KALISPELL — To call Will Hollensteiner fast would be an understatement.
In 2025, he helped Kalispell Flathead hoist the Class AA state championship trophy by winning the 200- and 400-meter dash, the 300-meter hurdles, and the 4 x 400-meter relay, where he closed a wide gap as the anchor.
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“I think what was going through my mind was, I got these seniors out here, and I want to do it for them, they've been busting their butt for four years, and, like, I didn't really think I was gonna catch them, honestly,” Hollensteiner said. “I was just trying to run a good race for my last junior year season race, and I kind of just went out there and kept running, and I saw in my sights going around the last 100 and just, like, why not go catch them?”
That performance at the state meet caught the attention of the next level, and Hollensteiner announced his commitment to continue running at Purdue University last November.
“I was like, this is where I need to be. I found the greatest success, and they also have a lot of 400 guys down there,” Hollensteiner said. “From my previous years here at Flathead, it's helped me a lot to be running with people that are up at my speed and just racing each other almost every practice and get a competitive edge with that.”
But even after setting an all-class record in the 400, running a 47.22, and being part of a record-breaking relay team in his sophomore year, Hollensteiner believes he has higher standards to set for himself in his senior season.
“I'm just ready to get better,” Hollensteiner said. “Now that I have a school picked out, I was thinking about doing a decathlon next year, but now I'm just 400, 400 hurdles, and maybe 200, and I think in the 400, I just want to come out here and break my state record again, hopefully earlier in the season, and just keep getting better every day. “
Hollensteiner hopes the improvement he makes this year will set him up well for his college career, where his ambitions are even bigger.
“I don't want to just go there and be one of the guys on the team,” Hollensteiner said. “I want to be by junior, senior year, if not earlier, I just want to be like the top guy running the great 400s, and just try to score some points for my team over there.”
