Sitting in the airport in Los Angeles on Thursday morning, Jane Hedengren waited for her flight back home to Utah. Her mother, Sarah, sat next to her.
The other passengers who waited with her had no idea how Hedengren had spent the previous night.
On Wednesday evening, Hedengren stood on stage inside Dolby Theatre at the 2025 ESPYs alongside Super Bowl winning-quarterback Matthew Stafford, four-time Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and 10 of the best high school athletes in the country.
Stafford and McLaughlin-Levrone stared out at the audience as applause died down. Before the pair presented the Gatorade High School Player of the Year award, the quarterback leaned toward the microphone.
“Can we work on the prompter there? We got a black and white screen. Sorry about that, America,” he said as McLaughlin-Levrone laughed.
Moments like that are “kind of the fun of” award shows like the ESPYs, according to Hedengren, who competed at Timpview High in Provo, Utah.
“There’s always going to be little things that don’t go perfectly and that’s totally fine,” she said. “They did a great job.”
Prompt response by the technical staff allowed McLaughlin-Levrone to explain Gatorade’s tradition of recognizing the top male and female high school athletes in the U.S.
Out of 610 state player of the year honorees, 11 were selected as national honorees and were on stage at the ESPYs. From those 11, Gatorade selected one female and one male athlete to be the national player of the year.
McLaughlin-Levrone then paused before continuing her script.
“The best female Gatorade Player of the Year is,” McLaughlin-Levrone said, pausing as she opened the envelope in her hands, “Jane Hedengren.”
Hedengren smiled as she walked towards the Olympian, where she was handed her award, a large glass lightning bolt shaped after Gatorade’s logo.
Hedengren told the Deseret News she was shocked when McLaughlin-Levrone called her name.
The audience, which included stars like Simone Biles, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lindsey Vonn, cheered and applauded.
“Look at that. Look at that,” Stafford said.
Hedengren received honor after honor this year, including Deseret News’ High School Sports Female Athlete of the Year. But this award puts the former Timpview High star in elite company.
Previous recipients include McLaughlin-Levrone (who won it twice), Paige Bueckers and Allyson Felix. LeBron James, Jayson Tatum and Cooper Flagg are among the male recipients of the award.
“It means a lot,” Hedengren said Thursday. “I think, coming into this year, there’s a lot more that happened than I initially had anticipated, and so I was just really grateful that I was able to stay healthy and work hard and enjoy the process and kind of see what was capable for this year.”
Sarah Hedengren smiled as she recounted to the Deseret News over Zoom what that moment was like for her to see her daughter standing on stage at the Dolby Theatre.
“I feel like all of those athletes are incredible,” she said. “It was great to have Jane be recognized. It was an incredible event for her to be able to meet them, and it felt great that Jane was able to have a healthy senior year and just be able to compete and explore what she’s capable of.”
Backstage after receiving her award, Jane Hedengren met McLaughlin-Levrone. In a video shared by ESPN on social media, McLaughlin-Levrone asked the BYU commit who she looks up to in athletics and life.
“I look up to you a lot. It’s just been really, really inspiring to see your journey and the way you’re so open about your faith and what you believe in. You’ve shared such great messages, and I think you’re doing so, so much for so many aspiring athletes and people around the world. So thank you for all you do,” Jane Hedengren said.
McLaughlin-Levrone smiled and said, “That means so much.”
McLaughlin-Levrone was nominated for best athlete in women’s sports at the ESPYs.
“She’s just really incredible, and it was great to get to meet her this weekend,” Hedengren said.
Moments like Wednesday night have Hedengren looking forward to the next chapter of her career at BYU, she said.
“It really excites me. I think there’s going to be a lot of change, coming in to BYU, and it’s going to be a good change with a new coach, new teammates, facilities, staff, all of it. So (it’s) just a really great program. Couldn’t be more excited.”