Billings Central's Kelly Early, left, and Alyson Early pose for a portrait at the Montana State Billings swimming pool on Feb. 2. The sisters both aim to defend titles at the state swimming meet in Great Falls this weekend.
Billings Central's Alyson Early won the first of her two individual championships with a victory in the 200 freestyle in 1:58.63 on Feb. 12, 2022 at the State Swim Meet in Great Falls.
Billings Central freshman Kelly Early gets her medal for winning the girls 50 freestyle on Feb. 12, 2022 at the State Swim Meet in Great Falls. Bigfork's Sydney Slawter was runner-up.
Billings Central's Kelly Early, left, and Alyson Early pose for a portrait at the Montana State Billings swimming pool on Feb. 2. The sisters both aim to defend titles at the state swimming meet in Great Falls this weekend.
MIKE CLARK Billings Gazette
Billings Central's Alyson Early won the first of her two individual championships with a victory in the 200 freestyle in 1:58.63 on Feb. 12, 2022 at the State Swim Meet in Great Falls.
LINDSAY ROSSMILLER
406mtsports.com
Billings Central freshman Kelly Early gets her medal for winning the girls 50 freestyle on Feb. 12, 2022 at the State Swim Meet in Great Falls. Bigfork's Sydney Slawter was runner-up.
BILLINGS — Look through the top times Montana high school swimmers have posted from this season and you’ll see Billings Central swimmers all over the A-B classification lists. It’s understandable since the Rams boast a depth in their squads that challenge teams across the state of any classification.
However, look closer at the girls rankings and a single last name bears the top mark in seven of the eight possible individual events. Marks this season which are a product of sisters Alyson and Kelly Early.
Alyson, a senior, is already a four-time individual state champion with two titles apiece in both the 100 and 200 freestyle races and has hopes to conclude her high school career by defending both at the 2023 Montana state swimming meet in Great Falls this weekend.
"There's always the pressure to do well for the team, right?" Alyson Early said. "Especially because it's my last season and I want to do it well."
Kelly, a sophomore, is the defending 50 freestyle champion who has also developed an affinity for the 100 butterfly this season.
“This year I have a little bit more of like a mindset like I want to win, whereas last year, I was a little nervous because I was new to it all,” Kelly Early said. “This year, I just I want to try my best and see what I can do.”
“It's really fun to watch,” Rams coach Robyn O’Nan said. “I've had lots of siblings on this team before and it's great to see them grow in this environment, and make connections with different people and help each other out.”
Alyson Early has swum the top times in A-B this season in the 50 free (26.15 seconds), 100 free (56.66), 200 free (2:02.74), 500 free (5:36.63), 100 breaststroke (1:14.91) and 200 IM (2:18.19).
Kelly Early owns the top time in the 100 butterfly (1:04.93), and is right behind Alyson with the second best times in the 50 free (26.35), 100 free (59.11), 200 free (2:08.81) and 500 free (5:47.74). She also has the third best times in the 100 backstroke (1:05.93) and 200 IM (2:27.23).
Throughout the season, they’ve swum a variety of events, but when it comes to actual head-to-head competition, they both clearly are aware of their own lanes.
“We don't really swim the same thing so like, we'll combine for relay, but I'm more of a mid-distance and she's more of a sprinter so I mean, we're not like competing against each other, which is probably a good thing,” Alyson Early said.
Kelly Early agreed and said, “Sometimes you don't want to listen to each other's advice, but I think that's just what sisters do.”
Both swim for the Billings Aquatic Club year round, but during the high school season the Rams appreciate their commitment and influence as both speedy swimmers and as teammates.
“Alyson is an amazing leader. She really has this calm about her that really helps the team out a lot. Where Kelly is more vivacious and bubbly and gets going talking,” O’Nan said. “They are just steady and they want to be here for the team. They swim club too. They spend time at club and they spend time here. They're very committed to both and I appreciate that about them.”
That means helping support teammates to quicker times in their own events, but also getting to combine their collective strengths in the relays for their team.
“We've done a really good job the past few years coming on those relays and doing really well,” Alyson said. “I'm not a huge sprinter, but I'm pretty fast when it comes to the 50 and a relay because I love a relay. So I'll pull it together for stuff like that, and she can go pretty fast in the 100 free when she feels like it.”
“They're going to place well at state as long as everything goes well, and they're going to take people with them,” O’Nan predicted.
They’re hoping that also means a trip to the top place as a team yet again. The Rams girls currently own 13 state titles, which includes the past three consecutive titles and seven over the past decade. They boys own 14 and have won the past two.
While each have more meets on the horizon in their club seasons, they acknowledge that the state meet in Great Falls will be the end of an era at least in their high school swimming careers.
“It'll be sad when she leaves of course and none of the seniors will be there next year, because they were very welcoming to me last year when I was a freshman and it'll be definitely a different team environment without Alyson,” Kelly Early said.
“I haven't quite dealt with that,” Alyson Early acknowledged. “I still have more things to look forward to when it comes to swimming, but I mean, I'll definitely be sad.”
Notes: Three other Billings Central swimmers will also attempt to defend titles they won in 2022: Daniel Apostol (200 IM, 100 free), Dylan Shelton (500 free) and Myah Kunz (100 back).
