What a year it was.
Treasure State teams and athletes again came through with plenty of memorable moments in 2025. From championships to record-setting performances to historic achievements, it was another banner year for sports in Montana.
Thus, the MTN Sports staff voted on the 10 biggest stories of 2025 across the state. A first-place vote garnered 10 points, a second-place vote got nine points and on down to a 10th-place vote being worth one point.
Below is our list of Montana's biggest sports stories of the year, ranked in order from No. 10 to No. 1:
10. Montana men win Big Sky, return to NCAA basketball tournament for first time since 2019
It had been six long years since the Montana men's basketball team had made it to the Big Dance. But that all changed in March when the Grizzlies defeated Northern Colorado 91-83 in a hotly contested championship game at the Big Sky Conference tournament in Boise, Idaho.
The Grizzlies, led by veterans such as Brandon Whitney, Joe Pridgen and Kai Johnson, won 14 of their final 15 games to make it to the NCAA tournament, where it hadn't been since going back to back in 2018 and 2019. Whitney was named Big Sky tourney MVP. The Griz, a No. 14 seed, went on to lose 85-66 to No. 3 seed Wisconsin in the first round.
Billings West tight end Matt "Moose" Ludwig was one of the most sought-after high school football recruits in state history and was heavily pursued by several top college programs. Ludwig, a 6-foot-4, 240-pound four-star prospect, eventually committed to Michigan of the Big Ten and officially signed with the Wolverines during the early signing period on Dec. 3.
But a week after he signed, Michigan fired coach Sherrone Moore for cause due to what the school stated was an "inappropriate relationship with a staff member." Moore was later leveled with three criminal charges, including felony home invasion. Due to the fallout, Ludwig asked for and was granted a release from his letter of intent to Michigan and signed with Texas Tech, which had also been recruiting him heavily.
8. Missoula Loyola boys, Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale girls complete hardwood 3-peats
Two high school basketball teams looking to win a third straight championship both completed the feat in March — the Missoula Loyola boys in Class B and the Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale girls in Class C.
The Loyola boys, led by standout Reynolds Johnston, blitzed Lodge Grass 91-57 in the title game at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula to become the first team to win three straight Class B boys titles since Lodge Grass did it from 1988-90. The Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale girls, with a big third-quarter run and clutch plays from the likes of Shelbi LaBrie, edged Roy-Winifred 53-47 at the Civic Center in Butte to accomplish the first Class C girls three-peat since Belt turned the trick from 2012-14.
7. Frenchtown pulls monumental upset, stuns Billings Central to win Class A football crown
Nobody expected Frenchtown to take down mighty Billings Central in the Class A football championship game in November. Nobody but the Broncs themselves, that is. Led by freshman backup quarterback Cody Forthofer — who came off the bench to lead four touchdown drives — Frenchtown overcame an early 14-3 deficit to shock the Rams 31-21.
Central had dominated Class A for two seasons and had won 23 straight games, many in blowout fashion. Frenchtown had lost to the Rams by a 35-7 score just two months earlier. But the Broncs believed when few others did, and they ended up pulling the off the biggest upset of the high school football season.
Marah Dykstra, a 6-foot-1 junior from Vancouver, B.C., sent Montana State to the NCAA women's basketball tournament with a buzzer-beating shot to slay rival Montana in a heart-stopping championship game at the Big Sky Conference tournament in Boise, Idaho, in March. With time running down, Dykstra drove to the hoop and misfired off the glass on her first attempt. But in the same motion, she rebounded the ball and laid it in just before the horn. Final score: MSU 58, UM 57.
The Lady Griz gave the 30-win Bobcats all they wanted in the title game and nearly made a Cinderella appearance in the NCAA tourney after Nate Harris took over the coaching reins from Brian Holsinger, who resigned after taking a leave of absence from the team in January. Harris later shed the interim coaching tag and was hired to lead the Montana program. Dykstra later transferred from the Bobcats to Michigan State. But for one day, it all came together in thrilling, buzzer-beating fashion.
5. Katharine Berkoff of Missoula wins title at World Aquatics Championships
Decorated swimmer Katharine Berkoff won a gold medal in the 50-meter backstroke at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore in July. It was her first world title. Berkoff, who also won a bronze in the 100-meter backstroke, prevailed in the 50-meter finals with a time of 27.08 seconds, outpacing fellow American Regan Smith and third-place Letian Wan of China.
Berkoff's performance came on the heels of her appearance at the 2024 Paris Olympics where she won a bronze in the 100-meter backstroke and helped the United States women's 4x100-meter medley relay team to a gold medal. In high school, Berkoff won 14 individual state championships while at Missoula Hellgate and went on to capture five NCAA titles while at at N.C. State.
4. Helena High's Madilyn Todorovich wins 7 state track medals to set Montana career record
In May, Helena High track star Madilyn Todorovich captured seven medals at the Class AA state meet, including individual championships in the high jump, long jump, triple jump and 400 meters. She scored 50.5 points to break the Class AA girls record for most individual points at a single state meet.
With her effort, Todorovich finished her illustrious high school career with a record 27 state medals, eclipsing the old mark of 24 set by Conrad's Loni Perkins in 2003 and tied by Geraldine's Toni Quenell in 2005. Todorovich, who is now on the track and field team at Baylor, finished her career with 10 golds. The performance helped make Todorovich MTN Sports' female athlete of the year for 2025.
3. The NFL journeys of Montana natives Tommy Mellott and Junior Bergen
Junior Bergen and Tommy Mellott fashioned legendary college football careers at Montana and Montana State, respectively, and both were picked in the 2025 NFL draft as a result. Butte's Mellott, a quarterback from MSU, was drafted by the Raiders in the sixth round while Billings' Bergen, a receiver and return specialist for the Griz, was chosen by the 49ers in the seventh round. But that wasn't all.
On Aug. 16, Mellott and Bergen met on the field in a preseason game in Las Vegas. With just over 14 minutes remaining Bergen returned a kickoff 25 yards before he was tackled by — guess who? — Mellott. The 49ers won the game, 22-19, but neither player has appeared in a regular-season game. Mellott, who started the year by becoming the first player in Montana State history to win the Walter Payton Award, was later released by both the Raiders and the Saints. Bergen remains on the 49ers' practice squad.
2. Libby golfer Ryggs Johnston makes cut at 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush
Last December, Ryggs Johnston earned an automatic qualification to the 153rd Open Championship by winning the ISPS Handa Australian Open, and that was only the beginning. Johnston arrived at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland in July as an unknown on the national stage but quickly showed the golfing prowess that Montanans have seen for years.
After shooting a 5-under 66 in Round 2 — complete with seven birdies — Johnston made the cut at his first major. His seven birdies in that round were one fewer than the eight made by world No. 1 and eventual Open champion Scottie Scheffler. Johnston finished with a four-day total of 288 at 4-over par (74-66-74-74) and in a tie for 63rd. For his effort as the first man from Montana to play in The Open, Johnston was named MTN Sports' male athlete of the year for 2025.
1. Cats, Griz renew fierce rivalry in FCS playoffs for the first time
For the first time in the storied history of the Montana-Montana State football rivalry, the programs squared off in the FCS playoffs. The semifinal game was played Dec. 20 in Bozeman amid enormous hype. MSU jumped out to a 20-3 lead, but Montana rallied to take a 23-20 advantage in the third quarter. But the key play of the night was an 87-yard touchdown pass from Justin Lamson to Taco Dowler on third and 20 in the fourth quarter that put the Cats ahead 34-23, and was part of 28 unanswered points by Montana State.
In the end, the Bobcats ran away from the Grizzlies for a 48-23 win to earn a berth in the national championship game. It was MSU's second win over the Grizzlies in the span of 28 days and its third in a row in the series. Montana State will face Illinois State for the FCS championship Monday night in Nashville, Tenn.
Honorable mentions
The Montana State football team falls 35-32 to North Dakota State in the FCS national championship game in Frisco, Texas; Billings West's Zach Morse becomes the 42nd four-time state wrestling champion in Montana history; Huntley Project basketball player Paige Lofing eclipses 2,000 career points; Scobey snaps Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale's 73-game girls basketball winning streak; The Montana State Billings men secure their third straight 20-win season for the first time since 1987; The Montana State Billings women make the NCAA Division II West Regional for the third straight year and the sixth time in the past 11 seasons; College of Idaho wins NAIA men’s basketball championship with Montanans leading the way; Bill Dreikosen is let go as Rocky Mountain College men's basketball coach after 25 years; Former Montana State runner Matt Richtman becomes the first American since 1994 to win the Los Angeles Marathon; Montana State golfer Becca Tschetter makes two holes-in-one in a three-week span; Montana Tech’s Abby Clark four-peats as Frontier heptathlon champion;
Montana State’s Maddie Montoya wins the Big Sky women’s golf crown; Sidney native Ryan Sullivan is named Montana Western women's basketball coach; The Montana Grizzlies win the Big Sky men’s tennis championship; Carroll's Weston Means (high jump) and Carson Krack (decathlon) win NAIA outdoor track and field national championships; Corvallis’ Hunter Loesch launches the nation’s No. 1 high school javelin throw (219-11); Kalispell Glacier wins the Class AA state softball title with a legendary comeback; Billings Central wins the state baseball championship in its first season, marking the school’s ninth title in 2024-25; Longtime Missoula Loyola boys basketball coach Scott Anderson retires; UFC 316: Helena's Sean O'Malley loses via submission in title bout to Merab Dvalishvili; Montana State’s Rob McManus places eighth in the steeplechase finals at NCAA nationals with a career-best time; Sacramento State announces its withdrawal from Big Sky Conference effective in 2026, while Utah State and Utah Tech are announced as new members of Big Sky beginning in 2026-27; Fairfield girls basketball legend Jill Barta is named Chinook head coach;
Laurel’s Richie Cortese is selected by the Phillies in the 2025 MLB amateur draft out of Division II Lander University (S.C.); Waded Cruzado retires as Montana State University president; The Glendive All-Stars play in the Babe Ruth World Series; The Bitterroot Red Sox win the American Legion baseball Class A Northwest Regional; Helena’s Brian Knight retires as an MLB umpire; Hall of fame pitcher Pedro Martinez visits Centene Stadium in Great Falls, where his professional baseball career began; Montana State golfer Eva Heinz shoots a Big Sky-record 62 at the Yellowstone Intercollegiate; Bozeman High football breaks records in a 70-50 victory over Great Falls High; Hall of famer Terrell Davis visits Billings for a Daylis Stadium renovations fundraiser; Great Falls' Tommy McMillen earns a UFC contract with a Contender Series win; Montana and Sacramento State engage in a war of words during the week ahead of the Grizzlies' 49-35 football win over the Hornets;
The Providence Argos earn the national No. 1 volleyball ranking and later advance to the NAIA quarterfinals; Montana Tech goes 11-0 to win the Frontier Conference football title, advances to NAIA playoff quarterfinals; Montana Tech's Levi Torgerson is named the Frontier football player of the year among several team accolades; The Montana women's soccer team wins the Big Sky regular-season and postseason championships, earning a berth in NCAA Women's College Cup; Montana women's soccer coach Chris Citowicki is hired away by Washington State after eight years in Missoula; Billings Central freshman distance runner Addison Kegel wins the Nike Cross Regional meet, places 11th at Nike Cross Nationals; Helena's Sam Petersen wins the bareback average title at his first National Finals Rodeo.
