Lawrence High swimming coach Ryan Adams wasn’t surprised Melissa Farve excelled in the 500 freestyle Thursday on Senior Day.

“She’s just a great all-around swimmer, so I thought she might do pretty well,” Adams said of Farve, who told her coach Tuesday that she would switch to the longer stroke as part of the Lions’ traditional swaps for their last home meet of the season. LHS finished third with 269 points; Free State took second with 398 points behind Blue Valley North (444).

While she didn’t win the event, Farve, who usually swims shorter races, finished eighth in a time of 6:06.12. Consideration time for the state meet is 6:01.

“I don’t think I’ll be switching strokes, but it was a lot of fun,” Farve said of her very first attempt at the 500 free. “It’s just an annual thing that we do, and a neat way to end our careers at Lawrence High.”

Three Lion seniors — Farve, Ellie Lloyd and Axah McCalla — were honored before the start of the meet, but Lloyd said she was a bit humbled during it.

Lloyd — LHS’s top diver, who finished second Thursday — swam in her first-ever race, the first leg of LHS’s 200 freestyle relay team.

“Um, yeah, I think I’ll stick to diving,” Lloyd said with a laugh after the team finished in seventh place.

McCalla, who had been battling injuries, also got in on the fun — swimming the 200 medley relay, the 50 free, the 100 free and the 200 free relay.

“Today was just a chance for them to all go out and have a little bit of fun,” Adams said. “I don’t think that lineup will be the one we’ll stick with, but it was a good time.”

Lawrence High senior Melissa Farve, left, hugs teammate Ellie Lloyd after Farve swam the 500 freestyle during the Lions' Senior Day. Farve had not competed in the event before Thursday's quadrangular at LHS.

Things weren’t so carefree for Free State on Thursday.

A disqualification by the Firebirds’ 200 medley relay team upset coach Jama Crady and hurt Free State’s chance to win the quadrangular.

“I don’t know what to say,” Crady said. “But if this stuff was going to happen, I’d rather it happen now and not at the really important time of the season.”

Divers Ellie Lloyd, left, a Lawrence High senior, and Cambry McNabb, a Free State High junior, chat during a quadrangular swim meet. The schools competed Thursday at LHS.