Timpview girls win state track title behind Lily Alder’s state record, Jane Hedengren’s big weekend
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- The Timpview girls hoist the 5A trophy at the state track and field championships on Saturday, May 17, 2025, in Provo.
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- Lily Alder and Jane Hedengren celebrate at the state track and field championships on Saturday, May 17, 2025, in Provo.
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- Lily Alder wins the 800-meter final at the state track and field championships on Saturday, May 17, 2025, in Provo.
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- Lily Alder and Jane Hedengren race at the state track and field championships on Saturday, May 17, 2025, in Provo.
The Timpview girls track and field team felt the pressure at the state meet Saturday as Spanish Fork and Cedar Valley stood in striking distance in the team standings for much of the day.
But a state record 800-meter run by junior Lily Alder and a dominant three days from senior Jane Hedengren and the rest of the distance crew helped Timpview fend off the challengers, scoring 87 points to grab a third consecutive 5A state championship at BYU’s Clarence F. Robison Track and Field Complex in Provo.
“The key was just everyone stepping up and doing their job to get whatever points we could, wherever we could,” Thunderbird head coach Jaimie Ribera said. “Obviously Jane and Lily stepped up big. Jane did three individual races, Lily did two, and they both ran the 4-by-400, Lily ran the 4-by-800, and then we sneaked in some points from Daphne (Batmale), and then Ellie (Esplin) stepped up big on both relays.”
Alder provided the most stunning performance of the day for Timpview, using a strong finish to break away from Hedengren in the 800-meter final to run a 5A state record of 2:05.33, beating Hedengren’s record mark of 2:05.96 set at the BYU Invite two weeks ago.
“I was just hoping I would get it,” Alder said. “I think (the announcer) was saying, ‘Is she going to get it? Is she going to get it?’ And I was just like, ‘I really want to get it.’ So I just thought, quick steps, and I just really wanted to out lean.”
The Thunderbirds closed the meet with a thrilling 4-by-400-meter relay, where Hedengren somehow lost her shoe on the third leg yet managed to pass three girls and reach the anchor leg in first place. Alder then took it home, pacing Timpview to a win in 4:01.01.
“Watching Jane lose her shoe was crazy because we wanted it so badly,” Batmale said. “We knew we had to do well to win state and so there was a lot of pressure on the race but I think in a very good way.”
Hedengren capped off her historic high school career with wins in the 3200-meter final (9:48.73), the 1600-meter final (4:56.21) and a second-place finish in the 800-meter final (2:08.49), followed by her one-shoed scamper in the relay.
Alder helped Timpview win the 4×400 and 4×800, placed second in the 3200-meter final (10:19.81), and of course, broke a state record.
Alder said the winning formula was “really hard workouts.”
“I think just putting in the work in workouts and in recovery, and I knew eventually I’d get it, it was just a matter of when,” Alder said. “It was just being patient and trusting my body and myself. Whatever the day presented, I was going to go for it.”
The season’s completion marks the end of an era for a Timpview senior squad led by Hedengren.
“This group, all of them, like every single senior on the distance squad, has been fantastic,” Ribera said. “And coaching Jane, that’s like a once in a lifetime opportunity, but she’s ready for the next step and I get to step back and go from a coach to a fan, and I’m excited to be a big Jane Hedengren fan.”
Other Utah County girls who had superlative performances included Cedar Valley’s Emerson Stout, who won the 100 and the 200, while Aviator teammate Saidey Johnson won the pole vault. Cedar Valley teams also won the 4×100 and 4×200 relays.
Things didn’t go quite as well for the Timpview boys team as it did for the girls but the Thunderbirds still had a great showing, finishing second overall behind Viewmont. Jack Weaver had three runner-up performances in the 100, 200 and 400 to lead the way to Timpview.
Springville’s Easton Leavitt was the only 5A boys champion from Utah Valley as he won the javelin with a throw of 187-2.0.
