With 50 yards left in the boys' Division A 200-yard individual medley at the South Jersey Coaches' Invitational earlier this month, there still were a few area high school swimming fans who thought there was only one sophomore star named Cregar.

But after Washington Township 10th grader Billy Cregar stormed from behind to take his first sectional title, he officially joined his twin sister, Cassie, among the area's swimming elite.

The two are poised to carry on the legacy of older sister Mandee Cregar, the 2004 state champion in the 100 breaststroke, who is now a freshman at the University of South Carolina.

"We've always pushed each other, all three of us," Cassie Cregar said. "It's good to have somebody else who knows exactly what you're going through every day. I think we've definitely helped each other."

But there's a natural sibling rivalry as well.

Cassie emerged last year as one of the most talented members of a deep Class of 2007. At the 2004 Coaches' Invitational, she won Division A titles in the 200 and 500 freestyles.

Then, at the Meet of Champions, she cemented her role as the area's top female distance swimmer with a third-place finish in the state 200 free and a second in the 500.

Her stellar performances also cast a long shadow, taking some of the spotlight from what had been a terrific freshman season for Billy.

Competing for the first time against swimmers three and four years older than him, he made his claim as a star of the future by finishing sixth in the state 500 free and 11th in the 200.

Not everyone realized how fast Billy's future would arrive, but count Matt Sprang - the coach of the USA Swimming program at GCIT, where both Billy and Cassie train year-round - as one of the first.

"Watch out for Billy Cregar," Sprang said during the middle of last summer. "That kid's going to surprise everybody. He can do everything."

Fifty yards of freestyle at the end of an IM was all it took for Billy to step into the spotlight he'd been earning in practice every day.

His winning sectional time of 1:56.20 is the fastest in the area this season, and would have placed him a close third in the Meet of Champions in 2004.

He followed that with an equally impressive 4:39.42 in the 500 to finish third behind defending state champion Christian Sprang of St. Augustine and Atlantic City senior Dennen McCloskey.

Though Billy has marked Christian Sprang - a training partner of his - as someone he'd like to emulate, his 500 time already is four seconds faster than what Sprang achieved as a sophomore.

But he insists that doesn't mean much.

"It's going to be harder because I won't have Christian in practice with me every day anymore," Billy said. "He's really good to have around because of how hard he works, and how hard he's pushed me. I'll have to do it on my own."

The Cregar twins begin to seem more alike the more their high school coaches talk about them.

"They're both just great kids," Washington Township boys' swimming coach Bill Albertson said. "Their dedication is obvious to everybody."

Washington Township girls' swimming coach Jessica Slates said she's been pleasantly surprised Cassie's willingness to step into an active leadership role on the team, even though she's just a sophomore.

"I've known Cassie for a very long time, and she's always worked extremely hard," said Slates, who is in her first year as the coach at Washington Township. "She sets a great example because she never takes a race off.

"She's giving 110 percent in every race, no matter who else is in the water."

In part because of their extensive year-round training, both Billy and Cassie are the type of swimmers who can enter any dual-meet event and expect to win.

Their unerring willingness to help the team, their coaches said, turns this weapon from a mere fortune into a joy.

"We've put Cassie in almost every event this year," Slates said. "She's been in the 200 and 500, of course, and the 100 fly, the 100 back. We were using her in breaststroke early on because we were weak there. She'll do anything to help the team."

With the dual-meet season now over, the teams and the Cregars turn their attention to the Meet of Champions, March 5-6.

Though neither of them would likely be considered favorites in either of their events, the feeling is strong that their time will come.