CHICAGO — Billings Central runner Addison Kegel earned the second Gatorade honor of her phenomenal freshman campaign Thursday when she was named the 2025-26 Gatorade Montana girls track and field player of the year.
She was also the state's Gatorade girls cross country runner of the year in the fall.
During the spring track and field season, Kegel, a 5-foot-5 freshman distance runner, swept the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs at the Class A state meet, setting the class records in all three races. She won the 800 in 2 minutes, 9.88 seconds, the 1,600 in 4:49.30 and the 3,200 in 10:31.86.
Kegel also shined at national meets, earning dual All-American honors at the Nike Outdoor Nationals earlier this month. She was third in the two-mile with a time of 10:05.59, which ranked No. 18 nationally among high school girls this spring. She was also fourth in the mile with a time of 4:41.85.
“The sky’s the limit for Addison,” Hardin coach Laura Sundheim said in a Gatorade news release. “She’s continued to get stronger throughout each season. Her discipline and performances are rare and she continues to raise the bar for female distance running in Montana.”
According to the release, Kegel is a 4.0 student, member of Central's American Sign Language Club and clarinetist in the pep band. The release also says she volunteers in community service initiatives with her church as well as with Refresh the Rims to clean up public walking paths.
Related: Class Act — 14-year-old Addy Kegel conquers 5Ks, cross country and clarinet
Kegel is the first girl from Billings Central to be named the Gatorade Montana girls track and field player of the year. Rae Smart of Billings Skyview won the 2024-25 award.
