As a freshman competing for the Missouri Tigers in 2016, Kahmari Montgomery won the indoor 400 m in 45.78 s and outdoor 400 m in 45.13 s to become a two time Southeastern Conference (SEC) champion. He made the semi-finals at both the indoor and outdoor NCAA Division I Championships, placing 11th and 9th respectively in the 400 m, and earned a silver medal at the USA Junior Championships. He competed at the USA Olympic Trials in the 400 m, though he did not advance from the preliminaries. He finished his season by earning a gold medal for the United States at the World U20 Championships in the 4 × 400 m relay.