Montana State Meet

Simon Hill, Kylie Hartnett Fastest Of The Day In Great Falls

Bozeman Boys Preserve 12-Year Win Streak With Tiebreaker Over Hellgate

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Simon Hill of Glacier joined his older sister Annie as a Montana state cross country champion on Saturday at Eagle Falls Golf Course in Great Falls, Mont. 

Hill, second in 2018, won the Class AA boys race in 15:50.69. He broke the tape two seconds ahead of Missoula Hellgate's Ian Curtis. Annie Hill won state titles in 2014 and 2015.

Hellgate put three runners in the top seven, but was ultimately not deep enough to withstand Bozeman's depth. William Hodgson led the Hawks with a fourth-place finish and then a pack of four followed in 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th.

Bozeman and Hellgate both scored 54 points. The Hawks won the tiebreaker on the strength of sixth man Jonathan Wheeler, who was 16th. 

That quartet came across in span of three seconds. 

It was the 12th consecutive state title for the Bozeman boys.

Bozeman's girls, after a rare loss in 2018, stormed back to win their 12th title in 13 years with six runners finishing in the top 12. Terra Trom ran 18:04.29 to lead the Hawks in second place.

Kylie Hartnett from Helena won the race in 17:49.68 and had about a 15-second advantage at the tape.

Brynnli Poulsen from Hamilton ran off with the Class A girls title, putting 20 seconds on the field in the first mile and winning the race by more than 90 seconds in 18:16.22. Beaverhead County teammates Madalen Shipman and Kelle Mosher placed second and third.

Hardin placed five girls between 10th and 18th to win a team championship for the fourth straight year.

Sam Fulbright of Fergus won the A boys race in 16:10.43. Columbia Falls retained the team title. 

Hayley Burns from Colstrip won the Class B girls race in 19:29.50. Runner-up Emma Stolte led Broadwater, which put four runners in the top 14 for its first team title.

Brad Cichosz of Harlem won the boys race in 17:08.70. Lincoln County put three in the top 14 on the way to 73 points and the school's first team championship. 

Ben Morrison led a dominant 1-3-4-5-6 performance by Manhattan Christian in the Class C boys race. Morrison clocked 16:52.99. His teammate, third-place finisher Riley Schott, won the race last year. With eight points, MC went even lower than the nine it posted at state in 2017 and 2018.

West Yellowstone's Averi Parker won the girls race in 20:11.16. Behind her, Seeley-Swan grabbed the fourth, fifth and sixth spots to win the team title -- the school's first since 1978. 

Team Champions - 

Class AA - Bozeman boys 54 points, Bozeman girls 38 points - RESULTS

Class A - Columbia Falls boys 65 points, Hardin girls 71 points - RESULTS

Class B - Lincoln County boys 73 points, Broadwater girls 65 points - RESULTS

Class C - Manhattan Christian boys 8 points, Seeley-Swan girls 15 points (top 3 score) - RESULTS