No mountain too tall: Libby’s Beagle repeats as state tennis champ

If last year was about getting over the hump for Libby star tennis player Ryan Beagle, 2025 was a tour de force for the Loggers senior.

Beagle, Libby’s first boys state champion, won back-to-back Montana High School Association Class A singles titles Friday in Billings, crushing the competition along the way.

Beagle was undefeated in 2025 and was dominant while winning all eight sets at the state tournament.

Loggers head tennis coach Kyle Hannah was still basking in the afterglow of being part of Beagle’s back-to-back titles Tuesday.

“It’s not an easy feat in Class A,” Hannah said in a interview with The Western News. “We knew Ryan had a chance to do some very special things after he finished third as a freshman. That’s unheard of.

“In the singles bracket this year, there were only seniors and juniors,” Hannah said. “I believe Ryan’s career is one of the most decorated in Montana history. He was third twice, won twice and was undefeated this year.”

Beagle cruised through Thursday’s matches, beating Hardin senior Landon Orthman, 6-0, 6-0, and Hamilton senior Callen Stoner, 6-0, 6-2.

Against Miles City junior Florenz Keller, an exchange student from Germany, Beagle got more resistance in a 6-3, 6-2, win. Beagle trailed 3-1 in the first set before breaking Keller’s serve and hit what he described as one his best shots in his career.

“After I fell behind I knew I had to focus more and after I hit the crosscourt shot, I knew I was ready to go,” Beagle said. 

“99% of players wouldn’t even get to that shot, but when Ryan did and ripped it back across his face for a winner, you could see the kid questioning what it was gonna take to win,” Hannah said.

Beagle took the first set, 6-3 and the second, 6-2, to reach the finals.

There, he met a familiar foe, Whitefish junior Jack Oehlerich. Beagle topped the Bulldog in the Northwest Divisional, 6-0, 6-2. 

In Friday’s championship match at Pioneer Park, Beagle prevailed 6-3, 6-1.

Beagle trailed 2-1 in the first set before he got his swing down.

“Then it was smooth sailing,” he said.

Hannah and Beagle replayed a moment from the 2024 championship when the coach hugged and lifted his champion in the air.

“I asked the court manager about celebrating it and he had no problem. I think it’s something that our sport should celebrate more,” Hannah said.

Playing in Billings, more than 500 miles from Libby, Beagle had a different type of community support than he did in Kalispell a year ago.

“The amount of support was the same, fewer people in person, but more calls and texts. The old superintendent at our school, Craig Barringer, is living in Wyoming and he was actually closer to Billings than we are so he came up to watch and that was really nice.”

Ryan’s older brother, Jay, was also in Billings to watch his sibling win it all.

Jay, an All-State performer in football and basketball as well as a high school champion in track and field, recently received his Masters in Business Administration at the University of Montana.

“Mom and Dad picked him up on the way to Billings, so having him there was special,” Ryan said. “I looked up to his work ethic. There are a lot of athletes who want to win, but they don’t always know how. 

“Jay was a great role model for me and we also had the brotherly rivalry,” Ryan said. “He won a state title and naturally I wanted to win two, so that was a big motivator.”

Mom and Dad are Betty Jo Wood and Scott Beagle. At one point during Jay’s athletic career, they estimated they’d driven between 15,000 and 20,000 miles for his games.

It’s hard to imagine how many more miles they’ve accumulated since.

For the second year in a row, Beagle’s singular dominance was enough for the Loggers to bring home the third-place trophy.

“One of the most amazing things about this season was Ryan got everyone’s best games,” Hannah said. “He had the target on his back and he handled it with grace and pride, like a champion.”

According to information at the Montana High School Association website, Beagle was only the eighth player in Class A to win two singles title and just the 27th to win multiple titles in all classes.

Hannah recalls Beagle’s competitive nature when he was in first grade.

“He wanted to play college basketball at Gonzaga,” Hannah said. “He’s a true role model for all kids in Libby. Not once did you see him yell or scream while he’s on the court during a match. He just loves to compete hard.”

Beagle won’t play college tennis for the Grizzlies, but he will begin studying pre-med.

“I would’ve liked to play tennis for the Griz, but Division I college tennis, like most Division I sports, are kinda crazy,” Ryan said. “Jay is staying on to work at the university and I’m looking forward to playing some basketball with him.”

The 10-member Griz tennis team has nine foreign-born players and one from California. The bulk of the group is at least 6 feet tall.

There is an effort to start a club team in Missoula and Beagle would definitely play there.

“It’s not as if I’m gonna just drop my racquet and never play again,” he said. “There are associations I can join and there’s always pickleball.”

But Beagle, who will major in sports medicine, is ready to turn his intense focus to medicine, particularly a career in pediatrics.

His choice is no accident. Beagle has battled severe asthma since he was four years old.

“I know what it’s like to be the kid in the hospital,” he said. “There was a lot of trial and error at the hospital in Spokane.”

Beagle still uses an inhaler along with medication to manage the condition. From the age of four to 15, he took regular doses of Prednisone. But a few years ago, he was prescribed Dupixent. Instead of regular doses, they were only necessary once every two weeks.

Ryan has allowed himself a bit of reminiscence since Friday.

“It’s cool to see the medals hanging in my room and actually realize little Ryan would look up to me and be proud,” he said. “It’s been gratifying making more history for Libby and I can’t thank the people enough who’ve supported me so much all these years. 

“Mom and Dad, I’m super lucky to have them,” Ryan said. “The time they’ve invested, the time driving back and forth between Libby and Kalispell for extra practice. Not everyone is that fortunate.”

Hannah said he’ll hope to coach another like Ryan.

“He’s one of the neatest kids I’ve ever coached and we had a great senior class, but someone will have to put a lot of work in to equal what Ryan has done,” Hannah said.

    Libby Loggers senior Ryan Beagle, head coach Kyle Hannah and assistant coach Terry Oedewaldt celebrate after Beagle won the Montana Class A singles tennis championship Friday, May 23, 2025, in Billings. (Courtesy photo)
  

    Libby Loggers senior Ryan Beagle displays the plaque and gold medal after he won the Montana Class A singles tennis championship Friday, May 23, 2025, in Billings. Beagle scored enough points for the Loggers to claim the trophy for third place. (Courtesy photo)
  

    Libby Loggers head tennis coach Kyle Hannah lifts senior Ryan Beagle in celebration after Beagle won the Montana Class A singles tennis championship Friday, May 23, 2025, in Billings. (Amy Lynn Nelson/Billings Gazette)