MISSOULA — Montana State distance runner Ben Perrin and Montana soccer player Skyleigh Thompson were honored as the 2025 Montana AAU Little Sullivan Award winners Saturday.
Perrin, a graduate of Flathead High School in Kalispell, was a top runner at Montana State in both track and field and cross country.
In track, Perrrin qualified for the U.S. Olympic trials last year in the 10,000 meters and competed at the NCAA West Regional in both the 10,000 and 5,000-meter races. Perrin helped the Bobcats win the 2024 Big Sky Conference outdoor championship by placing second in the 5,000 and third in the 10,000 on the meet's final day.
Perrin also finished second in the 3,000 meters and third in the 5,000 meters at the 2024 Big Sky indoor championships.
In cross country, Perrin helped the Bobcats to a second consecutive appearance at the NCAA championships.
Thompson, also a Kalispell Flathead alum, helped the Montana Grizzlies soccer team to its second straight Big Sky regular-season championship in the fall of 2024, though she suffered a late-season injury.
She appeared in 15 of 19 matches with 10 starts, taking 32 shots and putting 12 on goal. She played 833 total minutes, an average of 55.5 per match.
In 2023, Thompson was named the Big Sky's offensive player of the year after scoring scoring six goals and adding four assists as Montana went 13-3-3 that year.
The Montana AAU Little Sullivan awards honor the top amateur athletes in the state each year. This was the second straight year in which the awards voting was open to the public.
The other male finalists were Montana State football player Tommy Mellott of Butte, Montana football player Junior Bergen of Billings, and Clarendon (Texas) rodeo athlete Weston Timberman of Columbus.
The other female finalists were Olympic swimmer Katharine Berkoff of Missoula, Montana basketball player Dani Bartsch of Helena, and Utah volleyball player Allie Olsen of Great Falls.
