Sports

Jane Hedengren wins Gatorade Girls National Track and Field Player of the Year in surprise visit from Katelyn Tuohy

Jane Hedengren had plans to meet her future college coach for a quiet summer check-in over a cup of Joe. What she didn’t expect was a celebration. Instead of just chatting training plans with BYU coach Diljeet Taylor at a local coffee shop, the recent Timpview (Utah) graduate was greeted by family, friends and one […]

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Jane Hedengren had plans to meet her future college coach for a quiet summer check-in over a cup of Joe. What she didn’t expect was a celebration.

Instead of just chatting training plans with BYU coach Diljeet Taylor at a local coffee shop, the recent Timpview (Utah) graduate was greeted by family, friends and one of the biggest names in women’s distance running – former NC State star and professional runner Katelyn Tuohy.

That’s when Hedengren learned she’d been named the 2024-25 Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Player of the Year.

Jane Hedengren Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Player of the Year

Timpson High School (Utah) native and BYU commit Jane Hedengren has been named 2024-2025 Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Player of the Year. / Jesus Baca

“It’s a big honor,” Hedengren said. “I think there’s a lot of incredible women that are working in the country and have had some great performances this year, and so it was really exciting to receive this award and receive it from such an established track athlete herself and phenomenal person. So overall, just really excited and grateful.”

Katelyn Tuohy is widely recognized as one of the most dominant U.S. distance runners of her generation. As a high school standout, she became the first athlete ever to win both the Gatorade National Girls Cross Country and Track & Field Player of the Year awards in the same year, and went on to claim five Gatorade Player of the Year titles in total. At NC State, she earned four NCAA individual championships, set collegiate records in the indoor mile (4:24.26) and 3,000 meters (8:35.20), and helped lead the Wolfpack to a string of team national titles.

She previously presented the 2023-24 Gatorade National Girls Cross Country award to Colorado standout Addison Ritzenhein (Niwot High, Niwot Colorado), said the nerves were still there despite this being her second time delivering the surprise.

Tuohy turned pro in December 2023 by signing with Adidas, and wasted little time making an impact: she ran a 4:25.54 mile to open the 2025 indoor season, set an NCAA-era outdoor 5K personal best of 15:03.12 in 2022, and earned her first professional victory at a meet in Los Angeles.

“I was still very nervous, because I know how special this award is,” Tuohy said. “This is about Jane and her day, and I just wanted to make sure I was contributing to her special day.”

Though they had never met before the surprise, Tuohy and Hedengren quickly found common ground. With Hedengren headed to BYU and Tuohy now racing professionally, they joked that it likely won’t be the last time their paths cross on the track.

Hedengren capped off one of the best prep seasons in recent memory this spring. She shattered the national high school record in the mile at the Brooks PR Invitational with a time of 4:30.76 – breaking Polly Plumer’s iconic mark that had stood since 1982. She also won national titles in the 800 and mile at New Balance Nationals and was the only high school girl to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 1500 meters.

But despite all the wins, medals and records, it’s been the preparation behind the scenes that Hedengren said made the biggest difference.

“I tried to set up my routine in a way that positively contributed to my athletics in a seamless way,” she said. “Just coming back to the basics of really trying to dial in my nutrition and my sleep and not skipping kind of the most valuable parts of performance. And yes, like the little accessory things I was trying to do as well … but I think just having the main thing be the main thing, and trying to come into races with lots of belief and an open mind to what was possible.”

Jane Hedengren poses for a professional photoshoot after being surprised with the 2024-2025 Gatorade Girls National Track and Field Player of the Year by Katelyn Tuohy. / Joe Greer

Hedengren, who began running through a local track group in elementary school, said the sport’s simplicity is what first pulled her in – and what continues to keep her grounded.

“You’re just out there racing, trying to get the most out of yourself,” she said. “It’s pretty amazing to have competitors to compete against and try to get the most out of one another. I think it’s really cool that you can just put in this work and kind of see where you’re heading, and that that work will speak for itself on race day.”

She credits her dad, an All-American runner himself, with helping guide her through the mental and emotional side of competition.

Her father, John D. Hendegren, was an NCAA All-American distance runner at BYU and is now a chemical engineering professor at the university. He was inducted into the BYU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015 and still holds the school record for most CoSIDA Academic All-America honors with five. She credits him with helping guide her through the ups and downs in all aspects of life.

“He’s been able to share lots of valuable lessons, and is just one step ahead of me in this whole process, or a few steps,” Hendengren said. “It’s really, really awesome to have him in my corner. A great person in my life.”

Tuohy – now a pro – said she’s confident Hedengren is ready for the next chapter at BYU.

“I kind of already understand that she’s already so dialed in doing everything correctly,” Tuohy said. “So I guess my best advice would be to continue to lean on her people and enjoy the process. When I look back at college and high school, the memories I have aren’t breaking records or running fast, it’s going on trips with my friends or just goofing around, having a great time.”

As Hedengren gets set to begin her NCAA career in the fall, she’s keeping a wide lens on her goals – focusing on gratitude and long-term growth more than short-term results.

“I want to have a good transition to college and key into that development,” she said. “It’s so vital for young women. And just taking my time with the sport. I’ve got lots of time, so I just want to enjoy myself. I want to treat those around me with kindness and respect and just, yeah, have hopefully a good college career and try to keep an open mind within racing and keep that gratitude for the sport that I love so much.”

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