First-year Lawrence High boys swimming coach Alicia Jackson has lofty goals for her squad today at the Sunflower League meet at Chisholm Trail Junior High in Olathe.

“I feel pretty confident that we’re going to finish in the top three,” Jackson said. “We’ll have all of our swimmers. Everybody is healthy and everybody will be there.”

Diving preliminaries are scheduled for 9 a.m. and swimming events will begin at 1 p.m.

Senior John Armstrong (100 freestyle, 100 butterfly), senior Jonathan Legler (200 free, 500 free), senior Elliot Lauxman (200 free, 100 back) and Southwest ninth-grader Anthony Portela (50 free, 100 free) should be among the Lions’ top placers, Jackson said.

Armstrong, Legler, Lauxman and Portela also will swim on the 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay teams.

Jackson also has high hopes in diving with sophomore John Gatti, fourth at league last year, and Southwest ninth-grader Nicholas Leets.

“They could place 1-2,” Jackson said. “That’s what they’ve been shooting for.”

Free State High’s top entries are sophomore Alex Brunfeldt (200 individual medley, 500 free), sophomore Chris Wolff (50 free, 100 fly), sophomore David Adams (200 free) and Southwest ninth-grader Chris Sellon (200 IM, 100 breaststroke).

First-year FSHS coach Annette McDonald wasn’t sure where her Firebirds would figure at the 11-team meet.

“At the first of the season we had the ambitious goal of being in the top three,” McDonald said. “But it’s a real tough field. We hope to be up there. You have to have depth as well as good times.”

At last year’s league meet, LHS placed eighth and Free State took last.

The league meet, normally a two-day meet, was trimmed to a one-day event because of inclement weather and power outages in Olathe.

There will be no swimming preliminaries today. Placings will be determined by the fastest times in all the heats combined.

The state meet is in two weeks in Manhattan.