Ella Montgomery of Ellsworth won the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 55.12 seconds. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald
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When it comes to swimming, Ella Montgomery is an avid collector.

The Ellsworth senior estimates there are at least 100 bag tags from swim meets dating back to 2015 affixed to her workout backpack, and around 50 pairs of goggles, or every pair she’s ever used since she was 5 years old, inside the bag.

Montgomery also collects school records.

Similar to the physical mementos, seeing her name written eight times (six individual, two relays) in the Ellsworth girls swimming record book evokes stories for Montgomery, like when her 500-yard freestyle swim in December almost turned into a comedy of errors.

“(My best friend) messed up the order of the cards, so I had no idea what number (lap) I was on,” Montgomery said. “He kept going back and forth, like it was his first time doing cards, and he wasn’t keeping me paced at all for the 500. I was so lost.”

By the final lap, the cards were sorted and Montgomery knew she was in the home stretch. But she wasn’t confident about her time.

“He was shaking the cards so hard that he dropped the cards in the pool,” she said. “And then I was like, ‘Oh, no, I’m definitely not getting this record.’ And then I finished, and I was like, ‘Wow, I just got this record. How did this happen?’ I was not thinking about the record at all when swimming that 500. I was just thinking about, ‘Oh, my gosh, what is this guy doing? He’s never doing my cards again.’ It was funny, and we got to celebrate it after. I still laugh with him about it.”

This winter, Montgomery also set records in the 50- and 200-yard freestyles and improved her 100 free (53.90 seconds), 100 backstroke (57.77) and 100 butterfly (55.12) records. The latter three events were the fastest times in Maine regardless of class, and her fly was the only sub-one minute time this season. She was also 0.01 seconds away from being the state leader in the 50 free (24.85).

Ella Montgomery of Ellsworth swims to the win in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 57.77 seconds. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald
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But in Class B, Montgomery dominated. She was undefeated in individual races for the entire season, defended her state titles in the 100 back and 100 fly (her third championship in four years in the latter), won three Penobscot Valley Conference titles, earned swimmer of the meet at both championships and was named the Maine Interscholastic Swim League Swimmer of the Year.

She also is our choice as Varsity Maine Girls Swimmer of the Year.

“She’s been my team captain for the last two years, and I can put her into almost any stroke, any relay, and she’ll excel in it,” Ellsworth coach Jim Goodman said.

Goodman, who has known Montgomery since she started swimming, said, “She’s always leading the pack” in practices and is an encouraging mentor for younger teammates. Montgomery says its only natural to return the camaraderie and support she received as an underclassman.

“What really helps me is, like I said before, just the community that comes around swimming,” Montgomery said. “Knowing I have my teammates coming along with me throughout those hours of swimming, we’re doing (workouts at) 5 a.m. in the morning, we’re going to be at the pool together, that’s what helps me the best. If I was alone during all this time, I would not have been as motivated and as confident as I am right now. Just because my teammates, they’re boosting me.”

Montgomery is currently training for the YMCA Nationals meet in April and is under consideration for the All-American swim team in the 100 fly.

After graduation, she will compete in the backstroke and the butterfly at Fordham University, where she plans to study psychology. Montgomery was originally going to commit to the University of Rhode Island, but a last-minute trip to the Bronx campus to meet the coaching staff and team changed her mind.

“She’s an awesome swimmer, and now we look forward to seeing how she does in college,” Goodman said. “I wish I could clone her and keep her around for another four years. I can imagine a relay with all four of her.”