Two other past champions, Sydney Little Light (2022 and 2023) and Sage Brooks (2020), are also entered in this year’s races scheduled for the BSSG Opening Ceremonies  at Lockwood High School Stadium on Friday, July 18.

The BSSG announced the 2025 Montana Mile men’s and women’s fields in a press release on Monday morning. This year’s races are scheduled for approximately 8:15-8:30 p.m. on July 18.

The Montana Mile, sponsored by Billings West End Walmart, is an invitational and features some of the state’s fastest high school, college and post-collegiate runners. This year will mark the 34th Montana Mile for the men and 26th for the women.

Lois Ricardi-Keller holds the women’s Montana Mile record with a time of 4:53.90 in 2011. The Montana Mile men’s record was established by Duncan Hamilton with a time of 4:04.83 in 2022. 

Overall, 12 males are entered in the race and eight females.

Below is biographical information for each runner in the male and female fields (capsule information for each individual runner is provided by the BSSG): 

Ackerman had a successful athletic career at Montana State University Billings, competing in both track and field and cross country. The former Dawson County High School runner was named a team captain for the Yellowjackets. He received GNAC All-Conference in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 1,500 and holds the 8K and 1500 school records. Ackerman finished second in the 2023 Montana Mile and this will be his sixth year competing in the race.

Drange is participating in his second Montana Mile. Drange is a former cross country and track athlete at Tiffin University in Ohio. Drange graduated high school from Custer County in Miles City and earned a third place at the Eastern Class A Championships in the 800. Drange was a scoring member of the Tiffin cross country and track and field teams, marking a best last year in the 1500 with a time of 4:06.42. 

Duffey will be competing in his second Montana Mile. Duffey is a former cross country and track athlete at Rocky Mountain College, graduating in 2022. While in college, he qualified for NAIA nationals all four years and was a two time national qualifier in the 5K track event during the 2022 indoor and outdoor seasons. Duffey graduated high school from Ronan and earned the designation as an all-state cross country runner and two-time all-state in track. Duffey is the former cross country coach at Rocky Mountain College.

Kye Mcabee will be competing in his first Montana Mile. Mcabee will be a senior at Billings West in the fall. Mcabee has the school record for the 1,600. He was the Eastern AA Divisional champion, and 2024 city cross country Champion. This last year Mcabee placed sixth in the 1600 and ninth in the 3,200 at the State AA meet. Mcabee competed at the 2025 Nike Outdoor Nationals in Eugene, Oregon.

Schellig will be a senior at Joliet and is competing in his first Montana Mile. Schellig holds the Class B state record in the 800 as well as the Joliet record in the 800, 1,600, 5K, and anchored the school-record-setting 4×400 relay. Schellig won first place in the 2025 State B in the 800 and 1,600. He was named the 2024 Montana USATF Athlete of the Year.

Wilson Schmidt will participate in his first Montana Mile. He attends Belgrade High School and will be a senior. Schmidt has the Belgrade record in the 1,600, 800, and 400 as well as the state record in the 800. Schmidt was the 2025 Class AA State Champion in the 800, 1600, and cross country.

Schretenthaler, who will be a senior at Livingston in the fall, holds the Class A 1,600 record and the school record in the 1,600, 3,200, 800, and 5K. Schretenthaler is a state champion in the 3,200 and 1,600 as well as Class A Cross Country Champion in both 2024 and 2023. This will be his first time competing in the Montana Mile.

This fall, Steckelberg will be entering his junior year at University of Montana. Steckelberg competes for the University of Montana cross country and track and field teams. He currently holds the school records at Bozeman Gallatin for the 1,600, 3,200, and 5K in cross country. He was three-time all-state for cross country and two-time all-state for track. He will be running in the Montana Mile for the fifth-consecutive year. Steckelberg won the 2024 Montana Mile.

Summers will be a sophomore at Dawson Community College in the fall. Summers holds the Montana Class B cross country state record and he also holds Wolf Point High school records in the 5K, 3,200, 1,600, and 800. At the 2024 State B Track meet, Summers placed first in the 1,600, 3,200, 4×400, and third in the 800. This will be Summers’ second year competing in the Montana Mile.

Former Laurel Locomotive and Montana State University standout Levi Taylor will be making his fifth appearance in the Mile. Taylor is the school record holder at Laurel in the 1,600 and the 3,200. He is also part of the record-holding team in the distance medley relay at MSU. He is a three-time NCAA All-American. He competed in the 2024 NCAA National Championships in the steeplechase taking home 12th place and qualifying for the Olympic Trials.

Caleb Tomac attends Rocky Mountain College and will be a sophomore this coming fall. Tomac attended Havre High School and was the State A champion in the 800. Tomac also earned the designation as all-state in track and field for three years in high school and holds the Rocky freshman record in the 1,500. This will be Tomac’s first Montana Mile.

Jackson Wilson attended Douglas High School in Box Elder, South Dakota, and is a former Rocky Mountain College athlete. Wilson won the 2023 NAIA national title in cross country and was a nine-time NAIA All American. Wilson holds the Rocky Mountain College school records in the indoor 3K, outdoor 5K, indoor 1 mile, indoor 5K, outdoor 10K, and 8K cross country. Wilson was also named the NAIA Runner of The Year. This will be Wilson’s first Montana Mile.

Brightwings-Pease will be a junior this fall at Hardin. Brightwings-Pease holds the 1,600 and 3,200 school records. She has also won titles in the State A cross country championships as well as qualifying for the 2025 State Class A Track Championships in the 1,600 and placing sixth 3,200. This will be her third time competing in the Montana Mile.

Eagleton attended Sugar Salem High School in Idaho and will be a senior at Montana State University Billings this coming fall. While in high school, Eagleton qualified for the State Cross Country and Track Meets and she placed second in Class 3A State in the 3,200. Eagleton was a scoring member of the MSU Billings cross country team at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship meet. Eagleton also qualified for the GNAC track meet in the steeplechase. This will be Eagleton’s first time competing in the Montana Mile.

Hodgskiss will be a junior at Choteau in the fall. Hodgskiss holds the school record in the 800 and 1,600. Natalie is also a two-time Class B state champion in the 1,600 and placed second in state in the 800. This will be Hodgskiss’s second Montana Mile.

Keith currently attends college at Cal State University Monterey Bay where she will be a senior in the fall. She has had multiple achievements throughout her running career, including all-state cross country, 5K record holder at Billings West, and has the school records at Cal State University Monterey Bay for the cross country 5K, track 5K, and 4×400. This will be her third time running the Montana Mile.

Addison Kegel will be a freshman at Billings Central. Kegel holds school records at Ben Steele Middle School in the 1,600, 800, 400, 4×400 and she holds the city middle school records in the 1600, 800, and 4×400. Kegel was the city cross country champion and track champion in the 1600, 800, 400, 4×400. Kegel was also the Nike Cross Country Regional Meet middle school champion and she attended the Nike Outdoor Nationals Track meet where she earned second in the mile in her age division. This will be her second Montana Mile.

Sydney Little Light graduated from Rocky Mountain College in 2023, where she holds records in nearly every distance event. Little Light is the 2022 and 2023 Montana Mile champion and will be running for her fourth time. The Hardin High graduate is a seven-time NAIA All-American and the 2022 NAIA 1,500 Outdoor Track and Field National Champion. Little Light was also the 2022 Ultimate Warrior champion. She was named Frontier Conference Athlete of the Week 28 times in her running career. Little Light ran for Eastern Kentucky while finishing her masters degree. She placed second in the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship Meet and holds the mile record at Eastern Kentucky.

Brooks will be a fifth-year Senior at Oregon State University in the fall. Brooks was the 2020 Montana Mile Champion. The Missoula native holds the 1,600 school record at Hellgate High School. She was also designated as Oregon State’s Newcomer of the Year. Brooks placed at the MPSF Indoor Conference meet in the Mile and 3K. Brooks earned the designation of second-team all-conference West Coast Conference in 2024. This will be Brooks’ fourth Montana Mile

Severson recently graduated from Montana State University Billings with a degree in Environmental Studies. Severson holds the school record at Manhattan High School in the 400. Severson was also the team captain and scoring member of the women’s cross country team at MSU Billings. Severson also qualified for the GNAC cross country and track Championship meets all four years of college. This will be Severson’s first Montana Mile.

NOTES: The Athlete Fun Zone at Lockwood High School opens at 5 p.m. on July 18 for BSSG opening ceremonies. The opening ceremonies parade of athletes will begin at 7:15 p.m. and the Montana 100 Meter followed by the Montana Mile at approximately 8 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Admission is free to the opening ceremonies. For information, call 406-254-7426 or go to bigskygames.org. … The 2025 Montana Mile is sponsored by Billings West End Walmart. Opening Ceremonies is sponsored by Wendy’s. Major Sponsors of the State Games are Kampgrounds of America, First Interstate Bank, Rebel River Creative and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana.