Four Helena High Bengals Sign to Compete in College Track and Field

Dylan Hill isn't just headed to a Division I program; he's chasing a state record first. The Helena High senior signed with the Montana State Bobcats inside the school's library on April 7, joining three teammates in formalizing commitments to college track and field programs spanning Maine to Montana.

Hill competes in the 400-meter, 800-meter, and 1,600-meter races and arrived at signing day with a clear agenda for his final prep season. "I want to make the most of my senior year and just push some good times," he told KTVH ahead of the spring campaign. "I want to try setting a new state record in the 800 meter — and all-stating in my other two events." Montana State competes in the Big Sky Conference at the NCAA Division I level, making Hill the only one of the four signers bound for a D-I program.

Hazel Bishop signed with Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, taking the sprinter, hurdler, and jumper across the country for her collegiate career. She also carries the responsibility of a team captaincy into her final Bengal season. "I think as the captain, I feel like I'm always trying to set an example of being calm," she said. Beyond her leadership role, Bishop has set her sights on individual state titles and scoring points for the team.

Emily Davidson signed with Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon, while Auston Rowe committed to Montana Tech's Orediggers in Butte, the shortest trip among the four.

The four signings represent a concentrated wave from a single program in a single season. When Helena High held its broader signing day in 2024, 14 student-athletes across baseball, football, track and field, cross country, and volleyball signed together. Tuesday's ceremony was exclusively track and field, a reflection of the Bengal program's growing output at the collegiate level.

For families watching this process from the outside, the National Letter of Intent is the binding document that locks in an athlete's commitment to a program. At Division I and II schools it typically accompanies an athletic scholarship offer. Division III programs like Bowdoin and Pacific recruit differently, relying on academic and need-based financial aid rather than athletic scholarships, which means the financial picture for Bishop and Davidson runs through admissions offices rather than athletic departments.

The statewide context underscores how competitive this pipeline has become: nearly 500 Montanans in the class of 2025 signed with or committed to college athletic programs. The class of 2026 is generating similar momentum, with four from Helena High's track program alone. The Bengals will continue competing through the spring season before transitioning to their respective programs. With Hill targeting a state record in the 800 and Bishop pursuing individual titles, both figure prominently in a Class AA postseason picture that already claimed Madilyn Todorovich as the Independent Record's All-Area Track and Field Athlete of the Year.