By GREG RACHAC
Of The Gazette Staff
Not only are Jon and Lois Ricardi siblings, they recently became teammates at Idaho State University.
Now they can add another distinction to their accomplishments: Montana Mile champions.
The Ricardis, of Gardiner, swept the Montana Mile Friday night during the opening ceremonies of the 22nd annual Big Sky State Games at Wendy's Field at Daylis Stadium.
It marked the first time a brother-sister tandem claimed simultaneous victories in the 16-year history of the Montana Mile.
Lois Ricardi captured the women's title - her first - in a time of 5:11.9, edging Billings' Bridgette Hoenke (5:12.8) and Sidney's Sarah Graves (5:14.9).
Her brother cruised to victory for his first men's title, winning in a time of 4:19.61.
Patrick Casey of Laurel crossed in second place (4:27.44) while Alex Brekke of Bozeman finished third (4:28.25).
For the Ricardis, who became running teammates at ISU when Jon transferred from Iowa State in the fall of 2006, the dual victory was well received.
"I always think that we feed off each other," said Lois, who will be a senior runner for the Bengals this coming year. "When one of us sees the other do well, we're happy and we're confident. It really helps having the other one out there for support."
In last year's race, Lois Ricardi took second place behind Deer Lodge's Nicole Hunt, a five-time winner of the Montana Mile.
With Hunt unable to run due to injury, Ricardi took advantage.
After losing the lead to Hoenke at the outset of the final lap, Ricardi grabbed it back about 200 meters later on the backstretch and broke the tape from there.
"I was pretty motivated," she said. "I knew it was going to be tough because all these girls are good runners.
"It came down to mental toughness. I just dug deep and held on."
Shortly after his older sister claimed victory, Jon Ricardi blew past the competition to complete the sweep.
Ricardi, preparing for his junior year at Idaho State, trailed Casey after the first lap and into the second, but eventually grabbed the lead at about the halfway mark of the race.
On the third lap, Ricardi really opened it up. By the time he crossed the finish line, he had won the race by a huge eight-second margin.
His time was nearly eight seconds faster than that of a year ago, when he placed third.
"I felt good tonight, so I figured I'd try to make a break on that third lap because that's a very tough lap to run," Ricardi said. "My sister and I are really close, and the biggest thing about my running is I like to enjoy it. When I saw her win, I was happy.
"I went into the race with a really good attitude and had a really good result."
Forrest Lewton of Whitehall placed fourth in the men's race at 4:31.1, followed by Lynn Reynolds of Dillon, who was clocked at 4:33.0.
T.J. Strange Owl of Colstrip (4:38.7), Zac Barrett of Manhattan (4:38.7), Brian Potter of Manhattan (4:42.2), Thomas Jodoin of Helena (4:45.1) and Nolan Real Bird of Hardin (4:53.4) closed out the men's field.
Finishing fourth in the women's race was Helena's Jennifer Thomas with a time of 5:22.0. Thomas was followed by Billings' Carly Selleck, who had a time of 5:27.4.
Auriele Fain of Billings (5:28.2), Alexa Aragon of Billings (5:30.6) and Elizabeth Spartas of Bozeman (5:32.0) rounded out the women's field.
Montana Mile results
Women - Lois Ricardi, Gardiner, 5:11.9; Bridgette Hoenke, Billings, 5:12.8; Sarah Graves, Sidney, 5:14.9; Jennifer Thomas, Helena, 5:22.0; Carly Selleck, Billings, 5:27.4; Auriele Fain, Billings, 5:28.2; Alexa Aragon, Billings, 5:30.6; Elizabeth Spartas, Bozeman, 5:32.0.
Men - Jon Ricardi, Gardiner, 4:19.6; Patrick Casey, Laurel, 4:27.4; Alex Brekke, Bozeman, 4:28.7; Forrest Lewton, Whitehall, 4:31.1; Lynn Reynolds, Dillon, 4:33.0; T.J. Strange Owl, Colstrip, 4:38.7; Zac Barrett, Manhattan, 4:38.7; Brian Potter, Manhattan, 4:42.2; Thomas Jodoin, Helena, 4:45.1; Nolan Real Bird, Hardin, 4:53.4.
