Shawnee Mission East wins swim meet

Thursday’s swimming results from the Lawrence Aquatic Center looked a lot like Tuesday’s.

In fact, there really was no difference: a team Shawnee Mission East other than Lawrence or Free State won the meet, while LHS’s Andrea Hemphill and FSHS’s Ashley Jackson again stole the show.

“Yeah, they were real similar,” said Lions’ coach Ryan Adams, whose squad took second to Shawnee Mission East by more than 150 points, finishing with 397.

The Lancers, who placed fourth at last season’s state meet, won with 553 points while the Firebirds came in third with 300.

Despite Shawnee Mission East’s whale of a win, the meet was again dominated by a pair of off-season teammates who this week swam in offsetting uniforms.

The Lions’ Hemphill, who is the city athlete of the week, and Jackson both won two individual events just as they did on Tuesday.

“She is extremely important to our team,” Free State coach Jama Crady of freshman Jackson.

“She’s won about every event I’ve put her in this season and set a bunch of school records along the way.”

Jackson won her best event, the 500 freestyle, in 5:13.85 and took the 200 free in 1:58.23. But both times were slower than her marks on Tuesday and Crady thinks that’s a sign of fatigue.

“I’m going to try and mix up the events I put her in,” she said. “Right now we’re just really tired.

“We had the two meets this week and have one Saturday and Tuesday which will be running on whatever gas we have left.”

Hemphill, however, seemed as strong as ever winning the 100 free and 100 breaststroke and pacing the Lions in the 200 medley relay and 400 relay.

While the two schools have squared off twice this week alone, there doesn’t seem to be much a rivalry make that a grudge match.

“We don’t have the rivalry,” Crady said.

“For the whole year these girls are teammates, so for the three months they are split up it really doesn’t matter, because they’ll go back to being teammates again.” Results in Scoreboard.