Exeter's Jaylen Bennett capped his career with another incredible accolade as he was named 2025 New Hampshire Gatorade Player of the Year for Outdoor Track and Field.

The Gatorade Player of the Year award is one of the top honors in high school sports, celebrating the nation's best high school athletes for their success on the field, in the classroom, and in the community. This award distinguishes Bennett as New Hampshire's best high school track and field athlete and he joins fellow Big Red stars Byron Grevious '24, Jeremiah Swett '21, and Rob Hulick '00 who have also collected the honors. Grevious was a three-time winner (2022 Cross Country, 2023 Cross Country, 2023 Track and Field) while Swett and Hulick both earned the honor in their senior seasons. 

Bennett enjoyed quite the career here at Exeter and his senior season was no different. Bennett led Big Red to their third straight Division I New England title while earning Meet MVP honors as he captured four titles on the day. Bennett was a part of the winning 4x100 (42.69) and 4x400 (3:22.38) relay teams while also capturing individual titles in the 200m (21.29) and 400m (48.00).

The senior sprinter then capped his high school career in emphatic fashion at Nike Outdoor Nationals at historic Hayward Field at the University of Oregon. Bennett earned three All-American honors with a trio of national-level performances. He was a part of the second place 4x400 mixed relay (3:30.16) while placing sixth in the country in the 200m (21.31) and seventh in the 400m (47.32), breaking his own school record in the process.

Bennett, who will enroll and run at Princeton University, rewrote the Big Red record books as he holds eleven individual or relay records for the program while he also holds the New England record in both the 200m and 400m. He also served as team captain, named as Team MVP, and was awarded the Yale Cup which is awarded to the member of the senior class who best combines the highest standards of character and leadership with excellence in his studies and athletics.