POLSON — The Billings Central girls swim team has added another state title to its collection.
The Rams cruised to a first-place finish at the State A/B swim meet on Saturday in Polson, amassing 102 points to deliver Central its 12th swimming championship. Bigfork took second with 52 points and Whiefish came in third with 42. Hardin (34), Havre (30) and Columbia Falls (11.5) rounded out the team standings.
The Rams had six first-place finishes. Alyson Early was a double winner, taking first in the 200 free (2:01.85) and 100 free (55.85). Myah Kunz took first in the 100 back (1:02.71) and Central won the 200 medley relay (2:01.10) as well as the 200 free relay (1:46.93).
Central's Megan Beers, the defending 500 free champion, was edged out in that event by Whitefish's Ada Qunell, who won with a time of 5:14.27 while Beers placed second (5:37.24). Qunell also defended her 200 IM title, clocking a winning mark of 2:09.12.
Bigfork's Sophi Logue successfully defended her 100 fly title with a time of 1:05.77. Bigfork also medaled in the 50 free as Shelby Thompson won the event with a mark of 26.05. Hardin's Rylee Kogolshak placed second (26.35) and Bigfork's Sydney Slawter finished third (27.14).
BOYS MEET
The Billings Central boys are once again champions.
The Rams edged defending champion Whitefish with a winning 74-point performance. The Bulldogs, who won their first title last year, settled for second (71) and Columbia Falls took third (43). Havre finished in fourth with 35 points, Hardin in sixth (20) and Polson in seventh (17).
The Rams are champions for the 13th time after finishing in third place last season and tying with Havre in 2019.
Central's lone first-place finish was in the 400 free relay where the Rams beat Havre with a winning mark of 3:50.95. The Rams got a second-place finish from Snyder Phillip in the 100 free with a mark of 54.32. Whitefish's Jack McDaniel won that event (52.87) and Central's Christian Ross took third (58.87).
Polson's Mason Sloan took first in the 200 free (1:52.97), Ross placed second (2:16.39) and Central's Wynn Walks Over Ice took third (2:17.27).
Hardin's Caleb Mark won the 50 free (23.35) and Whitefish's Jack McDaniel took second (23.82) while his teammate Ben Dalen placed third (24.76).
Whitefish's Logan Botner took first in the 100 fly (54.59), Dalen placed second (1:02.99) and Central's Ethan Richert took third (1:06.38).
