Lawrence High’s girls swimming team has this small-meet thing down pat.

The Lions edged Shawnee Mission Northwest, 390-384, at the Free State quadrangular Tuesday at Lawrence Indoor Aquatic Center. Shawnee Mission South was third, and the host Firebirds were fourth with 279 points.

LHS did it with depth, too. The Lions had only one individual winner — sophomore Melissa Ball took the 100-yard backstroke, swimming 1:07.95 — but notched 21 top-five finishes, including four individual runner-ups from senior Sarah Marlow (100 breaststroke and 100 freestyle), junior Ellie Lloyd (one-meter diving) and freshman Becca Ball (500 free).

“It was basically the same meet from last week,” LHS coach Ryan Adams said. “So there weren’t really any surprises. We’re still mixing it up a little bit, trying to get a better idea of what everybody can swim.”

About the only surprise came during the 200 freestyle relay.

Free State sophomore Ashley Jackson — along with the rest of the six lanes of swimmers — ripped off the opening lap, but none of them had heard the false-start buzzer. After one lap, they had to do it again.

“Oh! What’s this?” said Jackson, taking off her goggles and rolling her eyes. “I quit!”

She was joking, of course, and two minutes later started the relay again, even after FSHS coach Jama Crady suggested she switch to another spot in the relay so Jackson could recuperate.

No need. She got the Firebirds off to a fast start, eventually winning the relay by nearly seven seconds over Shawnee Mission South.

Lawrence High's Meredith West dives during the one-meter competition. West finished fifth during a quadrangular Tuesday in the Lawrence Indoor Aquatic Center at Free State.

“I like the start, so I thought I would just stay up there,” Jackson said. “It’s only a 50.”

Crady just shrugged.

“That’s kinda Ashley’s mentality,” the Firebirds coach said. “Just go after it.”

That also goes for freshman Ashley Robinson, who turned in the most impressive performance of the meet in winning the 500 free.

Robinson, swimming in her first high school meet after competing in the U.S. Junior National last week in Orlando, Fla., clocked a 5:11.04, nearly lapped the field and beat her closest competitor by half a minute.

And that school-record performance was 12 seconds slower than what she swam last week.

“Those two (Jackson and Robinson) push each other in competition and even in practice,” Crady said. “They bring out the best in each other.”