Emporia ? Lawrence High’s girls swimming team picked up individual titles from senior Sarah Marlow and freshman Becca Ball as the Lions opened their season Thursday with a third-place finish at the Emporia Invitational.

Marlow won the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:18.08. Ball won the 500 freestyle, swimming 5:55.40.

The best part is, LHS coach Ryan Adams thinks his squad can do far better.

“I’m pumped for third, but I think we can score more points when we get our events and relays figured out,” he said. “We were just trying to figure out where people should go. No one swam all the events they could.”

Manhattan scored 500 points to take the team title, beating Emporia (460) and LHS (396). Free State was fifth with 229 points.

The Lions had 12 top-five finishes and also qualified their 200 medley relay (senior Sarah Ball, junior Melissa Farve, senior Samie Milligan and senior Megan Little) and 400 free relay (Marlow, Melissa Little, Megan Little, Becca Ball) for the state tournament.

The Lions have a dual Tuesday at Shawnee Mission North.

Emporia Invitational

Thursday

Team scores: Manhattan 500, Emporia 460, Lawrence High 396, Hutchinson 311, Free State 229, Andover 198, Topeka Seaman 120, Wamego 34.

LHS Individual results

200 Medley Relay

3. LHS ‘A’ (Sarah Ball, Melissa Farve, Samie Milligan, Megan Little), 2:06.14; 12. LHS ‘B’ (Ashley Smarker, Karen Bentley, Katie Vickers, Julia Szabo), 2:21.57; 18. LHS ‘C’ (Richelle Chaney, Megan Heacock, April Sheppard, Sandie Differding), 2:54.73.

200 Freestyle

2. Melissa Little, 2:02.89; 7. Katie Barnoskie 2:18.89; 20. Heacock, 3:05.09.

200 IM

1. Sarah Marlow, 2:18.08; 13. Hailey Hughes-Pfeifer, 2:53.84. 16. Amy Naff, 3:24.74.

50 Free

5. M. Farve, :28.09; Samantha Meyer 31.05; 19. Chaney, 39.20.

1-Meter Diving

2. Ellie Lloyd, 169.15; 5. Meredith West, 145.70; 9. Stephanie Farve, 115.0.

100 Butterfly

3. Szabo, 1:04.47; 4. Megan Little, 1:05.26; 11. Annie Weltmer, 1:15.76.

100 Free

6. Milligan, 1:05.39; 9. Bentley, 1:08.24; 21. Susan Lawhorn, 1:24.7.

500 Free

1. Becca Ball, 5:55.40; 4. Barnoskie, 6:13.05; 17. Smarker, 7:38.52.

400 Free Relay

4. LHS ‘A’ (Melissa Little, Marlow, Becca Ball, Barnoskie), 1:54.40; 8. LHS ‘B’ (Meyer, Hughes-Pfeifer, Henrietta Jensen, Elspeth Legler), 2:04.43; 16. LHS ‘C’ (Cecelia Backus, Malrory Fiowlwer, Ashley Wallace, Georgie), 2:39.44.

100 Backstroke

5. Milligan, 1:10.66; 12. Jensen, 1:16.00; 19. Sheppard, 1:40.45

100 Breaststroke

8. Sarah Ball, 1:21.78; 11. Legler, 1:23.69; 12. Vickers, 1:25.27.

400 Free Relay

2. LHS ‘A’ (Marlow, Melissa Little, Little, Ball), 3:59.86; 10. LHS ‘B’ 4:58.49 (K.C. Claypool, Sarah Ball, Welmter, Lawhorn. 16. LHS ‘C’ (Martha Penthurf, Heather Hinshaw, Naff, Lauren Crawford), 5:54.94.