A close NCAA race has sparked debate, with many believing that the player in question should have been disqualified for breaking a crucial rule. At the NCAA West Prelims women’s 10,000m, Jane Hedengren not only won but also broke a 17-year-old record with a time of 31:27.30. Her rival, Africa Under-20 champion, 21-year-old Pamela Kosgei, stayed right on her shoulder and finished in 31:27.58. That gap is just 0.28 seconds, almost a photo finish. Both athletes booked their spots for the NCAA Championships. But Kosgei’s result may not stand for long.

A close NCAA race at John McDonnell Field on May 28 saw both athletes shatter the old stadium record of 33:25.71 by a wide margin. A clip shared by @cougfanblue shows Hedengren, wearing bib 213, running in lane 2 while Pamela Kosgei, bib 866, led from the front in lane 1. Hedengren attempted several moves to pass while Kosgei held the lead.

In the last 200 meters, things got messy under pressure. Kosgei moved into Hedengren’s lane, from lane 1 to 2, almost as if trying to block her in the final stretch while holding her position. Hedengren also adjusted her line, moving from lane 2 to lane 3, which led to both runners sharing the same space. As they passed, there was a slight jolt, but both were upright, and Hedengren eventually maintained his grip to capture the win.

But soon after the video went viral, fans called for a review. One wrote, “Kosgei should’ve been disqualified. This was cheap.” Another said, “Runner 866 wasn’t disqualified!? Initially, she was passing slower runners, but continued to veer into the 3rd lane for no reason other than to cheat.” A third added, “She pushed her from lane 1, all the way to lane 3, and still lost by 0.28 seconds. Jane’s superior and hope officials review this. The rule exists for a reasons.”

Now the discussion has turned to NCAA rules concerning obstruction and impeding, which states:
“The referee, upon receiving a report of a perceived rule violation from a competition official, after review of official meet video if available and consultation with the appropriate officials, shall disqualify a competitor who:”

•  “Cuts in front of another runner without proper clearance or one full stride on the waterfall start line.”
•  “Veers to the right or left so as to flagrantly impede a challenging runner or forces the challenging runner to run a greater distance.”
•  “Tries to force a way between two leading runners and makes direct contact so as to impede the progress of either.”

And fans strongly believe Kosgei has broken the rule. However, she has never been disqualified in NCAA competition and has maintained a clean record in past races.

The two have known each other since this year. At the 2026 Stanford Invitational 10,000m, Hedengren won in 30:46.80 while Kosgei finished second in 30:49.99. At the NCAA Indoor Championships, Hedengren also came out on top in both the 3000m (8:36.61 vs 8:43.86) and 5000m (15:00.12 vs 15:07.76), keeping a consistent edge in their head-to-head races.

They have no reason to be surprised that Hedengren has been on top of their matchups when looking at their personal bests. Kosgei has impressive times: 9:15:93 in the 3000m, 15:00:36 in the 5000m short track, and 30:49:99 in the 10,000m, but Hedengren’s bests are just a notch faster: 8:34:98 in the 3000m, 14:44:79 in the 5000m, and 30:46:80 in the 10,000m.

For now, there’s no disqualification and no bad blood between them. Hedengren spoke up in support of Kosgei, telling Boal, “She’s incredible honestly. It’s just really special to be out here, kind of trading miles and having that element of teamwork…”

Still, races like this often ended up under review when lane changes and contact happened in the final stretch, as we have seen in the past.

Rule violations that led to instant disqualification in track and field

A similar situation was seen in the 2025 World Championships, where Cole Hocker was disqualified from the men’s 1500m semifinal after making contact with Germany’s Robert Farken in the final 50 meters. The incident came after Hocker tried to move through a tight space on the inside, where he clipped Farken’s shoulder while fighting for position in the closing sprint.

He was subsequently found to have breached World Athletics rule TR17.1.2 (j) (Jostling). The rulebook defines it as physical contact that confers an unfair advantage or interferes with another competitor’s performance. USATF challenged the ruling, and the ruling was not overturned.

Even though Hocker had spent much of the race near the front on the rail, when the pace started to increase in the last lap, he found himself boxed in as he approached the finish. With around 100 meters to go and qualification on the line, he attempted to squeeze past Farken, which led to the contact that ultimately cost him his place in the final. He initially finished second in the heat, while Farken dropped to 10th.

Speaking before the DQ was announced, Hocker said, “Obviously, I’m not trying to affect anyone else’s race. I was just trying to get to the line in that top six position. Obviously, like, everyone else was. I would have liked to have it a little bit cleaner, but, yeah, it was what it was.”

It was a similar situation at the USATF Indoor Championships in 2022, in which Donovan Brazier was disqualified for a lane infringement in a 400m race. Indoor lane rules are enforced, and stepping outside the lanes or failing to do so is a post-race DQ.

These cases show how closely race officials look at contact and lane movement, especially when it happens in decisive moments of a race.