Tia Brown, a 5-foot-6-inch freshman from Las Vegas, Nevada, has had an explosive start to her collegiate running career.
She currently ranks second at BYU in the Pentathlon this season and can long- jump the length of a truck.
Brown placed 2nd place in the Pentathlon events at the 2025 BYU December Invitational, scoring 3,878 points. She took first place for the long jump at the 2026 Weber State Invitational with a 5.97 meter jump (19 feet 7 inches).
For comparison, the length of a standard Ford F-150 ranges from 17 feet, 5 inches to 20 feet, 4 inches. Brown's winning jump is more than the length of most Ford F-150 models.
Her outstanding track performance was not always Brown's plan. Before excelling in track and field, she played basketball, following in the footsteps of her mom, who played Division I basketball. She also played with the USA flag football team.
"I loved every sport because of the running and the ladders at the end," Brown said. "One day, my mom told me, 'You're in the wrong sport. Let's get you into track.'"
From then on, track and field has been her main sport. She had offers from several schools like UNLV, the University of Hawaii and Baylor. Even with all the offers, BYU was always one of her top picks.
"It was so different at BYU. I couldn't deny that this is where I needed to be," said Brown.
"I'm very impressed with her work ethic and how coachable she is. She's done a phenomenal job, and she's an awesome teammate," said coach Tiffany Hogan, the track and field multis and jumps coach who works directly with Brown.
"Her indoor hurdles, her long jump, her indoor high jump, all those things are better than what she was doing in high school, which a lot of freshmen don't do this quickly," added Hogan.
Brown plans to compete in the USATF U20 Outdoor Championship, the Under-20 championship that determines who will compete for team USA at the World U20 Championship. This will take place in Eugene, Oregon, in June 2026.
Apart from running, Brown loves the gospel-centered culture at BYU. She loves the tight-knit family feeling she gets with the track team, hearing testimonies from her coach and attending the temple.
"Through God, all things are possible, and I give credit for everything that I've been given to Him," Brown said.
Brown plans to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in August 2026.