Timpview’s Jane Hedengren honored as Gatorade National Cross Country Player of the Year
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- Timpview senior Jane Hedengren (left) receives the 2025 National Gatorade Cross Country Player of the Year award from former BYU star Courtney Wayment during a surprise presentation at Timpview High School in Provo on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025.
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- Timpview senior Jane Hedengren (right) holds the 2025 National Gatorade Cross Country Player of the Year award as her family gathers around her during a surprise presentation at Timpview High School in Provo on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025.
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- Timpview senior Jane Hedengren (right) poses for a photo with former BYU star Courtney Wayment while holding the 2025 National Gatorade Cross Country Player of the Year award during a surprise presentation at Timpview High School in Provo on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025.
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- Timpview senior Jane Hedengren (center) poses for a photo with former BYU star Courtney Wayment (right) and BYU head women’s cross country coach Diljeet Taylor while holding the 2025 National Gatorade Cross Country Player of the Year award during a surprise presentation at Timpview High School in Provo on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025.
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- Timpview senior Jane Hedengren (center) and the Thunderbird cross country team pose for a fun photo with the 2025 National Gatorade Cross Country Player of the Year award during a surprise presentation at Timpview High School in Provo on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025.
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- Timpview senior Jane Hedengren poses for a photo while holding the 2025 National Gatorade Cross Country Player of the Year award during a surprise presentation at Timpview High School in Provo on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025.
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- Timpview senior Jane Hedengren (center) poses for a photo with family and friends while holding the 2025 National Gatorade Cross Country Player of the Year award during a surprise presentation at Timpview High School in Provo on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025.
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- Timpview senior Jane Hedengren (right) poses for a photo with Thunderbird coach Jaimie Ribera while holding the 2025 National Gatorade Cross Country Player of the Year award during a surprise presentation at Timpview High School in Provo on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025.
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- Timpview senior Jane Hedengren smiles at the finish line after finishing the 5A girls state cross country race at Sugarhouse Park in Sugarhouse on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024.
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- Timpview senior Jane Hedengren wins the 5A girls state cross country race at Sugarhouse Park in Sugarhouse on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024.
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- Timpview senior Jane Hedengren competes during the 5A girls state cross country race at Sugarhouse Park in Sugarhouse on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024.
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- Timpview senior Jane Hedengren (left) and junior Lily Alder pose for photos after they finished first and second in the 5A girls state cross country race at Sugarhouse Park in Sugarhouse on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024.
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- Timpview senior Jane Hedengren competes during the 5A girls state cross country race at Sugarhouse Park in Sugarhouse on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024.
Timpview senior Jane Hedengren admitted that when she was told to meet with an athletic trainer on the track for a study on mechanics on Tuesday morning, she suspected something might be up.
When Hedengren walked out into the frigid January air and saw former BYU star and Olympian Courtney Wayment waiting for her with a trophy in her hands, those suspicions were confirmed.
Wayment had the opportunity to present Hedengren with the 2025 Gatorade National Cross Country Player of the Year award for girls cross country, the first time a Utahn has ever won that award.
“I was hoping I would be in the running for Gatorade National Player of the Year, but I was definitely surprised,” Hedengren said. “I was so excited to celebrate alongside the friends and family who made these dreams possible.”
She said it is a tremendous honor to be the first female athlete from Utah to earn that recognition and added that the three male runners who have won the national boys cross country award (American Fork’s Casey Clinger in 2016-17, Timpview’s Aidan Troutner in 2017-18, and American Fork’s Daniel Simmons in 2022-23 and 2023-24) gave her something to shoot for.
“I think the Utah boys don’t know how much they inspire me,” Hedengren said. “They kind of paved the way for like me in a way, because they have worked so hard and they do really well on the national stage. It’s always very inspiring coming out to even these track meets, and some of these guys from Utah are just ripping it up and like setting amazing records. It’s inspiring and I’m glad to be a part contributing to that Utah success.”
The Thunderbird senior also said she was thrilled to have Wayment there, considering all the former Cougar has accomplished in running.
“I’m so honored,” Hedengren said. “She’s amazing, so this is awesome. Courtney is such a great individual and person and athlete. She is the best.”
Wayment was an eight-time All-American at BYU who now runs professionally for On Running. Last summer she competed for Team USA in the 3000-meter steeplechase at the 2024 Summer Olympics, finishing 12th with a time of 9:13.6.
She talked about how much she enjoyed being able to present such a prestigious award to Hedengren and see the Timpview star at this point in her career.
“Winning this award is very hard, and it takes a lot of resilience and discipline,” Wayment said. “I think Jane encompasses what it means to win this award, and it’s really special that I get to be a part of that and be a part of the celebration for her.”
Wayment said she enjoyed remembering what it was like to be a high school senior like Hedengren is now and all the good times from those days.
“it’s really exciting,” Wayment said. “Jane is in a fun position now where she gets to capitalize on all the fun, exciting times that she has left of high school. We were just talking about some of the track meets that she’ll be racing, and I have a lot of good memories of those.
“And then she gets to go to BYU, where she will have a lot more great memories, and she’ll have a lot of relationships that she’ll build upon. With that comes hopefully a lot of future success. I think Jane’s in a really fun position where she’s going to see a lot of great things come her way as she finishes high school, but especially when she enters BYU.”
Wayment said her advice to Hedengren and others who are finishing high school and getting ready for college is to stay the course.
“I think if I could tell Jane something, knowing what I know now, it’s just to keep doing what you’re doing,” Wayment said. “Have fun and trust the process. I think if you do those two things and you have a lot of trust in yourself, belief in yourself, belief in your coach, trust in your coach and your teammates and having fun, that’s where true success comes from.”
Hedengren said she’s excited about the opportunities she has when she gets to BYU.
“I’m so excited for BYU,” Hedengren said. “It’s such a great group of people who are on the staff, the coaching, the athletes and the alumni. I’m so excited for what the future holds, and I’m excited to step into a great program with some people that are trying to redefine what’s possible. I’m really looking forward to my time there.”
But before she moves on to the college part of her career, she plans to continue to enjoy her high school experiences.
In 2024-25, she already smashed records at state and national cross-country competitions and will look to continue that during the track season.
Hedengren said her favorite moments, though, aren’t the record-breaking performances or accolades.
“The best things have been the simple things, like being with my team,” Hedengren said. “We were able to win another state championship this year, so that was really special. It’s something we’ve worked at for a while. I love my team and my coach, and so that was really special.”
Gatorade is in its 40th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes for excellence on the field of play, in the classroom and in their communities.
Hedengren joins an all-star group of former Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Players of the Year who have combined for more than eight National Championships and five bronze medals.
“The Gatorade Player of the Year award is given to athletes who are the best of the best in their sport across the country,” Gatorade Chief Brand Officer Anuj Bhasin said in the official press release. “With nearly 300,000 student-athletes competing in girls cross country nationwide, Jane was given the top award in high school sports because she is someone who excels in all facets of her life.”
