(Editor’s note: Montana State Bobcats press release)
BOZEMAN – The Montana State track and field and cross country programs continue to fill out their rosters ahead of the 2019-20 academic year as the Bobcats announced that five student-athletes have signed their National Letters of Intent to attend the university in the fall. The Bobcats have received NLIs from a total of nine individuals that are signed to compete for MSU next year.
“It’s been an adjustment with the change in the signing period and the class of signees has taken shape differently,” said Lyle Weese, Montana State’s director of track and field and cross country. “It’s been great to see it come together more and more. It’s been put together piece by piece this year. It’s exciting to see the individuals that have signed for Montana State on the men’s and women’s sides.
“I think we’re really getting closer to being finished on the men’s side, then we have more recruiting to do on the women’s side. We’ll keep adding some more signees to the class as the spring progresses.”
Montana State’s most recent signees include Rebekah Miller, Lauren Schulz, Ashlyn Ventimiglia, Ben Perrin and Macy White. Miller, Schulz, Ventimiglia and White will each join the Bobcat women’s track and field roster and make their debuts ahead of the 2019-20 indoor season, while Perrin will be on the men’s cross country and track and field roster.
Rebekah Miller | Salem, Ore. | North Salem HS | Sprints
Rebekah Miller has been a three-year contributor for North Salem High School making trips to the OSAA 6A State Championships each season she’s competed for the Vikings. Miller completed her junior campaign in the spring of 2018 by participating in three events at the OSAA 6A State Championships. She served as the anchor leg of a state-title winning 4×100 relay that broke the school record mark with a time of 47.99 seconds. She also finished seventh individually in the 100 and the triple jump. Miller has had plenty of state championship meet success prior to her junior year. Miller earned back-to-back state titles in the 200 her freshman and sophomore seasons, while she’s finished as high as second in the long jump (freshman and triple jump (freshman), and fifth in the 100 (freshman and sophomore).
Miller has been a mainstay atop the Great Valley Conference Championship during her time at North Salem High. She’s finished with a gold medal three times individually, silver four times and earned three other top-four finishes. She was a member of 4×100 relays as a junior that took first seven times, earned over 30 first-place showings during her sophomore season and took first in every 200 she ran in during her freshman year.
“Rebekah is our first signing for the women’s sprinters, and a significant one,” sprints coach Jay Turner said. “I think Rebekah is the best kept secret on the west coast and she’s coming to Bozeman. She’s also a very accomplished horizontal jumper. By the end of her season, if she stays healthy, she has a chance to be one of the top women’s signing in the country.”
Lauren Schulz | Whitefish, Mont. | Whitefish HS | Mid-Distance
Lauren Schulz is a multi-sport and multi-event student-athlete out of Whitefish High School. Schulz has earned multiple letters while competing for the Bulldogs in track and field, volleyball and basketball.
Schulz claimed two gold medals at the 2018 MHSA Class A State Championships. She finished first in the 400 behind a personal-best time of 59.44 seconds and also took first on Whitefish’s 4×400 relay at the Class A meet. She also finished fourth in the 100, seventh in the 200 and fourth on the squad’s 4×100 relay. Schulz has made three trips to the track and field state meet, taking second as a sophomore in the 200. That year she set her personal bests in the 100 (12.76) and the 200 (26.41). In all, the future MSU mid-distance runner has made state meet showings in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 heading into her senior campaign.
Schulz has served as a two-time team captain on the track and field team as well as a captain her senior year on the volleyball team. A three-time Academic All-State selection, Schulz has been named Miss Lady Bulldog for the track and field squad two straight years. Lauren’s oldest sister, Marlow, ran for Washington State and completed her eligibility for the Cougars in 2018. Lauren has another sister, Allie, that is currently competing on the Carroll College track and field team.
“This is a great addition to the team,” assistant distance coach Whitney Henderson said. “Lauren is a Montana native with a unique combination of speed and endurance ability. She is going to be a strong mid-distance runner for us at MSU.”
Ashlyn Ventimiglia | Colorado Springs, Colo. | Cheyenne Mountain HS | Mid-Distance
Ashlyn Ventimiglia has earned multiple gold medals while competing for Cheyenne Mountain High School. As a junior at the 2018 CHSSA 4A State Championships, Ventimiglia helped lead Cheyenne Mountain to its second straight state team title. She was a member of her second consecutive first place 4×100 relay squad at the state championship meet last year. She also finished fifth in the 200 and seventh in the 100 at the state meet behind lifetime best marks of 12.54 seconds in the 100 and 25.43 seconds in the 200.
Ventimiglia made her first state championship appearance as a freshman, competing in the meet in both the 4×200 and 4×400 relays and earning a bronze medal in the 4×200. She helped set school records in the 4×100 and 4×200 that season. As a sophomore, she claimed an individual third-place finish at the state championship in the 200 and took 10th in the 100. She also added a silver medal that year in the 4×200.
Ventimiglia has earned four letters in track and field entering her senior campaign. She plans to major in biology at Montana State University.
“Ashlyn is an outstanding student-athlete and has proven to be a strong competitor in the state of Colorado,” Henderson said. “She is a student of the sport and has great speed. We think this combination of skills will translate in the mid-distance area for her. We are thrilled to add her to the MSU track and field roster.”
Ben Perrin | Lakeside, Mont. | Flathead HS | Distance
Ben Perrin has won individual state titles in both cross country and track and field. Perrin claimed his first MHSA Class AA State Track and Field Championship as a junior in 2018 when he took first in the 3,200. He also finished fourth at last spring’s state meet in the 1,600. Each were Perrin’s best finishes in the events at the state meet, previously finishing third in the 3,200 as a sophomore and eighth in the 1,600 as a freshman. He’s finished first in both events as a junior and sophomore at the divisional meet and has over 18 first-place finishes during his career. He earned personal bests in the 800 (2:00.12), the 1,600 (4:18.49) and the 3,200 (9:04.56) during his junior campaign.
Perrin closed out his cross country prep career by winning the 2018 AA State Championship with a time of 15:43.7. He took first in all eight meets he ran for the Braves in as a senior. Recorded his personal best time in the 5K race while taking first at the Butte Invitational on Sept. 20 by recording a mark of 15:25.2. This past fall he also took 42nd overall at the Nike Cross Northwest Regional Championships. He previously took a personal-best seventh at the Nike Cross Regionals as a junior. That season Perrin finished sixth at the Class AA State meet.
Perrin made trips to the cross country state championships all four years of his prep career and currently three times in track. In February, Perrin was named the 2018-19 Gatorade Montana Cross Country Runner of the Year. Perrin’s oldest brother, Zach, recently completed his eligibility as a distance runner for Colorado while his other brother, Jake, is currently a member of the Gonzaga distance program. Perrin plans to major in film.
“It’s really exciting to add Ben to our team,” Weese said. “He’s run very well at the high school level. He’s run low 9 minutes multiple times in the 3,200. Definitely the longer distances in college will be a real benefit to him and ones that he’ll thrive in. Adding someone of his caliber to an already young, strong distance team is great.”
Macy White | Woodstock, Ga. | River Ridge HS | Sprints
Macy White is in the midst of her senior season at River Ridge High School in Woodstock, Georgia. White has seen steady development through her prep career and had her best success to date during her junior season. White made her second trip to the Georgia High School Association 6A State Championships in both the 100 and 200, taking sixth in the 200 (24.88) and seventh in the 100 (12.04). Prior to her state meet appearance, White took fourth in the 100, eighth in the 200 and 11th in the long jump in the 6A sectional meet which features four regions worth of competitors. She completed the top finish for her region in each event.
White claimed Cherokee County Championships in the 100, 200 and long jump. She was also a member of a second-place 4×100 relay squad and fourth-place 4×400 relay. White set lifetime bests in the 100 (12.04), 200 (24.79) and the long jump as a junior. Both sprint marks would currently place her on MSU’s outdoor all-time top 10 list.
The River Ridge sprinter earned two individual titles as both a freshman and sophomore. She advanced to both her sectional and state meet during her freshman year. That season, White was given the program’s Most Outstanding Female Sprinter Award and the Lady Knight Award.
White also runs for club team RSS Academy based out of Marietta. She most recently competed during the indoor in several events including the New Balance National Indoors meet. Last summer she participated in the New Balance Nationals Outdoor meet in two events and took first at the USATF Georgia Association Junior Olympics in the 200. White is a member of her high school’s Leadership Club and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
“Macy is a young woman we had our eyes on very early in the recruiting process,” Turner said. “Being a state finalist in Georgia, one of the most competitive states in the country for sprinters, Macy is used to holding her own with some of the best in the U.S. Through lesser known on the national stage than other Georgia sprinters, Macy is every bit as talented.”
The Montana State track and field teams begin their outdoor seasons this weekend when the Bobcats split their squads to compete in Los Angeles and Missoula. The Bobcats are scheduled to host three meets during the outdoor slate, beginning with the MSU Open on April 20.
Montana State Track & Field 2018-19 Signing Class (up to March 26, 2019)
Men
Levi Taylor | Laurel, Mont. | Laurel HS | Distance
Lucan Jepsen | Albuquerque, N.M. | Albuquerque Academy | Jumps
Bradley Graves | Worden, Mont. | Huntley Project HS | Sprints/Hurdles
Casey Gunlikson | Big Timber, Mont. | Sweet Grass County HS | Sprints/Hurdles
Ben Perrin | Kalispell, Mont. | Flathead HS | Distance
Women
Rebekah Miller | Salem, Ore. | North Salem HS | Sprints
Lauren Schulz | Whitefish, Mont. | Whitefish HS | Mid-Distance
Ashlyn Ventimiglia | Colorado Springs, Colo. | Cheyenne Mountain HS | Mid-Distance
Macy White | Woodstock, Ga. | River Ridge HS | Sprints
