Olathe ? The table has been set. Now, who’s hungry?

That’s the question going into today’s finals of the girls Sunflower League swimming and diving meet at Prairie Trail Junior High.

Both Free State High and Lawrence High qualified who they thought they would qualify with few surprises. The Firebirds will be represented by seven swimmers in today’s individual events, the Lions by five.

Only two other schools will suit up more swimmers today than Free State. Shawnee Mission East will have 15 after earning the top seed in six of the 11 swimming events. Olathe East will have a second-best nine swimmers.

“We’re all pretty pumped up,” FSHS junior Ashley Robinson said. “I don’t think we had any expectations. We just were going to see what happens, and we did pretty good.”

Robinson turned in a standard performance with two top qualifying times in the 100-yard butterfly and the 500-yard freestyle races. Her teammate, Ashley Jackson, posted a second-best qualifying time in the 500 free (behind Robinson) as well as in the 200-yard freestyle, finishing behind Lawrence Aquahawk Jill Courtney of Olathe North.

“I think we have pushed really well,” Jackson said. “Most of us made it into the finals.”

Jackson predicts her team will finish in the top three today, which would be just fine with Free State coach Jama Crady.

“There wasn’t anything horrible about the meet, but there wasn’t anything phenomenal, either,” said Crady, who said her team was sticking to the steadfast rule of not exerting all its energy before the state finals in Topeka in two weeks.

“You want to save it for state,” she said, “so we’re swimming where I hoped we’d be.”

The biggest thrill for LHS coach Ryan Adams came in the 100-yard breaststroke when Emma Mercer, a relatively inexperienced sophomore, sneaked into the finals with a No. 12 seed.

“Overall we were solid. We had quite a few best times,” Adams said. “I tell the girls, ‘Tomorrow is icing on the cake. You worked hard today.’ Emma Mercer is a great example of that. That was the hard part.”

Compared to the Lawrence Indoor Aquatic Center or even Knox Natatorium at Lawrence High, the pool at Prairie Trail is a pond. It runs about the length of a basketball court — and apparently, that’s just fine with the swimmers.

“There’s more attention focused on the meet in a small pool,” Robinson said. “When people do good, you get more recognition.”

Added Jackson of the small facility: “It adds to it. It makes it louder. It makes you focus on one pool. … When you need to go, it makes you go fast.”

And it puts all eyes on the swimmers, especially during finals, right?

Jackson giggled slightly.

“Exactly.”

Today’s events will start with the diving preliminaries at 9 a.m. The swimming and diving finals are slated to begin at 1 p.m.