When Lawrence High senior swimmers Sarah Marlow, Sarah Ball and Samie Milligan sprinted toward the finish in the 200 individual medley, it was as if they were swimming for their lives.

No, correct that. They were swimming for their Lions.

“We were all swimming for our seniors and LHS,” said Marlow, who led the trio’s 1-2-3 finish in the 200 I.M. — which helped the Lions’ win Tuesday’s quadrangular at LHS with 501 points.

“It’s really exciting to know that we’re going to end our careers at home this way,” said Marlow, who won the race in 2:19.70, finished second in the 500 freestyle and also won the 400 freestyle relay in her final home meet.

Leavenworth took second in the team standings with 393 points, while Free State finished in third with 323 points. But it was the Lions’ seniors who stole the show.

“We’re a great small-meet team,” said LHS coach Ryan Adams, who let his seniors pick the events they wanted to enter Tuesday.

“Today really shows our strength, and it’s really an exciting way for our seniors to end things.”

Tuesday, however, wasn’t quite complete for eight Lions — even though Adams tried to make it that way.

Adams switched up his 200 freestyle relay teams in an effort dubbed “The Senior Relays.” He wanted all eight seniors to race side-by-side in a single race.

It didn’t happen.

Though just a slight time difference separated the two teams, the foursomes were placed in different heats.

“We were a little disappointed that it didn’t work out,” said Katie Vickers, who along with Ball, Megan Little and Ashley Smarker took fourth with a time of 2:00.20.

Lawrence High’s other four seniors — Marlow, Milligan, Anne Weltmer and Haley Hughes-Pfeifer — followed them in fifth place with a time of 2:01.12.

“It was pretty cool for them all to be out there in one race,” Adams said.

For Free State, freshman Ashley Robinson won both the 50 and 200 freestyle races. Sophomore Ashley Jackson took both the 100 butterfly and 500 freestyle.

While the two teamed up to win the 200 freestyle relay and take second in the 200 medley relay, Free State coach Jama Crady might have been most impressed with senior Lindsey Witthaus.

“She just keeps busting her butt in practice,” Crady said of Witthaus, who hadn’t competed since her freshman year — but cut nearly five seconds off her third-place 500 time of 5:49.61.

“She just keeps improving every time out.”

Time was certainly on Ball’s mind when she prepared for the 200 I.M., especially considering the fact that it was her last time lining up teammates that she had been swimming with since she was 12 years old.

“We really never thought about finishing first, second and third,” said Ball, who came in second in 2:31.96, while Milligan took third in 2:38.24. “But when I looked up after we all touched the wall, it was awesome to see them on each side of me. It’s kind of like a dream ending.”