Service Academy Nominees Announced
Members of Congress fulfill one of their more pleasurable duties
By Denise Rivette
Every year our federal senators and representatives have the honor of nominating students to attend the nation’s military academies. These are the men and women who will lead our forces and shape the future. Members of Congress may nominate up to ten individuals to compete for each vacancy. Each U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator is also allotted five constituents to attend the Academies at any one time.
Senator Steve Daines announced on February 20 that he hosted a celebratory reception with Congressman Ryan Zinke to honor the Montana students they nominated for acceptance to U.S. service academies. A nomination from a member of Congress is a student’s first step in applying to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Air Force Academy, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Senator Daines had the chance to congratulate the students and share remarks about the importance of young Montanans choosing to serve their nation.
“One of my greatest honors as Senator is nominating bright young Montanans to the U.S. service academies. These students are helping to carry on Montana’s rich legacy of service, and Montana could not be more proud. Congratulations to this year’s nominees and their families!” — Senator Steve Daines
The eight students nominated by Daines and Zinke for U.S. Service Academies are:
*Alec Wells, U.S. Air Force Academy – Great Falls
*Heath Drivdahl, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy – Hobson
*Finleigh Schrichte, U.S. Naval Academy – Missoula
*Daniel Mattingly, U.S. Military Academy – Billings
*Andrew Purcell, U.S. Air Force Academy – Hamilton
*Alicia Dale, U.S. Naval Academy – Sheridan
*Pi Taylor, U.S. Naval Academy – Bozeman
Andrew Egan, U.S. Military Academy – Dillon
*names with an asterisk were nominated by Tester and/or Rosendale as well
In December Senator Jon Tester announced that he nominated 24 Montana students to service academies. Tester selected these students based on their academic accomplishments, extracurricular activities, and dedication to serving and leading in the United States military.
Regarding the nominations Tester said, “Montana has a proud history of producing some of our nation’s finest servicemembers, and it’s an honor to help our state’s best and brightest continue that legacy by attending one of our prestigious military service academies. Their work ethic and dedication prove they’re exactly the kind of leaders we need in the military, and I look forward to watching them make our state and country proud.”
Below is a list of Tester’s Military Service Academy nominees and what made them stand out to him:
Kyle Alexander, Polson High School – United States Naval Academy, United States Merchant Marine Academy
Kyle is heavily involved in band and choir at Polson High School, participating in four different choir groups and the basketball pep band. He has lettered in both band and choir every year, and he has also participated in cross count, swim and track. Kyle also received the Mathematical Award from the University of Montana Department of Mathematical Sciences.
John Beurer, Charles M. Russell High School – United States Air Force Academy, United States Military Academy, United States Naval Academy
John is the senior class vice president at Charles M. Russell High School, as well as the chapter president of his school’s DECA Club and a two time national qualifier. He is also a member and national qualifier of the Business Professionals of America. John has made the Honor Roll every year of high school and attended the BPA and DECA National Leadership Conference.
*Aedan Bingham, Charles M. Russell High School – United States Air Force Academy, United States Naval Academy, United States Military Academy
Aedan attends Charles M. Russell High School and is a member of Business Professionals of America and student government, and has competed as the captain of both the Economic Research Team and Presentation Management Team. He placed third in the 2023 Tennis Divisional and was an All-Conference Selection. His team won first place in 2022 and second place in 2023. Academically, Aedan has made Honor Roll and Academic All-State.
*Tyler Brown, Billings West High School – United States Air Force Academy, United States Naval Academy, United States Military Academy
Tyler volunteers helping veterans connect with horses for therapy. He is a captain on the Billings West High School football and lacrosse teams, and played in the lacrosse state championship game his sophomore year. Tyler was named second team all-state in lacrosse his junior year, participated in Boys State, earned the President’ Award for Academic Excellence and is currently interning with NASA.
Kayla Candelaria-Dusek, Great Falls High School – United States Air Force Academy, United States Military Academy, United States Naval Academy
Kayla is a member of the National Honor Society and was the junior class treasurer and will graduate from Great Falls High School. As an athlete, she qualified for state in swimming her sophomore year and lettered in both soccer and softball. She earned an academic letter and the Science Student of the Year Award.
*Alicia Dale, Twin Bridges High School – United States Air Force Academy, United States Naval Academy, United States Military Academy
Alicia served as a Congressional Page in the Montana House of Representatives, the treasurer, secretary and vice president of her chapter of 4-H, and has attended two leadership camps. She was a captain for the Twin Bridges High School basketball team which placed second at the state tournament, placed fifth at state individual cross country and has been named to All-State teams in both sports.
Katie Dolence, Ronan High School – United States Air Force Academy, United States Naval Academy, United States Military Academy, United States Merchant Marine Academy
Katie is a member of National Honor Society at Ronan High School, and she serves as the vice president of both the student council and student body. She has been the girls wrestling team captain for two years, and has been named to two All-State and Academic All-State teams and has been an All-American four times.
*Cooper Freitag, Billings West High School – United States Air Force Academy, United States Military Academy
Cooper is a member of Billings West High School’s chapter of National Honor Society and Key Club. He participates in football and wrestling, earning All-State honors twice, Academic All-State honors seven times, a top four state finish in wrestling and being named team captain in both sports. He participated in Boys State in 2023.
Ryan Galyen, Heritage Christian School – United States Military Academy, United States Naval Academy, United States Merchant Marine Academy
Ryan attends Heritage Christian School where he is a member of student government, a team captain for soccer and basketball and placed fifteenth at the junior nationals in cross country skiing during his sophomore year. He earned a Distinguished Cadet Award from the Civil Air Patrol in 2023.
Keatin Hertz, Billings Senior High School – United States Air Force Academy, United States Military Academy
Keatin is a student council Senator at Billings Senior High School and participates in multiple school music groups. He auditioned for All-State Band twice, received All-State Honors for jazz band three times and is the president of the ski club. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 2023.
Beckett Johnson, Lone Peak High School – United States Air Force Academy, United States Military Academy
Beckett is the co-president of Lone Peak High School’s chapter of National Honor Society and a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters. He plays soccer and was an honorable mention for First Team All-State in 2021. He was the party chairman at Montana Boys State in 2023 and earned awards at the State Bar of Montana Mock Trial Competition and the American Legion Oratory Contest.
Hannah King, Big Sky High School – United States Air Force Academy, United States Military Academy, United States Naval Academy
Hannah is the president of the Big Sky High School Key Club and a captain of the soccer team. She is a member of National Honor Society, participated in Ecology Research with the University of Montana in 2021 and earned first place at a Model United Nations competition in 2022.
Afton Lambrecht, Bigfork High School – United States Military Academy, United States Naval Academy
Afton attends Bigfork High School where she participates in basketball, volleyball and track. She has won medals at State Track and a State Championship in basketball. Afton has also volunteered for numerous causes, including making blankets for pediatric patients and wreaths for senior citizens and coaching basketball for children.
Carter Liwosz, Skyview High School – United States Air Force Academy, United States Merchant Marine Academy
Carter attends Skyview High School where he competes in cross country. He earned the Flight Chiefs Award for his accomplishments in USAF tech school classes and he is also an Eagle Scout.
*Daniel Mattingly, Billings Central Catholic High School– United States Air Force Academy, United States Military Academy
Daniel is a student ambassador and member of National Honor Society at Billings Central Catholic High School. He participates in football where he was named team captain and helped lead the team to the state championship game his junior year. He is the team captain in wrestling and won the 2023 Montana Open wrestling championship. Daniel has received multiple academic awards and attended the Naval Academy Summer Seminar in Annapolis, Maryland in 2023.
Seth McKamey, Cascade High School – United States Air Force Academy, United States Naval Academy, United States Merchant Marine Academy
Seth is the historian of Cascade High School’s chapter of National Honor Society. He also participates in basketball and track and has received academic letters and consistent honor roll. Seth holds the rank of Eagle Scout.
*Tobias Ottenbacher, Shepherd High School – United States Air Force Academy, United States Military Academy, United States Merchant Marine Academy
Tobias was the president of National Honor Society and Business Professionals of America at Shepherd High School. He participated in football, track and field and golf, along with being the president of a bowling league. Tobias was a state champion in Banking and Finance at the BPA in 2019. He graduated Valedictorian in 2021.
*Andrew Purcell, Hamilton High School – United States Air Force Academy, United States Naval Academy
Andrew attends Hamilton High School where he participates in tennis, soccer, and cross country. He was named captain in soccer and tennis, has won state championships in tennis and cross country and earned All-State and Academic All-State awards multiple times. He received the University of Montana Physics and Computer Sciences Award his junior year.
*Finleigh Schrichte, Hellgate High School – United States Air Force Academy, United States Military Academy, United States Naval Academy
Finleigh attends Hellgate High School where she participates in track, skiing and lacrosse. She is a member of National Honor Society and received an Academic All-State Letter from the Future Health Professionals. Finleigh volunteers at the Missoula Public Library and with SoftLanding where she helps refugees become accustomed to Missoula.
Mason Seibel, Great Falls High School – United States Military Academy, United States Naval Academy
Mason is a member of Great Falls High School’s Air Force Junior ROTC program and the president of the school orchestra. He participates in swim team and earned the Eagle of Excellence award and thirty-eight American Flag Awards from AFJROTC.
Colter Sienkiewicz, St. Paul’s Boarding School – United States Air Force Academy, United States Naval Academy, United States Military Academy, United States Merchant Marine Academy
Colter attends St. Paul’s Boarding School. He was a research assistant at the University of Delaware in 2023 and attended both the United States Naval Academy Summer Seminar and United States Military Academy Summer Leaders Program in June of 2023. He participated in soccer, wrestling, crew, cross country and hockey.
Cameron Taylor, Bozeman High School – United States Air Force Academy, United States Naval Academy, United States Military Academy, United States Merchant Marine Academy
Cameron is the captain of the speech and debate team at Bozeman High School. He also participated in Model UN and Academic Olympics, where he earned a state championship in 2023. Cameron earned fourth place at the Lincoln Douglas Speaking National Competition in 2023.
*Pi Taylor, Bozeman High School – United States Air Force Academy, United States Naval Academy, United States Military Academy
Pi attends Bozeman High School. He participated in Montana Boys State in 2023 and was elected governor of the program. He is the captain of the wrestling team and has competed for the state championship twice, and he played lacrosse including two state championships and a Second Team All-State award. Pi earned academic letters in both sports.
*Alec Wells, Charles M. Russell High School – United States Air Force Academy, United States Naval Academy, United States Military Academy, United States Merchant Marine Academy
Alec is the student body president at Charles M. Russell High School and was class president from freshmen to junior year. He participated in Boys State in 2023 and competed in golf and track. He was one of 104 students selected to participate in the 2023 U.S. Senate Youth Program in Washington, D.C.
On January 4, Representative Matt Rosendale was proud to announce five students from Montana’s Second District as his nominees for U.S. Service Academies.
"It is an honor and a privilege to nominate skilled, dedicated, and determined Montana high school students to our nation’s service academies each year," said Rosendale. "I am honored to announce that Cooper Freitag, Tobias Ottenbacher, Aedan Bingham, Tyler Brown, and Heath Drivdahl will be receiving my principal nominations to the U.S. Military Service Academies.
"These bright students are among the best Montana has to offer, and their dedication and eagerness to serve are honorable. I am certain they will make Montana proud!"
Below is a list of Rosendale’s Military Service Academy nominees and what made them stand out to him:
*Cooper Freitag, Billings West High School – U.S. Air Force Academy
Cooper was elected as the Lieutenant Governor during the 2023 Boys State, where he also received the “Outstanding Citizen Award” and was the John Louk Legacy Scholarship. He has maintained Honor Roll throughout his high school career. Cooper was the 2023 team captain of football and is a 3-year varsity wrestler. Additionally, he participates in track and lacrosse. In 2020, he was named the Ben Steele Middle School Male Athlete of the Year. Cooper volunteers each summer by coaching at football camps, and he is a referee at the Special Olympics basketball tournaments in Billings. Cooper also enjoys having lunch visits with veterans at the Morningstar Retirement Home
*Tobias Ottenbacher, Rocky Mountain College; Shepherd High School (graduated 2021) – U.S. Air Force Academy
Toby is currently in the Army ROTC program at Rocky Mountain College and is a soldier of the Montana Army National Guard. He maintains a 4.0 GPA at Rocky Mountain College and received the Outstanding Sophomore Award and scholarship in the Aviation Program. Toby obtained his private pilot license this year. Toby made the Commandant’s List and received an Army Certificate of Achievement for the Iron Soldier Award (highest Army Combat Fitness Test score) at the Camp Parks non-commissioner officer (NCO) Academy during his Basic Leadership Course this year. He was the Valedictorian at Shepherd High School, where he also participated in Business Professionals of America. He participated in football and track while in high school and currently trains in Cross Fit.
*Aeden Bingham, Charles M. Russell High School – U.S. Naval Academy
Aedan received the 2023 District Music Festival Top Score, won the 2022 Prospects Entrepreneurship, participates in Business Professionals of America, and has been an Academic All-State throughout high school. Aedan plays varsity tennis, taking 3rd place individually at the 2023 Divisionals. He is ranked 200th nationally for Men’s Open (Mixed Individual Doubles). Aedan also participates in cross country and rock climbing. He is a team captain at the Hi-Line Climbing Center. Aedan is the current Council President for the Chamber Orchestra, and he enjoys Robotics and computer science in his spare time.
*Tyler Brown, Billings West High School – U.S. Naval Academy
Tyler represented Billings West High at Boys State 2023. Tyler is a volunteer at a non-profit veteran equine therapy center. He has also volunteered at the Adaptive Performance Center. Tyler participated in an internship with NASA Hunch – an opportunity with a selected team of his schoolmates from Aeronautical Engineering to build a robotic duster arm that could be sent to the International Space Station. Tyler plays football and is a member of the Billings West Lacrosse Club, where he is a captain. He was chosen for a competitive Northwest Regional High School Elite Lacrosse traveling team.
*Heath Drivdahl, Hobson High School – U.S. Military Academy
Heath is the Vice-President of Business Professionals of America and the President of Future Farmers of America. He participates in Football and Basketball and is the co-captain of each. Additionally, Heath participates in track. He was the Patriot’s Pen Winner for District 2 of the Montana VFW from 2017 -2019. In 2019, he placed 2nd at the State level for the Patriot’s Pen. Heath was the Voice of Democracy Winner for District 2 of the Montana VFW from 2020-2022.
Congratulations to all the nominees! Thank you for your willingness to serve our country and make Montana proud!