running – Helena High Cross Country

Boys 2nd, Girls 3rd on Spectacular Team Day at State Meet in Missoula

Kauffman, Hill, Hinderman, McKay, Ward All-State; First Time Both Teams Reach Podium in 40 Years

Vincent Van Gogh once said, “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” Saturday was a great day for Helena High cross country, and true to Van Gogh’s quote, that greatness was the result of many small steps along the way and many small things coming together at exactly the right time.

The Bengals’ double podium at the 2025 state meet in Missoula was the result of showing up with consistency since the start of summer training in June, running mile after mile and rep after rep with intention, committing to daily strength and mobility work, approaching competition with curiosity, and then, of course, culminating with the magic of seven runners in each race performing with poise and composure on the day it mattered most.

Helena’s boys collected second place for the second year in a row with three runners earning All-State medals and the girls returned to the podium for the first time since 2020 with a third-place finish and two runners claiming All-State honors. While the All-State finishers may get the headlines, the trophies were clearly the result of two complete teams of seven runners rising to the occasion on a beautiful autumn afternoon at the University of Montana Golf Course.

The double podium was Helena’s first since both teams claimed hardware in 1985. The boys were second and girls were third that year, as well.

Heading into the 2025 state meet, Helena’s boys appeared poised to earn a spot in the top three after a strong finish to the regular season, but with the nationally-ranked Bozeman Hawks as the clear favorite, it was unclear whether they would have an opportunity to tussle for the top spot, battle it out with Hellgate for second, or potentially fend off a challenge from Glacier for third.

As it turned out, Bozeman put things out of reach for the win early in the race and finished with 41 points, while Helena and Hellgate both left it all out on the course in a fierce battle for second.

The Bengals emerged as runners up with 85 points, thanks in large part to junior Milo Kauffman’s strong third-place finish in 15:54 behind Bozeman’s Miles Halvorsen and Taylor Neil, who crossed the finish line in 15:34 and 15:42. It was the third consecutive all-state finish for Kuaffman who was 10th in 2023 and fourth in 2024.

Commanding finishes by seniors Dylan Hill (16:21), Garrett Hinderman (16:22), and Ed Coleman (16:42, personal best) in 13^th, 15^th, and 25^th, put the Bengals in strong position to secure second, and Emory Kreissler (16:47) posted the top finish by a freshman in the AA division in 29^th to lock up the second step on the podium for Helena. Coleman’s effort was an outlier as he was the only runner in the top 30 with a personal best Saturday. Junior Joel Melton and sophomore Foster Warner were 36^th and 56^th for the Bengals in 16:54 and 17:25, respectively.

Hellgate posted 101 points in third, Glacier placed fourth with 143, and Flathead was fifth with 147.

The boys trophy was their third in a row after placing third in 2023 and second in 2024. But what made Saturday’s performance so impressive was that the Bengals managed to repeat their runner-up performance from a year ago with four new runners in the lineup after losing standouts Elliot Stimpson, Henry Sund, Eli Highness, and Jake Matthews to graduation.

The Bengal girls left the start with a focus on positioning themselves in a way that allowed them to be competitive with the top teams when the racing amped up in the second half of the race.

Early in the race, the Bengals intentions were clear as they positioned themselves well in the field of 110 AA runners, and they needed a big day to earn a spot among the state’s best teams. Bozeman entered the meet as a big favorite to win and many expected defending champion Gallatin be in strong position to claim second, while Helena, Glacier, and Billings West all had eyes fixed on third.

Bozeman won with 49 points and Gallatin raced to a confident second place finish with 63 points, the battle for third was fierce throughout between the Helena (88) and Glacier (99), and West placed fifth with 149.

Junior Kortney McKay, junior Isabel Ward, senior Kate Lee, and senior Cooper Judd set the pace for Helena in the early part of the race in 12^th, 13^th, 14^th and, 19^th after the first mile, while junior Mary Clement was 32^nd, giving Helena 90 points in fourth place at that stage. Glacier had 85 in third – thanks in large part to the Wolfpack’s dominant 1-2 duo of Ada Thiel and Lauren Bissen toying with the top 5 runners in the field.

At two miles Glacier (84) widened its lead over Helena (92) to eight points as the Bengals’ top five remained in the same order in 11^th, 14^th, 18^th, 20^th, and 29^th.

As the race continued, things appeared dire for Helena as Thiel and Bissen dominated the final mile and crossed the finish line first and second in 18:21 and 18:22 to give the Wolfpack a massive advantage, but McKay (19:16) and Ward (19:25) secured All-State finishes in 9^th and 13^th to give the Bengals a strong 1-2 punch, as well.

The battle for third, however, came down to the Bengals’ depth, which has been a strength all season. Judd moved up three places in the final mile to finish 17^th in 19:46, Lee was 22^nd in 19:57, and Clement, a consistent force for the Bengals all season, placed 29^th in 20:04, which gave Helena 88 points and placed Helena’s top five runner’s ahead of Glacier’s third runner. That strength in depth locked up third place for the Bengals as the Wolfpack finished with 99 points.

Had anyone faltered among Helena’s top five runners, junior Emmie Bermingham and Wynona Schmidt provided even more depth in 34^th and 37^th place with times of 20:15 and 20:16, respectively. That meant all seven of Helena’s runners placed among the top third of the field, something only one other team – Gallatin – accomplished Saturday.

It was an exceptional race for the girls, who have move up the standings each of the past four years – 2022 (10^th), 2023 (6^th), 2024 (5^th), 2025 (3^rd). Demonstrating how well the girls raced, each runner improved upon their time from the same course they contested Sept. 20 at the Mountain West Classic. Collectively, the Bengals’ seven runners were 3 minutes, 35 seconds faster. Here’s a breakdown of how their state times compare to those from Mountain West.

McKay -7 seconds
Ward -29 seconds
Judd -59 seconds
Lee -30 seconds
Clement -39 seconds
Bermingham -43 seconds
Schmidt -26 seconds

That brings an end to the official season for Helena, but 56 of the Bengal runners will now turn their attention to the Nike Cross Regionals meet on Nov. 15 in Spokane, where they will go up against the top teams from seven states – Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, Alaska, and Hawaii.

Boys Win 7 of 7; Girls 4th with Team’s 2nd Best Score in Team History

Ivy Kyle Claims Title to Guide JV Girls to 2nd; JV Boys 3rd

Complete Results

Photo Gallery

Most of the top cross country runners in Montana convened at Helena’s Bill Roberts Golf Course on Thursday for the 20^th Capital City 7 of 7, and the Helena High Bengals took advantage of running on their home course for the first time this season with some memorable efforts.

The meet uses a unique format, where seven competitors from each school are broken down based on how they rank on their respective teams – No. 1s vs. No. 1s and so on – and all seven runners count toward the team score with a perfect score (seven victories) adding up to a total of seven.

The Helena varsity boys defended their title and home turf in a team battle that came down to the final race, and after sophomore Foster Warner opened the upset bid with a win in the No. 7 race, junior Milo Kauffman sealed the victory with a strong second-place finish in the No. 1 race. All seven boys placed 3^rd or better in their respective races.

In varsity girls competition, despite posting their second-lowest score in meet history, the Bengals finished fourth (29 points), just 6 points out of second in a tightly packed competition that saw Bozeman (19), Gallatin (23), and Glacier (25) claim the top three spots. Helena’s girls raced strong in all seven races with every runner finishing 6^th or better. The only time the Bengals scored fewer than 29 points was the 18 they chalked up in 2020 when the race featured just 8 teams because of COVID. This year, the race featured 49 teams.

More on the varsity races later.

Standard scoring is used in JV competition, and the Helena girls got a huge lift from freshman Ivy Kyle who steadily moved to the front of the field and collected the victory in the de facto JV state meet as all 16 AA schools were present for the final time this season. Not only that, but Kyle shaved a whopping 28 seconds off her prior best to finish in 20:24 – six seconds clear of runner-up Colette Bucklin from North Toole County.

Kyle’s effort set the pace for a runner-up finish for the Bengals, who posted 53 points, just 16 behind winner Bozeman. Helena also had junior Elizabeth Coburn and freshman Mary Guzynski run personal bests in 6^th and 8^th place with times of 20:55 and 21:23, respectively. Sophomore Harper Johnson placed 17^th in 22:01 and sophomore Alexa Pipinich was 27^th in 22:13 to round out the team’s scoring. Freshman Sadie Murray ran a PR in 37^th (22:45) and junior Aven Baker placed 61^st (23:35) as Helena’s 6^th and 7^th runners.

There were many more highlights for the JV girls, including a bunch more personal and season records: sophomore Myle Dahlke (PR 23:46), junior Kumari Leland (SR 23:48), senior Emma Flinders (PR 24:00), sophomore Evelyn Harris (PR 25:25), freshman Iris McClain (PR 26:23), junior Kelia Gomes (SR 26:24), freshman Ellie Runnion (PR 27:35), junior Astoria Holzer (PR 27:40), and senior Anyah Douglas (SR 29:44). Junior Elsie Munson (29:11) and sophomore Jillian Oliver (29:40), meanwhile, completed their first races for the Bengals.

In JV boys competition, sophomore Ander Svingen led the way in 10^th place with a time of 17:44 as the Bengals ran to third in the team standings with 116 points – trailing Bozeman (34) and Hellgate (105).

Also showing up in the Bengals scoring were senior Henry Sweeney (16^th, SR 18:06), freshman Milo Sealey (27^th, PR 18:35), sophomore Graham Coleman (30^th, PR 18:39), and sophomore Apollo Althoff (33^rd, PR 18:45). Running in the No. 6 and 7 spots for Helena were sophomore Ravin Bury (55^th, 19:10) and junior Cole Harris (82^nd, 19:38).

Like the girls, Helena’s JV boys had several additional athletes run season or personal records: freshman Trystan Hill (PR 19:42), sophomore Grayson Trum (PR 20:45), freshman Reiter McVie (PR 21:35), sophomore Kingston Downing (SR 22:19), sophomore Spruce Bacon (PR 22:22), junior Henry Coy (SR 22:30), junior Micah Langdji (PR 22:31), freshman Ben Cupino (PR 22:54), sophomore Emmett Morrison (PR 23:30), freshman Gabriel Waits (PR 24:12), and freshman Tim Wilkins (PR 25:00).

Back to the varsity races.

As noted earlier, Warner got the Bengals off to the perfect start with a personal best of 17:11 to win the No. 7 race, which allowed them to take advantage of anything less than the best from their competition. While Bozeman was dominant in the No. 1-6 races, they finished 16^th in the No. 7 race, which both Helena and Hellgate (3^rd in the No. 7 race) took advantage of.

In the No. 6 race, Helena junior Joel Melton placed third in 17:18 behind runners from Bozeman and Hellgate in that order. In the No. 5 race, it again went Bozeman-Hellgate-Helena with Bengal senior Ed Coleman running 17:21 in third. Next up were the teams’ No. 4 runners, and this time, freshman Emory Kreissler placed second for the Bengals behind a Bozeman runner, and Hellgate’s harrier was fourth. The three teams returned to a familiar Bozeman-Hellgate-Helena routine in the No. 3 race with senior Dylan Hill running a season best 16:34 in third. And in the No. 2 race, it was again Bozeman-Hellgate-Helena with senior Garrett Hinderman this time placing third in 16:16.

What did that all mean with one final race remaining to settle the score? Helena and Hellgate entered the final race tied at 15 points, and Bozeman – the prerace favorite – trailed in third with 21. That meant Kauffman needed to beat Hellgate’s runner and finish within six places of Bozeman’s runner.

A confident Kauffman left no doubt and ran to second place in 15:39 to seal the victory for the Bengals, putting a stamp on an impressive day for the boys.

In girls action, the Bengals entered the meet knowing Bozeman was the favorite to win and that it would be a close competition with their rivals from Gallatin and Glacier – with those three teams separated by an estimated nine points on paper. And when the final scores were tallied, it finished even closer – six points separating second through fourth and just 10 separating the top four teams.

Senior Emily Davidson earned a shot in the No. 7 race after an impressive showing in Great Falls a week prior, and she didn’t disappoint with a gutsy performance from start to finish as she placed fourth in a season best of 21:03 – just 4 seconds off her PR. Senior Cooper Judd, might have pulled the biggest surprise with a massive effort in the No. 6 race, placing third by shaving 29 seconds off her lifetime best. Next up was junior Emmie Bermingham in the No. 5 race, and she too placed third and ran a personal best (20:41) to help build some space between the Bengals and the Glacier Wolfpack, which was needed knowing the team from up north had two of the state’s top three runners lining up in the top two races.

Junior Mary Clement was next up for the Bengals and like her teammates ran an exceptional race as the No. 4 runner, finishing just a tenth of a second shy of her personal best in sixth with a time of 20:29. In the No. 3 competition, senior Kate Lee moved up several places late in the race to finish third in 19:54 and edge Glacier’s Dacia Benkleman.

Going into the final two races, the scores were Gallatin 6, Bozeman 15, Helena 18, and Glacier 21.

The No. 2 race witnessed Glacier freshman Ada Thiel hold court with the victory, while Bozeman’s Kylie Neil placed second, Helena junior Isabel Ward finished fifth with a big final kick to get two late passes and earn a time of 20:00, and Gallatin’s Finley Samuels placed 12^th.

With one race left, Bozeman led with 17, Gallatin slipped to second with 18, Glacier moved up to third with 22, and Helena was fourth with 23.

And despite a valiant effort from Helena junior Kortney McKay who ran an excellent second half of the race to pick off competitors to her left and right, she finished an impressive sixth place as the Bengals finished fourth with 29 points. McKay crossed the line in 19:18 to post the top time for the Bengals.

Billings Central freshman Addie Kegel continued her season-long dominance with the win in 17:17, Bozeman’s Phoebe Maixner was second to lock up the victory for Bozeman (19), Glacier’s Lauren Bisson placed third to secure third for the Wolfpack (25), and Gallatin’s Lila Pritham finished fifth to help her team claim second with 23 points.

Next up for Helena is a return to Bill Roberts Golf Course on Wednesday, Oct. 15 in a Crosstown meet that will also feature competitors from Jefferson and Townsend.

Bengals Place Among Top 2 in All Four Races at Butte Invitational

Kauffman Collects Win to Guide Boys to Victory; Junior Varsity Girls Flirt With Perfect Score

Complete Results

Photo Gallery

Just five days after turning in a strong performance at the Mountain West Classic, Helena High was back to racing just five days later at the Butte Invitational and put together a string of stellar results on tired legs and in hot fall weather made more intense by sunny skies in Mining City’s elevated location.

The schedule opened with the junior varsity girls competition and the Bengals worked their way to the front of the pack early in the race before finishing first, second, third, fifth, and sixth to post a score of 17 points, just two shy of perfection. Hellgate was second with 82 and Gallatin finished third with 87.

Junior Emmie Bermingham, freshman Ivy Kyle, and junior Ellie Bermingham led through the midway point in the race and held off the competition to finish in that order atop the standings, separated by just 11 seconds. Bermingham won in 21:00, Kyle was second in 21:03, and Coburn was third in 21:11.

Meanwhile, senior Emily Davidson ran to fifth place with a time of 21:31 and freshman Mary Guzynski continued her impressive rookie campaign with the Bengals by moving past multiple runners in the final mile to place sixth in 21:45. Helena’s spread was just 45 seconds from its first through fifth runners.

Sophomores Harper Johnson and Alexa Pipinich were next across the line to put Helena’s top 7 in the top 15 overall as they placed 14^th in 22:14 and 15^th in 22:18, respectively. Freshman Sadie Murray (33^rd, 23:12) also garnered a spot in the top 50.

Helena’s junior varsity boys toed the line next and sophomore Foster Warner led the charge with a personal best run of 17:48 to guide the team to second with 50 points, just 11 behind Glacier’s 39.

Junior Titus Wetzel ran another strong race from start to finish to place sixth in 18:24, senior Henry Sweeney ran strong in eighth place with a time of 18:26, and sophomore Dan Williams crossed the finish in 18:33 to place 11^th, giving the Bengals four runners in the top 15. The trio of freshman Milo Sealey (24^th, 18:55), sophomore Graham Coleman (25^th, 18:56), and sophomore Apollo Althoff (26^th, 18:56) were Helena’s 5-7 runners and worked together to help one-another work their way up the standings throughout the race. Sophomore Ravin Bury (29^th, 19:12) also claimed a spot in the top 50.

After the junior varsity teams set the tone, Helena’s varsity squads kept the good vibes rolling as the girls placed second, just six points behind defending state runner-up Gallatin, and the boys finished first.

The girls were led by the reliable trio of junior Kortney McKay, senior Kate Lee, and junior Isabel Ward, who showed great grit and resolve near the front of the pack.

McKay, who has led the Bengals in their first four meets this season, ran a strong final mile and pushed hard to the finish to place fourth in 19:12 behind Glacier freshman Ada Thiel (18:51), Bozeman junior Tula Higman (18:54), and Flathead sophomore Everett Holland (19:12). Just a little further up the field, Kate Lee (19:51) and Isabel Ward (19:52) placed 11^th and 12^th to put three Bengals in the top 15. For Lee, her time was a 10^th of a second off her PR.

Junior Mary Clement, meanwhile, again demonstrated awesome growth as a competitor as she moved up four spots in the second half of the race, running her second fastest career time of 20:29.6 – just 0.7 seconds shy of a PR – to finish 18^th as Helena’s fourth runner for the third time in 2025. Freshman Wynona Schmidt, meanwhile, continued her patient rise and ran a personal best of 20:37 in 21^st, while senior Cooper Judd reeled in three competitors in the second half of the race to finish 23^rd in a personal best of 20:43.

The Bengals finished with 65 points, trailing only Gallatin’s 59 and ahead of West’s 106.

The day finished with a double win for the Bengals as junior Milo Kauffman threw down an aggressive charge through the second mile to break open a close race with Billings West senior Kye McAbee. Kuaffman ran away with the individual victory in 15:41 – more than 30 seconds ahead of second place.

That effort gave the Bengals the low stick it needed as freshman Emory Kreissler again backed Kauffman’s finish with a stellar eighth place in a personal best of 16:30, senior Garrett Hinderman coming back from illness battled to 14^th place finish in 16:47, senior Ed Coleman placed 23^rd in 17:07, and junior Dylan Hill debuted after overcoming injury with a time of 17:12 in 26^th.

That group of five Bengals scored 70, leading Hellgate’s 93 and Flathead’s 119 in second and third.

Helena’s sixth and seventh runners also placed in the top 50 with junior Joel Melton 41^st in 17:33 and sophomore Ander Svingen 48^th in 17:44.

Additional Highlights

While the focus for the team is pursuing excellence by giving one’s best, exercising curiosity by taking calculated risks and exhibiting bravery, and demonstrating love and unity, the byproduct of doing that consistently is often a personal or season best, and the Bengals experienced several of those Saturday. A whopping 13 additional boys ran personal bests in Butte to match the feats of Warner and Kreissler. Other personal bests Thursday included efforts by freshman Tristan Hill (19:56), sophomore Sean Carney (20:00), freshman Zephyr Gomes (20:26), freshman Levi Johnson (21:26), freshman Tre Phipps (21:39), freshman Reiter McVie (22:46), freshman Ben Cupino (23:05), junior Micah Langdji (23:49), freshman Emmett Morrison (23:55), freshman Gabriel Waits (25:07), freshman Tim Wilkins (25:33), and sophomore Santiago Arguelles (28:57). Helena juniors Asher Hazen (20:45) and Dane Moser (20:58) ran season bests. In addition to Schmidt and Judd posting PRs for the girls, sophomore Alexa Pipinich (22:18) and junior Quincey Higgins (26:57) also raised the bar. Running season bests for the Bengal girls in addition to Lee and Clement were juniors Esme Soller (26:02) and Kelia Gomes (27:00).

Next Up

While the Bengals had a quick turnaround this past week with just five days between meets, they get eight days to recharge and prepare for the next opportunity on their schedule – the Great Falls Invitational on Friday, Oct. 3 at Anaconda Hills Golf Course.

Boys Claim 2nd With 3 All-State Finishers, Ward Leads Girls to 5th

Photo Gallery (Thank you Emily Davidson and Marie Matthews)

Complete Results

A trio of Helena High boys collected All-State finishes Saturday at the state cross country meet, but a strong meet for the Bengals wasn’t quite enough as Bozeman put together an impressive collective effort of their own to claim the title.

The Hawks finished with 56 points, Helena was second with 71, and Hellgate claimed third with 115.

Sophomore Milo Kauffman charged to the front in a gutsy move with about 1 kilometer remaining in the 5K race at UM Golf Course in Missoula and held on for fourth place in 15:49 as senior teammate Henry Sund charged to the finish line in fifth in 15:55. Senior Elliot Stimpson (16:04) claimed the third all-state finish (top 15) for the Bengals in 10^th, an impressive showing considering the Bengal veteran “felt off” early in the race but managed to construct his best showing at the state meet after he placed 11^th last fall.

Kauffman has now opened his career with back-to-back All-State finishes after placing 10^th in 2023. For Sund, it was a welcome return to the podium. He placed 14th in 2022 and missed out on all-state in 2023 when he finished 19^th and the Bengals placed third.

Finishing fourth for Helena on Saturday was junior Dylan Hill who matched his 25th-place finished from a year ago. Junior Garrett Hinderman fought hard on every inch of the demanding course en route to 27^th in a lifetime best breakthrough of 16:43. Seniors Eli Highness (41^st, 16:55) and Jake Matthews (42^nd, 16:57) were Helena’s sixth and seventh finishers, capping off a strong season for the duo.

The top three individual places were occupied by Belgrade junior Wilson Schmidt, who stormed past the leaders in the final stretch to place first in a personal record of 15:38. Bozeman sophomore Taylor Neil was second in a PR of 15:42 and Glacier junior Owen Theil was third in 15:45.

Helena Girls Rise to the Occasion

Sophomore Isabel Ward ran a full minute faster than she’d completed a race this season and bettered her personal best by about 20 seconds in 16^th – just one spot off the All-State podium – and guided the Helena girls to fifth place.

It was an exceptional performance for Ward, who suffered an unfortunate injury early this season and was confined to cross-training for three weeks and was forced to miss the first two meets. She remained positive and persevered, then put together her best race of the season when the team needed her most.

Entering the meet, the Bengals were projected to finish sixth based on season bests, but because of a strong collective effort by all seven runners they posted 154 points, just one shy of Glacier in fourth place with 153. Gallatin (52 points) won the state championship over Bozeman (68), and Hellgate (129) finished third.

Helena’s 2, 3, 4, and 5 runners finished in a flurry with only 6 seconds separating the four of them, led by senior Solveig Mohr in a PR of 20:14 for 32^nd place. Freshman Lily Combs ran a PR of 20:17 in 34^th, senior Ella Irey capped and impressive career that included four trips to the state meet with a PR of 20:18 in 35^th, and junior Kate Lee continued an incredibly strong season in 20:20 for 37^th place.

Sophomore Emmie Bermingham was Helena’s sixth runner across the line in a PR of 20:42 for 45^th place and senior Hadyn Garza completed the Bengals drive to the finish line in 52^nd with a time of 20:51.

Bengals On the Up

The meet exhibited the Bengals’ incredible commitment and resolve and marked another step in a positive direction. Helena’s boys placed 13^th in 2021, were fifth in 2022, and finished third last season, making the runner-up finish the team’s best since winning the state title in 2003. The girls placed fourth in 2021 and bid farewell to a historic senior class, then finished 10^th in 2022, climbed to sixth in 2023, and finished fifth to cap this season with a strong core of hungry Bengals returning next fall.

Next Up

In three weeks, 58 Helena High runners will travel to Boise to compete in the Nike Cross Northwest Regional Championships against the top runners from seven states – Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Wyoming, and Hawaii. The meet will be Saturday, Nov. 16 at Eagle Island State Park.

Bengals Break Out at 7 vs. 7 as Boys Win, Girls Place 4th and JV Shines

Helena High’s junior varsity girls set an incredible tone to start the 7 vs. 7 Classic on an overcast and sometimes sunny Thursday at Bill Roberts Golf Course, the JV boys followed suit with yet another impressive run, and the good vibes continued to reverberate throughout the afternoon as Helena’s varsity squads put on a show on their home course.

The unique 7 vs. 7 format matches runners from each school in descending order, meaning the No. 7 runners from each school compete first, followed by the No. 6 runners, then the No. 5 runners and so on.

Helena’s boys got off to a near-perfect start en route to victory as junior Garrett Hinderman won the No. 7 race in 17:16, then senior Eli Highness was runner-up in the No.6 race in 16:46, and senior Jake Matthews posted a second-place finish in the No. 5 race in 16:58. With Bozeman being their nearest competitor, that gave the Bengals a 5-8 lead against the reigning state champions.

Junior Dylan Hill then stepped up with arguably the race of the day for the Helena boys with a commanding victory in a personal best 16:14 – running at the front wire-to-wire and winning by a margin of 25 seconds to extend the lead to 6-10.

That left the final three races, which are incredibly competitive as they often each feature multiple runners from all classifications who will be vying for all-state finishes two weeks from now.

Senior Henry Sund seemed unfazed by the runners around him, stormed to an early lead and never looked back, winning the No. 3 race in 16:02 – expanding the Bengals lead to a commanding 7-15 and releasing some of the pressure teammates Milo Kauffman, a sophomore, and Elliot Stimpson, a senior, might have been feeling as they were queued up for the No. 2 and No. 1 races.

Kauffman appeared calm and composed as he went to work on a runner-up finish in 16:07 behind Bozeman’s Christian Landers, and Stimpson followed that up in a business-like fourth-place finish in the final race of the day with a time of 15:48 to lock up the victory for the Bengals – their first in more than a decade at the event.

In the end, Helena finished with 13 points to Bozeman’s 21, and Billings West was third with 43.

On the girls side, the Bengals entered the meet with reason to hope for a spot in the top 6 with a tightly contested field featuring frontrunners Gallatin, Bozeman, reigning Class A state champion Hardin, and reigning Class AA champion Hellgate, while the Bengals, Glacier, Flathead and Skyview have regularly competed in close quarters behind that pack.

The Bengals did their part with a solid all-around effort and appeared poised to finish fifth, but both Gallatin’s and Hellgate’s top runners didn’t finish the No. 1 race, meaning each team was scored at 27 points in those races. That moved the Bengals ahead of Hellgate, which was third going into the race, and Helena (44 points) finished fourth, just two points behind fourth-place Gallatin (42) and five points behind third-place Hardin (39). Bozeman won the meet going away with 19 points, and Flathead and Hellgate both finished with 59.

Sophomore Emmie Bermingham got the Bengals off to a strong start as she placed second in the No. 7 race with a 24-second personal best of 20:44. She was followed in the No. 6 race by Ella Irey’s effort, which proved to be a massive breakthrough for the senior who clocked the Bengals’ second-fastest time of the day, running a nearly 30-second PR of 20:28 in fourth place.

In the No. 5 race, senior Solveig Mohr posted a season best of 20:44 to finish third, and freshman Lily Combs stepped up with a 17-second lifetime best of 20:42 to finish seventh in the No. 4 race.

Much like the boys races, the No. 3, No. 2, and No. 1 races are often incredibly close and hotly contested for obvious reasons, and Helena’s competitors held their own.

Senior Hadyn Garza just missed her season best in the No. 3 race, running 20:46 in ninth place, while sophomore Isabel Ward duked it out with a large group of runners and finished 11^th in the No. 2 race in a season best of 20:31 – just nine seconds shy of 7^th place.

Next, up stepped junior Kate Lee in the No. 1 race for Helena and step up she did. She entered the race with the 14^th-fastest time and placed eighth with a 10-second personal best of 19:51 with a smile on her face for nearly all 3.1 miles.

JV Shines Brightly Yet Again

“Look at Helena!” was a phrase stuck on repeat among fans and supporters as the junior varsity girls race took shape after runners swept past the half-mile mark. It was clear the Bengals were on the march toward a special performance and everyone could see it coming.

At the halfway point, a pack of five comprised of sophomores Mary Clement and Ellie Coburn, junior Cooper Judd, and seniors Caoimhe Gallagher and Margot Muszkiewicz crested the hill at the halfway point occupying places 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, and just a few strides further back was junior Emily Davidson in 10^th.

There was an energy in the pack that drove them across the rolling hills and helped establish an unbeatable rhythm through the second lap before things got a little more strung out.

Clement pulled away to place third in a personal best 20:56, but Gallagher reduced a lead that had grown to about 8 seconds down to 4 at the finish line to place fourth in a personal best of 21:00. Judd followed closely in fourth with a massive PR of 21:03, Coburn was fifth in a big PR of 21:07, and Davidson finished ninth in a PR of 21:13. Helena’s sixth and seventh runners across the line were Muszkiewicz 18^th in a season-best 21:59 and senior Ryah O’Dell 29^th in a season-best 22:47.

Helena finished with 18 points with the first through fifth runners being separated by only 17 seconds, while Hellgate was second with 86 and Billings West third with 131.

The girls had an additional season best and 10 more personal bests in the JV race, and senior Margaret McDonald (41^st) and sophomore Kumari Leland (49^th) joined their front-running teammates in the top 50.

On the boys side, senior Chris Jenemann posted the highest overall JV finish in second place and ran a strong season best of 17:15 to do it, which helped guide the Bengals to second place with 63 points, just 15 points behind Hellgate in first.

Junior Ed Coleman ran a personal best of 17:30 to place third, junior Henry Sweeney continued his recent momentum with a PR of 17:59 in 16^th, freshman Ander Svingen posted a PR of 18:02 in 17^th, and sophomore Daniel Williams ran to 25^th place in a PR of 18:24. Freshman Foster Warner was Helena’s sixth runner in 26^th with a PR 18:27 and senior Sam Fitterer celebrated his 18^th birthday with a PR of 18:31 in 30^th place to lock down Helena’s seventh position.

Like the girls, the boys collectively had a great day with an additional three season bests and nine personal bests in JV competition, and freshman Ravin Bury joined his teammates in the top 50 in 38^th with a time of 18:37.

Next Up

The Bengals next turn their attention to Crosstown at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16 at Bill Roberts Golf Course. That race will be preceded by the middle school race featuring future Bengals and Bruins from Helena Middle School and CR Anderson. The Bengals and Bruins will also honor their seniors after the crosstown competition. Please consider coming out to celebrate Helena’s 15 seniors are listed below and send the Bengals off to state with a big crowd.

BOYS

Sam Fitterer

Eli Highness

Chris Jenemann

Jake Matthews

Elliot Stimpson

Henry Sund

Luke Wilkins

GIRLS

Gillian Bovingdon

Caoimhe Gallagher

Hadyn Garza

Ella Irey

Margaret McDonald

Solveig Mohr

Margot Muszkiewicz

Ryah O’Dell