA Championships.
Was the first BYU finisher in every race except the NCAA meet...won the Moutain West Conference individual title in 24:38 for 8K, leading BYU to the team title...finished fourth at the NCAA District meet in 30:24 for the 10K course...ran 32:49 at the NCAA Championships...earned Academic All-Conference honors and was named to the GTE Academic All-America Third Team...voted MWC Athlete of the Week twice and was named Conference Athlete of the Year for his performance at the championship meet.
Top team finisher in four of the six races he entered ... finished 8th at Roy Griak Invitational, finishing the 8K race in 24:41 ... finished second at Mountain West Conference Championships in Fort Collins, Colorado ... took seventh to lead the team to a second-place finish at NCAA Mountain Regional ... earned All-America status for the first time in his career with a 37th-place finish at NCAA Championships ... named first-team Academic All-American