BILLINGS — Several records fell and multiple schools saw long championship droughts end Saturday at the state cross country meet in Billings.
The meet was held at Amend Park, as Billings was hosting the state meet for the first time since 1982 when it was held at Lake Hills Golf Course.
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Class AA record-breaking performances
Bozeman's Taylor Neil (14 minutes, 39.3 seconds) and Phoebe Maixner (16:58.3) will remember Saturday's state meet for years after setting new Class AA records. Neil topped his brother Nathan's record-breaking time and also set a new all-class mark. His efforts also helped the Bozeman boys to their third consecutive team title.
Maixner displaced former Hawk Camila Noe as the Class AA record-holder. Maixner was one of six sophomores to finish inside the top seven.
The Helena girls were crowned team champions for the first time since 1973.
Class A sets two new standards
Addison Kegel of Billings Central and Hardin's Ben Bird stand alone atop the Class A record books after Saturday's performances.
Kegel, a sophomore, made it back-to-back state championships but also broke the all-class record set by Bozeman's Maixner roughly 90 minutes prior. Kegel finished in 16:44.8 to set Montana's new all-class mark.
Polson would win the team title led by Delaney sisters Morgan and Quinn, who finished second and third, respectively. It's the second girls cross country state championship in Polson's history and first since 1994.
Hardin's Bird was able to chase down the Class A record previously held by Livingston's Finn Schretenthaler. Bird had a winning time of 15:19.8, while the Bulldogs placed five runners inside the top 14 to claim their third consecutive team title.
Class B team race decided by tiebreaker
Harlem's Ethan Walker set a new Class B record with a winning time of 15:20.4, but his Wildcats would finish second in the team race after a tiebreak. Poplar, needing to count its sixth runner to break the tie with Harlem, claimed the Class B boys team title for the first time since 1998.
Chinook's Ashlyn Ford claimed the individual title on the girls side with a winning time of 18:08.5. Jefferson, though, would win the team title after its top three runners finished sixth, seventh and 12th.
Class C sees long drought snapped and a first-timer
There's going to be some new hardware for the Drummond boys to display upon their return from Billings, as the Trojans claimed the program's first state cross country title.
The Trojans were led by seniors Dawson Parke and Josh Yakos, who finished second and third to help anchor the scoring.
Individual champion Trent Lane of Cascade, who won with a time of 15:52.7, helped the Badgers finish third as a team.
Hopefully there's enough room for two trophies in Cascade, because the Badger girls claimed the team crown for the first time in 31 years. Madison Jennings led Cascade with a runner-up finish, but the Badgers also had all-state performances from Allie Park (sixth) and Alivia Pettit (12th).
North Star's Brea Sattoriva was the individual champion on Saturday with a winning time of 19:12.9.
Full results of the 2026 all-class state cross country meet can be found here.
