Briefs: Gibbons to swim for U of Mary
Daily Inter Lake | Daily Inter-Lake | UPDATED 1 year, 2 months AGO
Glacier High School standout Olivia Gibbons officially signed her letter of intent to swim for the University of Mary last Tuesday, in a ceremony at the school.
The NCAA Division II Marauders, centered in Bismarck, North Dakota, compete in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
Gibbons won the 100-yard freestyle at the 2025 Montana State swim meet in Great Falls; she was also second in the 100 breaststroke. A multisport athlete, Gibbons hit .412 for the State AA softball champion Wolfpack this spring, with seven home runs and 34 runs batted in.
Glacier Aquatic Club coaches Karen Bouda, Angelique Dousis and Dave Dorak were on hand for the signing.
Helena’s Howard is Gatorade softball winner
CHICAGO — Faith Howard, the ace pitcher at Helena High, was announced as the 2024-25 Gatorade Player of the Year for softball in Montana on Tuesday.
The 5-foot-7 senior right-handed pitcher and first baseman led the Bengals (17-4) to a first-place finish in the AA Western Conference and a trip to the AA state tournament. Howard went 15-2 in the circle with a 1.42 earned-run average. She had 225 strikeouts and a 0.81 WHIP in 123 2-3 innings pitched.
The Western AA Defensive Player of the Year, she also hit .323 with 13 RBI.
“She was just absolutely dominant in every sense of the word, with a solid change and rise ball that she could use in any count,” said Brittany Williams, head coach at Flathead High School. “Good pitching is really hard to come by, and something has to be said for her consistency throughout the regular season and leading Helena to their first conference title in (35) years.”
Howard also has volunteered locally on behalf of Bengal Buddies, a program in which high school students help and mentor elementary school students. She has also donated her time as a certified nursing assistant at an elderly care facility.
Every Player of the Year also receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner. To date, the program has provided more than $5.6 million in grants to winners across more than 2,000 organizations.