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Timpview's Jane Hedengren poses for a photo after winning the 2025 Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Player of the Year on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.

Courtesy Gatorade Player of the Year Program

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Timpview's Jane Hedengren, right, poses for photos with professional distance runner Katelyn Tuohy after winning the 2025 Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Player of the Year on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.

Courtesy Gatorade Player of the Year Program

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Timpview's Jane Hedengren poses for a photo after winning the 2025 Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Player of the Year on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.

Courtesy Gatorade Player of the Year Program

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Timpview's Jane Hendengren, left, goes for a run after winning the 2025 Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.

Courtesy Gatorade Player of the Year Program

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Timpview's Jane Hedengren poses for a photo after winning the 2025 Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Player of the Year on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.

Courtesy Gatorade Player of the Year Program

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Timpview's Jane Hedengren poses for a photo after winning the 2025 Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Player of the Year on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.

Courtesy Gatorade Player of the Year Program

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Perhaps the only real surprise, when it comes to Jane Hedengren, is when she wasn’t awarded a top achievement these days.

Representatives from Gatorade tried their best to pull of a surprise for Hedengren on Tuesday, formally awarding her their National Girls Track and Field Player of the Year award much to the top long-distance runner’s delight. The surprise was orchestrated with the help of Hedengren’s family, BYU track and field Coach Diljeet Taylor and past Gatorade champion track and field star Katelyn Tuohy, among others.

Hedengren was set to meet up with Coach Taylor at a local Provo coffee shop to discuss her training and preparation for the collegiate level, but was instead met with the prestigious award. As always, the Timpview superstar track athlete was immensely grateful to all who helped present the award, but left particular gratitude for her immediate family.

“It means a ton,” Hedengren said to the national media during an interview session at Timpview High School on Tuesday. “That’s my support group and it’s really incredible to have them with me every step of the way. I realize that not everyone has the support of family, so I’m just really grateful for the people in my corner.”

The steps Hedengren has made throughout her track and field career have been extraordinary in every regard.

Just recently she broke her own 3,000 meter national record with a time of 8:40.03 at the NIKE Outdoor Championships this past week, adding to her already impressive list of top marks, which includes record times in the 5,000 meters (14:57.93) and in the mile (4:23.50.)

But that’s not all.

The future BYU Cougar holds top marks in the 1,600 meters (4:21.81), the 3,200 meters (9:14.65) and the two-mile run (9:17.75.)

“This is my senior year and I wanted to close out on a good note,” Hedengren said. “I’m really glad that I was able to stay healthy and now coming into college I’m in a good place loving the sport and excited to build some new relationships.”

Jane Hedengren’s love for long-distance running was in no doubt inspired by her father, John Hedengren, who is a former track All-American and current professor at Brigham Young University.

“He’s been able to share lots of valuable lessons and is always one step ahead of me during this whole process,” Jane Hedengren said. “It’s been really amazing to be able to hear his stories and try and bridge that gap of some of the (lessons) and mistakes that I could make…It’s really awesome to have in my corner.”

Jane’s love to the sport began at an early age, but it wasn’t until her sophomore year at Timpview when she began to realize her great potential. But reaching that potential is an arduous process, both physically and mentally, with the importance of establishing a proper mindset foremost in the journey.

“I’ve experienced races where I’m not coming from a place of gratitude and love for the sport, and that affected my performance and my happiness,” Jane Hedengren said. “So I make it a really big priority to be grounded and to know what my intentions are…I’ve found that that’s really helped me enjoy the experiences far more and how to get the most out of myself.”

As mentioned, Jane Hedengren will run for BYU at the collegiate level where she hopes to improve her form and enjoy what she hopes is a great overall experience.

“I’m really looking forward to the relationships that will be built on the team and with coaches and staff,” Jane Hedengren said. “It’s a pretty phenomenal team with great people all around, so I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone.”

Jane Hedengren was awarded the Gatorade Cross Country Athlete of the Year this past January and will have an opportunity to be awarded the Gatorade’s Girl Athlete of the Year in the coming months. Jane becomes the state of Utah’s first recipient of Gatorade’s prestigious national award, an achievement that wasn’t lost on her during Tuesday’s press conference.

“It’s really exciting,” Jane Hedengren said. “I’m grateful that I can bring that light to Utah a little bit more. I think we have a really great thing going here.”

As for her future goals, the Timpview star didn’t cite anything specific, preferring to focus on the process and what’s immediately in front of her.

“I want to enjoy myself and treat those around me with kindness and respect,” she concluded. “Hopefully I’ll have a good college career and try to keep an open mind while keeping that gratitude for the sport that I love so much.”