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PROVO — Even in a state with a storied history of cross country and distance events as Utah, Jane Hedengren has always blazed her own trail.
The Timpview High senior has smashed local, state and national records — including most recently a course-record 16-minute, 32.7-second finish at Nike Cross Nationals in Portland to claim her first national title at the event.
Through a storied high school career that still has one more season of indoor and outdoor track, Hedengren has propelled herself to the front of the line while training alongside male competitors and colleagues, including her father, John, who was an All-American runner at BYU in the mid-90's and older brother, Isaac, a current sophomore for the Cougars.
Hedengren added another line in the Utah record books Tuesday, when the 6-foot harrier was named the Gatorade National Athlete of the Year for girls cross country.
It's an honor that has been bestowed on a handful of male competitors in Utah — former American Fork star Danny Simmons took the boys' award last year and BYU-bound harriers Casey Clinger and Aidan Troutner won it in back-to-back years before him — but Hedengren is the first in the state's girls cross country history.
"I think the Utah boys don't know how much they have inspired me," she said. "They have kind of paved the way for me, with the way they've worked so hard and have done so well on the national stage.
"It's very inspiring for me to come out to these local track meets and watch these guys from Utah ripping it up and setting amazing records. It's inspiring to me, and I'm glad to be part of contributing to that success."
Hedengren's success was prioritized Tuesday in cross country, but the senior who has signed with BYU has had a remarkable 2024 calendar year in several distance events and disciplines.
The Thunderbird standout broke her own state record in the 1,600 meters, clinching a state title with a time of 4:37.72 on her future home track before adding another record in the 3,200 meters in 9:52.96 — one of three top-six times all-time in the event.
Hedengren also set a 5A record in the 1,600-meter relay of 3:46.82 with Timpview teammates Lily Alder, Vanessa Storey and Alta Vuniwai Turagavou and added an all-classification record in the 3,200-meter relay in 8:58.92 en route to Gatorade Utah girls track athlete of the year for a second straight season.
After dealing with illness that limited her training schedule in the fall, Hedengren then set a two-mile record at the Brooks PR Invitational in 9:48.77 in the summer; cruised to a 5A state title in an altered course-record time of 16:21.48 in November; blew past the Nike Cross Southwest Regional field in 15:50.01; and broke Katelyn Tuohy's NXN national record that has stood since 2018.
"This year has been full of learning," Hedengren said. "The track season was great; I held a pretty consistent training schedule, even after I got pretty sick at the end. But coming back from that, I was just hoping to keep gaining momentum and have a great cross season with some trials that allowed for more learning made me grateful for the chance to come back more into myself by the postseason.
"I hope it showed off some of that hard work."
In addition to her athletic achievements, Hedengren also volunteers locally with the Roadrunner Junior Club as a coach and race day official; assembles engineering kits each summer in the BYU chemical engineering department; and volunteers regularly with her church congregation while maintaining a 3.75 GPA while earning back-to-back Gatorade Utah athlete of the year for girls cross country.
"Jane is an incredible athlete," said Courtney Wayment, the former Davis High and BYU star who represented Team USA in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Paris Summer Olympics. "But she's also so kind, very smart, a good teammate and a well-rounded individual. She's also the first woman to do it from Utah, and that's a really hard thing to do.
"It takes a lot of resilience and discipline. I think Jane encompasses what it means. It's really special for me to be a part of it, and to be a part of the celebration of it."
Wayment joined BYU coach Diljeet Taylor, who also coaches the On Running athlete professionally, and over a dozen classmates, friends and family members in presenting her with the award at Timpview.
But seeing Wayment hand over the massive Gatorade trophy — heavier than it looks, both attested — was extra special for the future BYU star whom Taylor referred to sd the Cougars' future to Wayment's BYU past.
"I was so happy to see Courtney; she's amazing," Hedengren said. "It was exciting to receive this award, and to get it from her was really great.
"I'm so excited for BYU," she added. "It's such a great group of people there, from the staff to coaches to athletes and alums. I'm so excited for future goals, and to go to a great program with people who are trying to redefine what's possible."
