CHICAGO — Bozeman runner Nathan Neil added another accolade to his resume Thursday, garnering the 2024 Gatorade Montana boys track and field player of the year.
Neil, a 5-foot-11, 160-pound senior, was one of the top distance runners in the country this spring and set the Montana all-class state records in both the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs at the Class AA state meet. He clocked a time of 4:04.89 in the 1,600 and became the first Montana high schooler to run a sub-9:00 in the 3,200 on Montana soil with a time of 8:53.19.
At the Arcadia Invitational in California in early April, Neil ran the 3,200 in 8:35.32, which ranked second nationally and No. 7 in high school history. He later ran the 2-mile in 8:36.73 at the Brooks PR Invitational in Seattle, which ranked third nationally and No. 9 all-time. Neil also recorded a personal-best time of 4:00.76 in the mile at the HOKA Festival of Miles in St. Louis.
“While the state of Montana has enjoyed more than its share of national success in prep distance running over the years despite its sparse population, Nathan Neil raised those performance levels to dizzying new heights in 2024," Rich Gonzalez, editor or PrepCalTrack, said in a Gatorade news release. "Repeatedly traveling to seek out the best invitational competition, Nathan dazzled by ... moving into the top 10 in prep history in two events. In addition to his many well-chronicled running exploits, he’s truly a great example of a young leader.”
According to the news release, Neil has maintained a 3.91 weight GPA.
Also the 2023 Gatorade Montana boys cross country player of the year, Neil is signed to compete at the University of Washington this fall.
He is the fourth Gatorade Montana boys track and field player of the year from Bozeman High, joining Weston Brown, who won the award last year, Ty Norris (2002) and Shane Collins (1987).
