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STATE PREVIEW
February 12, 2025
The Billings Central Rams won their fourth straight swimming championship, and fourth sweep of both the boys and girls podiums, Feb. 10, 2024 in Great Falls at the state swim meet.
Anchored again by relays, the Rams' depth will be tough to contest again as they go for their fifth-straight title. Need proof? They hold the top relay time regardless of class in all three relay races.
The Rams have swept the top spot for the past four years and stopping that streak will be a tall order. Last season they nearly doubled-up runner-up Polson and third-place Columbia Falls.
Returning individual champions: Daniel Apostol (Billings Central, boys 100 butterfly, boys 100 breaststroke), Jonas Johnson (Billings Central, boys 100 backstroke) Teague McElwee (Polson, boys 50 freestyle), Dylan Shelton (Billings Central, boys 200 freestyle, 500 boys freestyle),
Billings Central's Apostol will attempt to add to his previous six state individual titles this weekend with two more not counting relays. Apostol already held two titles each in the boys 200 IM and 100 free before he switched it up with the 100 fly and 100 breast as a junior. As a senior, he'll attempt to defend the 100 breast this weekend, but will also swim the 50 free, an event which he holds the state's best time this season regardless of class.
In a reversal, Polson's McElwee will swim the 100 butterfly instead (again, an event he leads the state in regardless of class) and 100 back rather than defending the 50 free. He'll face the defending 100 back champion Johnson in both.
Shelton has a chance to make it four in a row in the 500 freestyle as just the sixth and first Class AB boys swimmer to win four consecutive titles in a single event. He'll also attempt the 200 IM to add to his career total which includes titles in the 200 free from last season and the 100 back as a sophomore in 2023.
Bennett Seitz holds the top AB time in the 100 freestyle, but Havre's Daniel Tillemanis not far behind. Seitz also leads the qualifiers in the 200 free.
The Billings Central Rams earned their fifth consecutive championship and 15th overall in Great Falls at the state swim meet on Saturday.
After tying Bozeman last season as the all-time winningest girls teams with 15 state titles, the Rams will look to continue building on their streak of five consecutive championships.
The Rams relays and depth make it tough to knock them off, but after topping Havre and Hardin on the podium last season, only time will tell if they can keep it going.
Returning individual champions: Kelly Early (Billings Central, girls 100 butterfly, girls 500 freestyle), Teaghan Vaira (Billings Central, girls 200 IM, girls 100 breaststroke)
Early has led the Rams girls for three years now and will look to add to her career total (two at 50 free, two at 100 butterfly, 500 free) with two new races in the 100 and 200 frees. Rams freshman Vanessa Sheridan instead leads the qualifiers this season in the 500 free as she looks to continue a Rams hold on the event.
Vaira will attempt to repeat in both of her races from 2024 as she brings the top AB times in this season in the 200 IM and 100 back.
East Helena's Sway Longshore leads AB qualifiers in the 50 free with Whitefish'sAvery Theis right behind her by a tenth of a second. Columbia Falls Catherine Opalka leads in the 100 butterfly and Whitefish's Leisel Klein leads the 500 free. Opalka and Longshore are also tops in the 100 breaststroke.
'A' 2021-22 SWIMMING PREVIEWS
December 2, 2021
After down Covid year, CFALLS swim team has good numbers
https://hungryhorsenews.com/news/2021/dec/01/after-down-covid-year-swim-team-has-good-numbers/
HAVRE BLUE PONIES
Top 10 swimmers list (Mar. 2)
March 3, 2021
TOP SWIMMING TIMES
February 9, 2021
'A' 2021 SWIMMING PREVIEW
January 7, 2021
Note to readers: An additional preview by Scot Heisel, “Polson unleashes new swim team,” is featured in the Th31December 2021 issue of the Lake County Leader, B1
Pirate natators take to the pool
by John Heglie, special for the Leader
When the current Polson High School first opened its doors the second semester of 1974, rumors circulated about an olympic size swimming pool that had been part of the original plans which were scuttled on account of budget overrun. How much substance lay behind that rumor or whether it was more akin to a local variation of an urban legend is open to debate. But at the very least the vision for an area swim team traces back half a century.
That vision provided much of the impetus behind the fundraising, groundbreaking and eventual completion of the Mission Valley Aquatics and Fitness (MVAF) Center at the Ridgewater Complex in Polson, which was begun in 2003 and completed a decade later in 2013.
Vaulting ahead 47 years to the winter of 2021, Polson High School will finally field its first ever swim team with the addition of the sport to winter athletic offerings. In a collaborative effort between Polson School District and the Polson Parent Swim Club group for an initial five year commitment, the school district agreed to cover program expenses that include travel costs as well as hiring of a coach, while the parental Swim Club group covers operational expenses related to gear, pool rent and associated equipment. The Greater Polson Community Foundation, Donna Rolfson Trust, Lake Seed Potato Fundraiser as well as the parental Swim Club group have each contributed to funding gear and facility usage. The High School itself does not have a pool, so all local competitions will be held at the MVAF Center.
Shayna Swanson takes the helm as Polson's first swim coach in their inaugural season. A small group of dedicated competitors will comprise the first Pirate swim team, each competing in multiple events somewhat similar to spring track, two individual events along with two relays. Who will be competing in which events remains in a state of flux at this juncture of the schedule. Many members among the nascent Pirate swim team have been competing for several years as part of the Lake Monsters Swim Team in club competitions.
Due to precautionary measures related to the current virus pandemic climate, several meets this season will be of a virtual variety, held at the home pool of each participant with the results then compiled and distributed by the host school. Polson inaugurates their schedule with virtual participation in the Kalispell Invitational with Pirate entries swimming at the MVAF pool.
2018-19 'A' SWIMMING PREVIEWS
November 28, 2018
WHITEFISH
The Whitefish swim team will look to build on second-place finishes by both the boys and girls at last year’s Class A State Meet.
Preston Ring, who last year finished fourth in the 100 breaststroke and fifth in the 200 freestyle, will return to lead the boys side, while Annie Sullivan will look to improve on last season’s fifth-place finish in the 500 freestyle.
The team is coached by Emily Von Jentzen.
They’ll open the season at the Summit in Kalispell on Saturday. The meet will start at noon.
HOW TO ACCESS A CERTAIN ITEM SUCH AS STANDINGS
December 10, 2017
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GREAT FALLS HOSTS SWIMMING MEET
GFH, CMR swim teams host Invitational
The Bison and Rustlers get to compete in familiar territory this weekend, hosting the Great Falls Invite on Friday and Saturday.(Photo: TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO)
The Great Falls High and C.M. Russell boys’ and girls’ swim teams have started the season with solid performances on the road in Kalispell and Havre.
The Bison and Rustlers get to compete in familiar territory this weekend, hosting the Great Falls Invite on Friday and Saturday.
CMR and GFH welcome Hardin, Havre, Whitefish, and Columbia Falls on Friday starting at 4:30 p.m. at the GFH pool for individual competition before the relay meet Saturday.
The relay meet includes all Class AA schools aside from the three Missoula programs, as well as several A-B teams including Billings Central, which has won five straight girls’ and boys’ A-B titles.
Bison and Rustlers head coach Ed McNamee said the Invite is a good test for his squads because it’s the first two-day meet of the year.
“It’s good always a good opportunity to swim at home,” McNamee said. “And at the same time, it’s important to have back-to-back days of swimming, because when it comes to the state meet, you have to put two days together.”
The relay meet Saturday will provide GFH and CMR with opportunity to see where certain athletes fit in, McNamee said.
“I told the team,” he said, “that this week, particularly for the relays, we’re going to focus on ourselves. We’ve got to have more candidates moving forward for our ‘A’ relays and see who we can expect and who we can move around.
“Those relay spots are pretty coveted. We’ve had some good competition in practice, so hopefully it will translate to this weekend.”
McNamee said he expects some stiff competition in Bozeman and all four Billings teams.
“Bozeman is probably going to be our main competition,” McNamee said. “Coach Will McCallum does a great job with that program. The (AA) Billings schools (West, Senior and Skyview) have come a long way. They had some down years but are rebuilding fast. And Billings Central, with as long as they’ve been around, is a team that you always have to pay attention to.
“It’s a competitive meet but we’ll get a chance to get some kids turns in a big-meet environment and we’ll put our best foot forward and hopefully come out on top.”
The meet is the teams’ last for almost a month, as they pick action back up in mid-January.
“It’s kind of a unique season,” McNamee said. “At the break, you kind of go into ‘fall-camp/two-a-days’ mode, where you kind of go back to the drawing board and see what you really need to work on. So, if we come out and have a good showing and swim hard, that’s the important thing.
“We can set a good tone for the next two weeks heading into the break.”
The CMR girls posted impressive outings in the first two contests of the season, winning the Kalispell and Havre meets.
The Rustlers saw several top-swimmers last weekend in Havre, with junior Olivia Bauman winning both the 100 freestyle and butterfly and seniors Kate Heryla and Tianna Stevens took the 100 backstroke and 200 free, respectively.
The CMR girls also boast some talented underclassmen in freshmen Ayana Gray and Darlene Westie, who both took home victories.
The Rustler boys also took first in Havre, with senior Patrick Brennan earning top times in the 50 free and 100 back. Fellow seniors Andrew Houston and Noah Brennan also swam to first-place finishes for CMR.
The Great Falls High boys came in second in Havre, just 17 points behind the Rustlers.
Freshman Joseph Guter followed up an impressive debut in Kalispell for the Bison, taking the 200 IM and finishing second in the 100 breaststroke.
Brandon Hanlon and Jaydan Elpel also both put up top times for GFH.
The Bison girls are a fairly inexperienced squad but are led by seniors Mackenzie Downard and Stevie McNamee.
Freshman Isabelle Earl highlighted the GFH girls squad in Havre, finishing second in the 50 free.
2015-16 SWIMMING PREVIEWS
Swim team numbers way up, veterans all return to squad
Posted: Wednesday, December 2, 2015 9:45 am
In its second season, the Columbia Falls swim team has more than doubled its numbers. Last year the squad had just seven swimmers, this year there’s 18 total, with 12 boys and six girls on the squad.
“Let’s see if we can increase our place at state this year,” said coach Mike Nelson. The Wildcats don’t have too far to go, the boys took second among Class A schools, the girls took fourth.
The team returns veteran swimmers Colton Babcock, Zayne Friar and Karyssa Nelson as well as Hayden Pierce, Ashley Caffrey and Jacob Holman.
Babcock took second as a sophomore 200-yard freestyle and third in the 500-yard freestyle at state, while Friar was fourth in the butterfly. The state meet combines the Class A and AA schools and doesn’t differentiate between the classes for individual results.
This year the team has some new talent in Morgan Campbell-Queen, Russell Albin, Sam Pierce and Maddy Stoddard, to name a few, Nelson said. Albin, a freshman, was a standout swimmer in the summer leagues.
The team is combined with Whitefish in practices, but competes separately. Whitefish has 16 swimmers this year. It is funded independently, but is a school-sanctioned sport.
The squad opens its season Dec. 5 in Kalispell at the Summit. Competition starts at noon. It has a home meet this year, the Cat-Dog Invitational at the Wave in Whitefish Jan. 16. Swimming starts at noon as well.
SCORES, PICS AND VIDEOS
Please text or email us your scores as soon as the game/match is complete so I can put them on our website, twitter and facebook pages. Text number is 406-471-2263. Email is tjw@centurytel.net.
Also, email us your pics/videos so we can put them on the website.
Thanks.
