It was a wild and stunning day at Amend Park in Billings as the top teams and runners from around the state put their best to the test at the MHSA State Cross Country Championships, and the Helena High girls and boys rose to the occasion with podium performances.
The Bengal girls claimed the state cross country championship for the first time since 1973, using a late surge over the final mile to create the separation they needed for an 11-point victory over Bozeman. Meanwhile, the Bengal boys cemented their place among the state’s most consistently elite programs, earning a fourth consecutive podium finish and a third straight runner-up trophy behind Bozeman, this time by just eight points.
The Helena girls finished with 83 points, while Bozeman was second with 94 and Gallatin took the final podium spot with 113. Helena completed the official MHSA season unbeaten on Montana soil, finishing outside first place only at the Bob Firman Invitational in Spokane, where the Bengals placed fourth behind three nationally ranked teams.
The freshman trio of McKenlee Young, Willa Sweeney and Clara Ostby once again led the way, placing 12th, 14th and 16th, respectively. Young and Sweeney earned all-state honors, while Ostby missed a medal by just one place. In the team race, however, it was junior first-year runner Izzy Lundstrom and senior Kortney McKay who delivered a decisive late push. The duo secured the points Helena needed for gold by placing 20th and 21st.
The Bengals were tied with Hellgate for second after one mile, sitting 19 points behind the lead. By the two-mile mark, Helena was alone in second place and had trimmed the deficit to just four points behind Bozeman.
At that point, Lundstrom was running as Helena’s sixth runner, but she had more to give and began reeling in McKay, who was fourth for the Bengals. Together, they continued to push, driving each other toward the finish while picking off a combined 15 runners, nine by Lundstrom and six by McKay. That surge ultimately proved to be the difference.
Senior Isabel Ward ran a gutsy race as Helena’s sixth runner, placing 28th after overcoming the flu earlier in the week, while senior Emmie Bermingham was as steady as ever as the Bengals’ No. 7 runner in 47th.
Helena’s top five runners were separated by just 37 seconds, again demonstrating the team’s exceptional pack-running strength. Young (18:08.3), Sweeney (18:13.4), Lundstrom (18:45.5) and McKay (18:46.2) all recorded personal bests, including a massive 37-second improvement from Lundstrom.
At the front of the girls race, Bozeman sophomore Phoebe Maixner ran away with the individual title, setting a Class AA state meet record with a blazing 16:58. Glacier sophomore Ada Thiel was second in 17:10, and Hellgate sophomore Reed Stromberg finished third in 17:20.
On the boys side, the Bengals entered the meet hoping to match the girls’ effort, but despite a tremendous performance, they came up just short as Bozeman closed strongly behind record-setting individual champion Taylor Neil, who ran 14:39 to establish an all-class state record.
Helena senior Milo Kauffman went out with the lead pack and finished fourth in 15:27, leading the Bengals and helping secure the program’s fourth consecutive podium finish. It was also Kauffman’s fourth career all-state honor.
Behind Kauffman, sophomore Emory Kreissler was the first non-senior across the line, placing seventh in a personal-best 15:37.4. Just 10 seconds later, senior Joel Melton stormed to a personal best of 15:47.3 for 12th place, giving the Bengals a third all-state finisher.
Sophomore Tristan Hill was next across the line, running a personal-best 15:50 to place 16th, just one spot shy of the all-state podium. Rounding out Helena’s scoring five was freshman standout Derek Bury, who placed 28th with a personal-best 16:02.9.
Junior’s Foster Warner and Ander Svingen were Helena’s No. 6 and No. 7 runners across the line, placing 44th and 52nd in personal bests of 16:29.4 and 16:42.2, respectively.
Helena’s top five runners were separated by just 35 seconds.
Bozeman, which also placed Branlin Foote third behind Hellgate’s Miles Miller in second, finished with 59 points to claim the title. Helena scored 67 points, while CM Russell took third with 102.
While the state meet marks the end of the official high school season, the varsity teams and many of their JV teammates will now set their sights on the Nike Cross Regionals Northwest Championships on Nov. 20 in Spokane.