Firebirds, Lions hope for fast finishes at Sunflower League swim meet

Free State swimmer Ben Sloan cuts through the water as he competes in the 200-yard individual medley event of the Free State Invitational on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013.

Leavenworth High won’t exactly be at home as it plays host to the 2013 Sunflower League boys swimming championships. The Pioneers might need some help from Free State’s boys swimming team to find their way around the venue.

Prelims, which begin at 5 p.m. today, and Saturday’s finals all will be contested at Lawrence Indoor Aquatic Center, which doubles as the Firebirds’ on-campus home pool. FSHS swimming coach Annette McDonald said Leavenworth doesn’t have the facilities necessary for the league championships, so when it became the Pioneers’ turn to host, they decided to do so at LIAC (with Free State’s assistance), more than 40 miles away from their campus.

Known for having the “fastest pool in the league,” as McDonald calls it, FSHS also boasts some of the Sunflower League’s top swimmers. Firebirds are seeded No. 1 in six of the 12 events, and are in the top three in four others.

Free State’s 200 medley relay team of Connor Munk, Josh Terrell, Ben Sloan and Hunter Robinson enter the championships with the top time of 1:40.06. Canaan Campbell is seeded No. 1 in not only the 200 free, with a season-best 1:46.04, but also the 500 free (4:48.12). Sloan owns the top seed in both the 200 IM (1:57.14) and 100 fly (51.25). Terrell has the No. 1 slot in the 100 breast (1:01.43).

In the 100 free, Munk is seeded No. 2, behind Shawnee Mission East’s Zack Holbrook. Munk also has a No. 2 seed in the 100 back, in which Troy DeMoss of SME enters as the favorite.

As in those races, only SME (3:18.96) has a better time that Free State (3:19.64) in the 400 free relay. Sloan, Jack Ziegler, Munk and Campbell are slated to swim for the Firebirds in the final relay.

No. 3 seeds for FSHS are Terrell in the 200 IM and the 200 free relay team of Ziegler, Nolan Stoppel, Robinson and Campbell.

Lawrence High’s top contenders to advance to the Sunflower League finals include Caleb Axlund (No. 11 in 100 back), Nathan Evers (No. 11 in 100 fly) and Adam Edmonds (No. 12 in 50 free).

The city’s top divers, which will begin prelims Saturday at 8:30 a.m., are Free State’s Dan Krieger and Lawrence’s Matthew Day.

Swimming and diving finals will begin at 12:30 Saturday afternoon.