MCA honors Snipes, Hodge, Beckwith

Flathead’s Dan Hodge, Matt Beckwith of Whitefish and Glacier High’s Abby Snipes are among those honored as Coach of the Year for their respecting spring sports by the Montana Coaches Association.

All three guided their teams to state championships in May.  

Hodge’s Flathead Braves won the eighth State AA track and field title of his 53-year coaching career. 

Whitefish won the State A girls title for the sixth time in school history and first time in Beckwith’s three seasons as head coach; Beckwith has been involved in Bulldog track and field for 15 seasons. 

Snipes’ Glacier Wolfpack won its second AA softball title in three seasons and second in her seven seasons leading the program. A Glacier alumnus and former player and assistant, Snipes took over the reins for the 2018 season. 

Most, but not all, of the coaches honored led state championship teams. Two exceptions came in Class A tennis: Hamilton’s Bryan DuFresne landed the girls award despite Miles City winning the state title; Stevensville’s William Everett was boys coach of the year after finishing one point behind Doris Puglisi’s champion Whitefish Bulldogs. 

Corvallis boys track coach Spencer Huls won a coach of the year award for the third straight season and for the 15th time overall. 

Missoula Loyola’s Justin Johnston swept the B track and field awards, and Johnston (girls track), Great Falls CMR’s Byron Boyd (AA boys tennis) and Boulder’s Anna DeMars (B boys golf) all repeated as winners. 

All the coaches will be honored at the 2025 MCA awards ceremony set for 11:30 a.m. on July 31, at CMR High School in Great Falls. 

MCA Spring Sports Winners 

Girls Track and Field 

AA — Chantel Jeager-Smith, Gallatin 

A — Matt Beckwith, Whitefish 

B — Justin Johnston, Missoula Loyola 

C — Joe Day Rider, Richey-Lambert 

Boys Track and Field 

AA — Dan Hodge, Flathead 

A — Spencer Huls, Corvallis 

B — Justin Johnston, Missoula Loyola 

C — unavailable 

Softball 

AA — Abigail Snipes, Glacier 

A — Eli Field, Frenchtown 

B/C — Lori Goodell, Shepherd 

Baseball 

Joel Barnett, Belgrade 

Girls Tennis 

AA — Colter Curey, Gallatin 

A — Bryan DuFresne, Hamilton 

B/C — Elizabeth Vick, Fairfield 

Boys Tennis 

AA — Byron Boyd, Great Falls CMR 

A — William Everett, Stevensville 

B/C — Jodi Karvandi, Valley Christian 

Girls Golf 

B — Scott Marsh, Florence 

C — Steven O’Neil, Centerville 

Boys Golf 

B — Anna DeMars, Boulder 

C — Andrew Alley, Plentywood, and Garrett Nielsen, Manhattan Christian