Members of the Free State swimming and diving team join hands and leap into the pool after it was announced the Firebirds placed first in 2015 Girls Sunflower League Swimming and Diving Championships Saturday afternoon in Olathe.

For the past two years, Free State High’s girls swimmers finished second in the Sunflower League Championship, and they weren’t satisfied. They spent all season training and planning to make their move to the top.

The Firebirds made their dreams come true Saturday, winning their first league title in school history at Chisholm Trail Junior High. They beat runner-up Shawnee Mission East, 368-334, ending a 10-year win streak by the Lancers.

The Firebirds, who have won all of their meets this season, celebrated by holding hands and jumping into the pool when they were announced as winners, then singing the school’s fight song.

“We were just so excited and really proud,” junior Cierra Campbell said. “Our hard work paid off. … I’ve been training year-round, and I know people who just swim high school have been training hard the past few weeks and putting in an extra one percent every day to make it better.”

The Firebirds won nine of the 12 events, with two league titles apiece from senior Courtney Caldwell and freshman Alvena Walpole, and wins in all three relays. Campbell also won in the 200 freestyle, and junior Sydney Sirimongkhon-Dyck added a victory in the 50 freestyle.

They set the tone by winning the first four races, including the 200 medley relay. They had lost twice to SM East in that relay this season. But the team of Caldwell, Walpole, Sirimongkhon-Dyck and freshman Ava Cormaney outreached the Lancers by 0.17 seconds for a league record (1:47.66), breaking the old mark set in 2009 by Olathe Northwest.

The Firebirds also broke their own league records in the 200 freestyle relay (1:37.92) with Sirimongkhon-Dyck, Cierra Campbell, senior Eliza Anderson and freshman Claire Campbell, and in the 400 freestyle relay (3:34.15) with Cierra Campbell, Claire Campbell, Walpole and Caldwell.

“I am so impressed with their performance and their ability to step it up, even in the second day,” FSHS coach Annette McDonald said. “They raced really well and kept it right there. All I can say is, I’m really proud.”

Caldwell won in the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke, one day after setting league records in each event’s prelim. When she wasn’t racing, the ultra-competitive North Carolina State signee was cheering on her teammates from the pool deck or holding the lap-counter card for Cierra Campbell in the 500 freestyle.

“I swim club, and I swim high school,” Caldwell said. “I think I’m 1,000 times better when I’m swimming for a team just because it holds me accountable, and it’s way more rewarding to win with your team than win by yourself.”

Caldwell, a 14-time league champion who owns league records in seven of the 11 swimming events, didn’t know Free State had secured its victory until the team scores were announced before the final race.

“Yesterday we scored it out from prelims, and it was 300-300 after the breaststrokes,” she said. “So we were like, ‘Ugh, this is going to be terrible. Tomorrow is going to be super stressful.’ But, you know, everyone swam really well. We all stepped up. So many girls dropped time.”

Lawrence High’s girls swimming team finished fourth with 111 points, highlighted by sophomore Mary Reed-Weston’s league title in the 100 breaststroke.

“I wasn’t expecting that so it was a nice surprise,” said Reed-Weston, who also took fourth in the individual medley.

The Lions finished in the top five with all of their relays and had freshman Morgan Traughber take seventh in the individual medley and fifth in the 100 backstroke. Sophomore Brittany Archer also took 10th in the 500 freestyle.

“I’m really proud of them,” LHS coach Kent McDonald said. “That was our goal. We knew the top three teams were up there ahead of us. … We were in there right where we wanted to be. All we had to do today was just hold it, and we essentially did.”

Team scores: Free State 368, Shawnee Mission East 334, Olathe Northwest 177, Lawrence High 111, Shawnee Mission Northwest 100, Olathe East 81, Shawnee Mission West 71, Shawnee Mission South 46, Olathe South 45, Shawnee Mission North 42, Olathe North 14, Leavenworth 6.

League champions/city results

200 medley relay — 1. Courtney Caldwell, Ava Cormaney, Alvena Walpole, Sydney Sirimongkhon-Dyck, FS, 1:47.66; 4. Hannah Lee, Mary Reed-Weston, Morgan Traughber, Nicole Oblon, LHS, 1:58.34.

200 freestyle — 1. Cierra Campbell, FS, 1:53.47; 3. Eliza Anderson, FS, 1:58.84; 8. Carter Stacey, FS, 2:03.33.

200 individual medley — 1. Alvena Walpole, FS, 2:09.53; 4. Mary Reed-Weston, LHS, 2:14.59; 7. Morgan Traughber, LHS, 2:16.13; 8. Anna McCurdy, FS, 2:19.81; 11. Lydia Zicker, FS, 2:21.88.

50 freestyle — 1. Sydney Sirimongkhon-Dyck, FS, 24.50; 3. Claire Campbell, FS, 24.74; 7. Alexa Malik, 25.56; 9. Simone Herlihy, FS, 25.99.

One-meter diving — 1. Katie Geracie, SMW, 374.55; 2. Haley Johnson, FS, 362.75.

100 butterfly — 1. Alvena Walpole, FS, 57.82; 6. Piper Rogers, FS, 1:02.28; 7. Sydney Sirimongkhon-Dyck, FS, 1:01.68; 12. Lydia Zicker, FS, 1:04.52.

100 freestyle — 1. Courtney Caldwell, FS, 50.89; 2. Claire Campbell, FS, 53.65; 6. Alexa Malik, FS, 55.68.

500 freestyle — 1. Crissie Blomquist, SME, 5:02.95; 2. Cierra Campbell, FS, 5:03.54; 4. Ava Cormaney, 5:24.35; 6. Anna McCurdy, FS, 5:32.34; 8. Carter Stacey, FS, 5:27.45; 10. Brittany Archer, LHS, 5:42.07.

200 freestyle relay — 1. Eliza Anderson, Claire Campbell, Sydney Sirimongkhon-Dyck, Cierra Campbell, FS, 1:37.92; 5. Nicole Oblon, Alex Ginsberg, Brittany Archer, Hannah Lee, LHS, 1:49.20.

100 backstroke — 1. Courtney Caldwell, FS, 55.96; 3. Eliza Anderson, FS, 59.85; 5. Morgan Traughber, LHS, 1:01.26; 9. Janet Stefanov, FS, 1:03.20.

100 breaststroke — 1. Mary Reed-Weston, LHS, 1:08.73; 5. Ava Cormaney, FS, 1:10.37; 7. Kara Krannawitter, FS, 1:13.30; 8. Kat LeFever, FS, 1:14.01; 12. Courtney Cruickshank, FS, 1:16.57.

400 freestyle relay — 1. Cierra Campbell, Claire Campbell, Alvena Walpole, Courtney Caldwell, FS, 3:34.15; 4. Morgan Traughber, Nicole Oblon, Hannah Lee, Mary Reed-Weston, LHS, 3:49.88.