Before Thursday night’s boys 100-yard free, Julian Spangler lost count of which heat was up next. Considering his third heat was up in a matter of seconds, it wasn’t exactly ideal that Spangler was still in his warm-ups.

“My mom yelled at me, so I jumped up on the blocks and went,” Spangler said. “I really wasn’t thinking. It was a rushed start.”

Get this – Spangler still broke his personal-best time in the event, with a time of 54.44 seconds. The time was good enough to win the event. His previous best was 55.30 seconds.

Free State gained all the momentum in the Lawrence Indoor Aquatic Center. As a team, the Firebirds scored 482 points, good enough to hold off Shawnee Mission South’s 420 points for first place. Lawrence High finished third with 272 points.

The Boys 200-yard free relay was arguably the most exciting event of the night for the Firebirds. The combination of Spangler, senior Drew Schelar, junior Kendall Harris and junior Danny Wolff automatically qualified for state with its winning time of 1 minute, 37.23 seconds.

“They have been so close so many times,” Free State coach Annette McDonald said about qualifying for state. “They’ve worked really hard on starts, turns and streamlines.”

Automatically qualifying for state didn’t happen overnight for the foursome, either. McDonald increased the swimmers’ practice time this season.

Free State High's Julian McCafferty takes a breath during the 200-yard individual medley. McCafferty placed third in the event Thursday at Free State, and the Firebirds beat out Shawnee Mission South for first place as a team.

“We decided to go a half-hour longer than last year each day,” McDonald said. “It’s just an hour, from 5:45 (a.m.) to 6:45 (a.m.), but it’s getting in some yardage and some quality stroke work. I think them working on technique, strength and speed was a big thing.”

Spangler also won his personal-favorite event, the 100-yard breaststroke, with a time of 1:08.71.

“You’re not supposed to look at people, but it’s the only stroke where you can hear people,” Spangler said. “Because you actually get out, then you can hear them for a second before you go back in to the water. It really helps.”

On the Lawrence High side, the Lions have a lot to be excited about in diver Skyler Criswell.

Before the results of the Boys 1-meter diving competition were posted, Criswell eagerly approached the scorer’s table and asked for a printout. As the first sheet came out of the printer, the scorekeepers didn’t have a chance at claiming it. A smiling Criswell immediately grabbed the sheet off the printer and looked for his name at the top of the list.

“Oh man, only 186.05?” Criswell asked, acting surprised.

Nonetheless, Criswell won the event by 11 points. Criswell has set the bar extremely high for himself – especially when you consider he’s a sophomore.

Lawrence High's Dakota Summers swims in the 200-yard freestyle. The Lions took third at the meet Thursday at Free State High.

“I’m pretty satisfied because this is the highest score I’ve ever gotten on a six-dive meet,” Criswell said. “I was a little disappointed, though, because I was four points away from qualifying for state.”

As for the swimmers, Lawrence High coach Kent McDonald said he was pleased with their efforts, but some were a little rough in stroke. Kent McDonald, a first-year coach, hasn’t had long to prepare the team. The Lions first day of practice was Nov. 13, and he was hired exactly a month before that date.

McDonald said as LHS swimming coach, he’d suggest new ways to improve the program.

“Generally, I’d like to see them practice more in the offseason,” McDonald said. “Then, when they start the season, they’re already on the run and ready to go.”