Montana

2026 MHSA Montana All-Class State Wrestling Tournament Schedule & Brackets – FloWrestling

Published

3 weeks ago

February 9, 2026

2026 MHSA Montana All-Class State Wrestling Tournament Schedule & Brackets – FloWrestling

Unless you’re a fan of extreme cold, heavy snow, winter sports and early nightfall, you’re probably not going to be traveling to, or through, Montana during February.

But if you’re a local, and looking to stay warm and entertained, you’re in luck, as it now is time for one of the most anticipated championship event of the year, the Montana High School Association All-Class State Wrestling Tournament.

Since the mid-1950s, the history and tradition of high school wrestling in Montana have continued to grow, with girls wrestling officially joining the landscape for the 2021-2022 season and adding to the sport’s popularity and following.

The 2026 edition of the state event will take place Feb. 19-21 at the First Interstate Arena, one of the many versatile facilities that make up the 189-acre multi-use MetraPark in Billings, Montana.

Though this tournament won’t be broadcast live on FloWrestling or the FloSports app, each match will appear in the FloWrestling archives minutes after concluding.

The evolution of MHSA wrestling includes one classification in 1956, two in 1958, three in 1964 and four starting in 2007 (AA, A, B, C).

The state tournaments were held at separate sites until 1988, when the All-Class State Wrestling Tournament found its home at the MetraPark, with wrestling occurring on 12 mats.

The 12,000-seat First Interstate Arena hosts many of Montana’s largest concerts, family shows, rodeos, trade events, ice shows, motorsports events, agricultural events and more.

Check out this cool map of the wrestling floor.

Champions in girls wrestling were determined for the first time in 2021 when there was just one classification. In 2023, there were two. In 2024, there were three. Finally, in 2025, the girls got a fourth classification.

In 2025, eight team state championships were earned in Billings for the first time.

On the girls side, Billings Senior won the Class AA crown for the third consecutive season, while Custer County (Miles City) grabbed the Class A championship to deny Ronan a three-peat. In Class B, Baker won for the second consecutive season, and Simms took home the inaugural Class C trophy.

Individually, Kaura Coles from Kalispell Glacier won her third consecutive state championship and now has the opportunity to complete the four-peat in 2026 and become the state’s first four-time girls state champion. Coles was one of four girls to join the three-win club in 2025.

The boys side of the event saw legacy-building performances in the team competition.

Huntley Project took the top spot in the Class B standings for the fourth consecutive year, Billings West completed its own Class AA three-peat and Laurel won Class A for the second straight season. The final trophy, in Class C, went to Circle, which last won in 2022 to complete a nearly unprecedented five-peat.

As you get settled in for the new championship season, here’s everything you need to know about the 2026 MHSA All-Class State Wrestling Tournament, including links to the brackets.

What Are The Weight Classes For High School Wrestling In Montana?

In Pounds

Girls: 100, 105, 110, 115, 120, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 155, 170, 190, 235
Boys: 103, 110, 118, 126, 132, 138, 144, 150, 157, 165, 175, 190, 215, 285

2026 MHSA All-Class State Wrestling Tournament Brackets

Here’s where you’ll be able to find the brackets for the 2026 MHSA All-Class State Wrestling Tournament:

How To Watch The 2026 MHSA All-Class State Wrestling Tournament

Coverage of the 2026 MHSA All-Class State Wrestling Tournament won’t be broadcast live on FloWrestling and the FloSports app, but the matches will be available in the FloWrestling archives minutes after they conclude.

News, notes, stats and more will be available on both platforms.

If you’re going to be in the area and want to catch the action in person, tickets will be available at the venue. All-session (three days) tickets for adults are $29. Single-session (Friday or Saturday) are $16. After 4 p.m. (Thursday or Friday) will be $10. After 3 p.m. (Saturday) will be $10. There will be a $2 service fee added to all tickets.

Student tickets will be $24, $14, $8 and $8, respectively.

More spectator and ticket information is available here.

2026 MHSA (MT) State Championships – ARCHIVE ONLY

2026 MHSA All-Class State Wrestling Tournament Schedule

Here’s a look at when everything is going down in Montana:

All Times Mountain

Tuesday, Feb. 17

7 p.m. – Coaches’ meeting via Zoom

Thursday, Feb. 19

10 a.m.-1 p.m. – MetraPark opens for practice; Scales available for weight checks
1 p.m. – Boys & Girls weigh-in time; Grooming/skin checks
1 p.m. – Workers’ meeting
1 p.m. – Ticket gates open for spectator admission and sign/banner hanging
2 p.m. – Officials’ meeting
3 p.m. – Boys Round 1; Girls Round 1 & Round 2

Friday, Feb. 20

7 a.m. – Ticket gates open for spectator admission
8:50 a.m. – Assemble for Parade of Athletes
9 a.m. – Parade of Athletes
9:10 a.m. – National anthem
9:20 a.m. – Boys Round 1 Consolation & Quarterfinals; Girls Round 1 & Round 2 Consolation; Girls Quarterfinals
2:30 p.m. (approx.) – Boys Round 2 Consolation; Girls Round 3 Consolation
5 p.m. (approx.) – Boys and Girls Semifinals
5:15 p.m. (approx.) – Official weigh-ins

Saturday, Feb. 21

7 a.m. – Ticket gates open for spectator admission
8:50 a.m. – National anthem
9 a.m. – Boys and Girls Consolation Quarterfinals
11 a.m. (approx.) – Boys and Girls Consolation Semifinals
1 p.m. (approx.) – Boys and Girls Consolation Finals
3 p.m. – Parade of Finalists; Boys and Girls Finals (four mats)

What Teams Won At The 2025 MHSA All-Class State Wrestling Tournament?

Here are the 2025 team state champions in Montana:

Girls

Class AA – Billings Senior
Class A – Custer County (Miles City)
Class B – Baker
Class C – Simms

Boys

Class AA – Billings West
Class A – Laurel
Class B – Huntley Project (Worden)
Class C – Circle

Read more: 2025 MHSA Montana State Championship Results And Brackets

Did You Know: Butte High School Wrestling Was On Another Level

The record for team state titles in Montana is 17, held by Butte High School, which won a record 13 consecutive championships from 1980-1992, but hasn’t been back to the mountaintop since 2003.

Havre and Glasgow rank second all-time with 14 titles.

Individually, 42 boys have won four state titles, with Zach Morse becoming the latest in 2025.

For the girls, three-time defending Class AA champion Billings Senior owns the most titles with three, while three schools have two.

Individually, seven girls have won three championships, with four adding their names to the list last season.

2025-2026 FloWrestling High School Wrestling Rankings

Top 20 as of Jan. 12, 2026

Curious about how the top wrestlers from each state stack up against competitors from across the country?

Click here to see the latest high school rankings from FloWrestling.

CHANCE (The Unbelievable Story Of Chance Marsteller)

Chance Marsteller was a wrestling prodigy destined for greatness, but the journey to the top was anything but smooth. Learn all about Marsteller now.

Trackwrestling Has Joined The New FloWrestling

Trackwrestling officially has merged with FloWrestling, bringing its powerful tournament tracking tools and live data into a modern, all-in-one platform.

Fans can follow every bout with pro-grade brackets, mat schedules, team rosters and detailed wrestler profiles—all seamlessly integrated within FloWrestling.

This move delivers a faster, smarter and more connected experience for the wrestling community. Through the updated FloSports app, users can track live results, explore brackets and even sign up for free alerts so they never miss a match.

FloWrestling Archived Footage

Video footage from all events on FloWrestling will be archived and stored in a video library for FloWrestling subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.

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Montana

University of Montana president job draws high interest • Daily Montanan

Published

3 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

University of Montana president job draws high interest • Daily Montanan

The search for a new University of Montana president has drawn more than 60 applicants, according to a spokesperson for the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education.

“We do not have an exact count at this time, as several applications are still being completed and additional submissions are expected,” said spokesperson and Deputy Commissioner Galen Hollenbaugh in an email earlier this week.

In January, then-UM-President Seth Bodnar announced his resignation to pursue other public service. Wednesday, the final day of filing, he announced he was running as an independent for the U.S. Senate to try to unseat Republican incumbent Steve Daines.

Commissioner of Higher Education Clayton Christian earlier said that with the advice of AGB Search, a firm that’s helped the Montana University System conduct other executive searches, he would undertake an expedited process to appoint a new president.

Christian has been providing brief updates on a website dedicated to the search. Last week, he said he and AGB Search are reviewing applications, and the pool of candidates was “strong and diverse.”

The commissioner also announced he was convening a small working group to assist in the search, members who “represent a variety of perspectives to assist in vetting and narrowing this field of exceptional candidates.”

In an email this week, Hollenbaugh identified the members of the working group who are assisting Christian with application review as:

Community member and former Regent Joyce Dombrouski
Faculty Senate Chairperson Valerie Moody
Staff Senate President Dominic Beccari
Administration Representative John DeBoer (Vice President of Academic Affairs)
ASUM (Associated Students of the University of Montana) President Buddy Wilson

Hollenbaugh declined to comment on the way the rest of the process would unfold or the role the working group members would play.

Christian earlier said he anticipated an appointment within one to three months, or as soon as early this month.

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Montana

Montana Supreme Court allows ballot measure on initiative process to move forward

Published

15 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Montana Supreme Court allows ballot measure on initiative process to move forward

HELENA — The Montana Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a proposed ballot measure intended to simplify the process for introducing ballot measures in the future.

Justices ruled 5-2 that the measure, currently called Ballot Issue #8, did not violate state requirements that a single constitutional amendment can’t make multiple separate changes to the Montana Constitution.

“We’re very grateful to the Montana Supreme Court for agreeing with us that the attorney general’s finding of legal insufficiency for Ballot Issue #8 was incorrect,” said SK Rossi, a spokesperson for Montanans Decide, the group sponsoring the measure.

Montanans Decide argues the Montana Legislature has passed laws making it harder for the public to propose and pass ballot issues. The Montana Constitution already guarantees the people the right to pass laws and amendments through ballot measures, but Ballot Issue #8 would expand that to include a right to “impartial, predictable, transparent, and expeditious processes” for proposing those measures. It would seek to prevent “interference from the government or the use of government resources to support or oppose the ballot issue.”

Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s office argued the measure “implicitly amended” multiple provisions in the state constitution, including by limiting the “power and authority of public officials to speak officially on ballot issues that affect those officials’ public duties” and by putting restrictions on judges and on the Legislature. Montanans Decide, the group sponsoring Ballot Issue #8, disagreed – and the majority of justices sided with them.

“Its provisions operate together to define and protect a single constitutional right—the people’s exercise of initiative and referendum,” wrote Justice Katherine Bidegaray in the majority opinion. “They are closely related components of one constitutional design.”

Bidegaray’s majority opinion was joined by Justices Jim Shea, Laurie McKinnon, Beth Baker and Ingrid Gustafson.

Chief Justice Cory Swanson and Justice Jim Rice each wrote dissenting opinions, saying they would have upheld Knudsen’s decision to disallow Ballot Issue #8. Rice said the language restricting government interference with a ballot issue was not closely related and should have been a separate vote. Swanson agreed with Rice and said the measure’s attempt to fix a timeline for legal cases surrounding ballot measures was also a separate substantial change.

In a statement, Chase Scheuer, a spokesperson for Knudsen’s office, reacted to the decision.

“This decision only further muddies the courts’ jurisprudence on ballot issue questions,” he said. “This initiative would violate the separate vote requirement by amending multiple parts of the Montana Constitution, but the court contradicted its prior rulings. Attorney General Knudsen will continue to neutrally apply the separate vote requirement in his review of ballot initiatives.”

The court’s decision means that Knudsen’s office will now need to approve ballot language for Ballot Issue #8. Once that language is finalized, Montanans Decide could begin gathering signatures to qualify the measure for the November ballot.

However, last year, sponsors of another initiative went to the Supreme Court to argue that the ballot statements Knudsen prepared were misleading. If Montanans Decide object to their ballot statements, that could further delay signature gathering while the case plays out in court.

“Regardless, we’re going to push as hard as we can to get those petitions into the hands of voters and let them sign and support if they so choose,” said Rossi.

Rossi said the legal battle this measure has gone through – and the possibility of more to come – shows why Ballot Issue #8 is needed.

“The state Legislature, and also statewide elected officials, have taken every opportunity to create burdens and hurdles and rigamarole for campaigns to get through in order to just get to the signature gathering phase, and then to get through the signature gathering phase onto the ballot, and then get through the election phase,” said Rossi. “The reason we filed this initiative is just to make sure that the process is simple, that the timeline is clear, and that Montanans can have their will heard when they want to propose and pass laws that they deem worthy.”

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Montana

Christi Jacobsen enters race for Western House seat

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Christi Jacobsen enters race for Western House seat

HELENA, Mont. — Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen is running for Montana’s Western Congressional District seat, entering the race a day after U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke announced he would not seek reelection.

Jacobsen’s announcement sets up a new contest for the open seat after Zinke, a Republican, said he would seek reelection.

BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT

“As your Secretary of State, I’ve stood up to Washington overreach, defended election integrity, and delivered real results for Montanans. In 2020, voters gave me a mandate to clean up our elections, grow Montana business, and push back against radical liberal special interests. I delivered. Now it’s time to take that same results-driven, America First leadership to Congress.”

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