Hutchins, a junior at Science Hill High in Tennessee, verbally commits to five-time women’s title winner BYU because of strong connection with Taylor; Two-time Foot Locker All-American expected to graduate early, train in Florida under Stackhouse, before arriving in Provo to join Cougars in 2022

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The top high school junior distance runner in the country has found a Taylor-made pairing in recent months with the coach of an elite collegiate women’s cross country program, and it has led Jenna Hutchins to want to join forces in pursuit of reaching new heights in the rarefied air of Provo, Utah.

Hutchins, a two-time Foot Locker All-American and Tennessee Division 1 large schools state champion at Science Hill High, recently confirmed her verbal commitment to attend Brigham Young University and her excitement for the opportunity to be mentored by future coach Diljeet Taylor.

DYESTAT DISCUSSIONS - EP317 - JENNA HUTCHINS

“I think early on in the process for me, I really wanted to get to know each and every coach that I was able to talk to, but the moment that coach Taylor reached out, I really felt a special connection with her,” Hutchins said. “I think by the time December rolled around, although I still was communicating with a few other coaches and keeping my options open, for me, it was just really clear that BYU was where I was meant to be.

“I didn’t really want to prolong anything, so I just figured now would be the perfect time to do it, that way, it’s kind of out of my hair then and I can just focus on getting excited for the future and also enjoy the last part of my senior year as well.”

Hutchins, 17, explained that she is also scheduled to graduate early in December, using the time in the first half of next year to move to Florida to be mentored and trained by Julie Stackhouse – a respected health, fitness and wellness coach, along with a brand ambassador for Brooks – before she makes the transition to Provo to enroll the 2022 fall semester.

“Although I won’t be competing as a high school athlete, I may still have fewer but farther between racing opportunities, which will be fun,” Hutchins said. “I know I won’t be overdoing it and I’ll just be able to continue to build my strength for the upcoming cross country season and be able to represent coach Taylor and BYU in the best possible way, 100 percent healthy.”

Hutchins has already benefited significantly during the past year from Stackhouse’s training philosophy and approach to workouts, contributing to a national junior class record 9:49.83 in the 3,200 meters in August at the Music City Distance Carnival in Nashville, along with a national high school all-time mark and American U-20 outdoor record 15:34.47 in the 5,000 meters at the Five and Dime Athletics Meeting in South Carolina in December.

Hutchins also achieved the fastest 5-kilometer cross country performance by any prep female athlete in history with her 15:58.42 performance at the RunningLane National Championships in Alabama in November.

“(Coach Julie) will really be able to be a positive light in my life during that time, not only helping me to continue to develop that strength that I know that I’ll need for college, but also to teach me a lot about what she does in her work,” Hutchins said. “I consider her an expert in that field and she’s really knowledgeable and she runs a lot herself, and she represents Brooks, and during the time that I’ve been working with her, she’s been able to give me so many helpful tips and new strength strategies that I’ve never done before, that I think were really able to help me this past fall.

“By continuing to add new things and keeping it fun, and also just being able to relax and enjoy myself and just prepare for that college experience, in general, I think it will all just help me be able to have the best start to my college career as possible, and come in ready to give it all that I’ve got.”

Hutchins has committed to join a BYU program that captured its fifth NCAA cross country team title March 15 in Stillwater, Okla., in addition to winning its first distance medley relay crown March 12 at the Division 1 Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., relying on separate lineups to achieve the group’s success.

Although the Cougars’ exceptional efforts provided affirmation and validation for her decision, Hutchins had made up her mind well before BYU’s memorable postseason performances, in large part based on the relationship she has already formed with Taylor and the trust she has developed with her future coach.

“I have nothing but just amazing things to say about coach Taylor. Honestly, it’s really hard for me to put into words how much she has meant to me and just the connection that we’ve been able to develop and the relationship that we’ll continue to have,” Hutchins said. “She was just really consistent with that key communication of getting to know me and just really helping me to feel valued, as not only a runner, but as a person, and I think that’s something that she takes very seriously with all of her athletes and caring about them as a person first.

“She really takes all parts of the person into account and really goes above and beyond in letting them be able to know how much they are appreciated and really just tries to build people up and give them that confidence they need to succeed. One of the biggest things for me that set her apart from anyone else was that she was just as passionate about coaching and all of the girls on her team as I am about running. I know how much I love running, and it was just amazing to me to see someone who had that much passion and who was that committed to the sport, in general.”

Hutchins made her first trip to Provo with parents Rick and Theresa during her Spring Break in early March. In addition to interacting with several current BYU student-athletes, Hutchins was immediately inspired when she first stepped foot on the Cougars’ home Clarence Robison Track.

“While we were checking out the campus, I was able to go to the track, and I just thought the atmosphere was incredibly beautiful,” Hutchins said. “The mountains were surrounding you all the time and it just created such a special environment. I could just really picture myself doing workouts there in the future, having those tough workouts, but also those fun ones, too, and just special memories created there. I think it will just be a wonderful four years there for me, and I just can’t wait to get to run there all the time. I didn’t want to leave when it was time for us to go home. It’s just an incredible place.”

Although Taylor’s communication didn’t consistently begin with Hutchins until after her record-setting 3,200 run at the Music City Distance Carnival, once that connection was made, it only continued to become stronger with each conversation and following every competition, including after her 9:52.33 effort March 27 at the New Balance Dash for Doobie in North Carolina in Hutchins’ first significant outdoor race this season.

“The first conversation I had with her, I was just immediately really impressed by how she handled herself, what she had to say about the team culture, just everything about Provo and what she really believed in that makes up a great team,” Hutchins said. “That first night, I was just like, ‘Wow, that really corresponds a lot with my philosophies and how I really think about things.’ I continued to talk with other people, but the more we communicated, we started talking more and more, and the conversations became longer, and I could just really start to see myself developing there, and all the things that she had to say just corresponded so well with my core values and morals and just what a team should be like and being supportive, and just her as a coach, she’s so incredibly special.

“She’s made me feel like one of a kind, and made me feel like I could really develop into the best possible athlete, but also person, that I could be. I know she has a lot to teach in distance running, but also just how to be a good person and support others and appreciate your team. I was so impressed with everything and pretty soon after that, I knew this was definitely a place to consider, and as time went on, it just continued to solidify itself. I’m just so grateful that she was able to reach out to me and that we were able to develop that really close relationship.”