Brody Henry signs with Bulldog cross country and track and field teams

On Wednesday afternoon at Havre High Gymnasium, HHS senior Brody Henry signed with the University of Montana, Western cross country and track and field teams. Along with the area of Dillon, Henry thought the atmosphere at Western was right for him.

"I went down there and talked to the team and everybody had the same interests that I have and the goals that I have so I thought it'd be a really good environment to put myself in," Henry said.

Henry was one of the top runners for the HHS cross country and track and field teams over the past few years. Henry had many strong finishes as a long-distance runner for both teams thanks to his hard work. With his work ethic, HHS head track and field coach Kari Filius believes Henry will be just fine at the next level of competition.

"He's such a hard worker that he will have success there. He'll improve a lot there," Filius said. "It's more competitive in college and he thrives in those situations. He's just such a coachable kid that he'll do awesome and he'll have a great college career."

Henry was recruited by several other Montana schools. In the Frontier Conference, Carroll College and Montana Tech tried to sign him while Montana State University-Northern also tried to get him to join the program. But Western just had the right opportunities for him.

In school, he plans on studying ecology with a focus in fish and wildlife. When he is not running for the Bulldogs or focusing on school work, Henry likes the area of Dillon for its hunting and fishing opportunities. He and his family hunt elk in that area, so he knows there will never be a dull moment for him down there.

At Western, both the cross country and track and field teams are coached by Dylan Zitzer. With the same leader on both teams, Henry believes it will make training easier than it was in high school with two separate coaches for the teams.

"Having the same coach throughout the entire year will be really nice. Just being on one wavelength and not having a ton of difference in training," Henry said. "I think having just one coach and pretty much everybody on the same team doing everything will just really help bring everybody together."

As expected, collegiate running will be tougher for Henry. Along with competing against better athletes, Henry will have to run even more miles in a race than he did in high school. It will be tough for him, but Henry has learned from his time in the HHS cross country and track and field teams how to push through it.

"I think just being mentally there, that will help you get through the other two miles," Henry said. "Competition is going to be tougher so having a good head on your shoulders will really keep you in it."