photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Free State senior Bradie Ward and coach Annette McDonald celebrate after Ward wins the 500-yard freestyle at the Sunflower League girls swimming championship on Saturday, May 6, 2023, at the Shawnee Mission Aquatic Center in Lenexa, Kansas, U.S.A.

Lenexa — The Free State girls swim and dive team got off to a hot start in the postseason by finishing first overall at the annual Sunflower League Championships on Saturday.

Free State, which also won the league meet last year, competed against 12 total schools, including Lawrence High. The Firebirds won eight of the meet’s 12 events this year and shattered two league records.

Free State’s 200-yard freestyle relay team — junior Liza Engelbrecht, senior Halle McCullough, sophomore Jocelyn Wilson and senior Samantha Packard — won their event in 01:37.59 and beat the previous record from 2015, 01:37.92, which also belonged to the Firebirds.

Next, McCullough broke her own league record from 2022 (01:05.00) with a first-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke in 01:04.73. Additionally, McCullough won the 200-yard individual medley and Wilson finished fourth.

“It’s a wonderful feeling,” McCullough said after the meet. “It’s definitely something I’ll remember forever.”

Free State senior Bradie Ward easily won the 500-yard freestyle (05:09.67), finishing 15 seconds ahead of her teammate, junior Molly Nuckolls, who took second. Ward went on to win the 100-yard backstroke (00:56.29) as well, outpacing Shawnee Mission Northwest’s Sofia Ellison by three seconds.

Packard also picked up an individual gold medal, winning the 50-yard freestyle and placing second in the 100-yard freestyle. Engelbrecht finished fourth in the 50-yard freestyle, and Wilson was fourth in the 100-yard freestyle.

Engelbrecht and sophomore Gayla Gao went on to finish second and fourth, respectively, in the 100-yard butterfly. The Firebirds closed the meet in style by winning the 400-yard freestyle relay (03:34.66), beating out Olathe West by 10 seconds.

Saturday’s competition was the final Sunflower League meet for Free State coach, Annette McDonald, who announced her retirement from the swim and dive program on Wednesday. And the swimmers were glad that they were able to make it a special one.

“It just meant a lot that we got to win it again,” Ward said. “Getting it back-to-back is special because I feel like we went out and won for her.”

LHS, which finished 10th overall, also had its share of highlights. First-year coach Elle Weber said she was pleased to be joined by former coach Kent McDonald at Saturday’s meet.

“He’s been at every single home meet helping me set up and answering any questions I have,” Weber said. “He’s been really supportive of the girls and they like having him in that space.”

photo by: Conner Becker/Journal-World

Lawrence High senior Paige Unekis charges through the water during the 500-yard freestyle at the Sunflower League girls swimming championship on Saturday, May 6, 2023, at the Shawnee Mission Aquatic Center in Lenexa, Kansas, U.S.A.

Junior Emily Brandt highlighted the meet for the Chesty Lions with a fifth-place finish in the 1-meter dive. LHS junior Meara Kingery finished 15th in the 1-meter dive, beating out a Free State rival, Maya Huang (16th).

Seniors Paige Unekis and Abi Jones also had strong individual performances for LHS. Unekis placed ninth in the 500-yard freestyle and 13th in the 200-yard freestyle, and Jones finished 14th in the 100-yard backstroke.

The Chesty Lions’ 200-yard freestyle relay team — senior Lulu Myers-Arenth, Brandt, sophomore Ava Kohart and senior Macie McDermott — finished ninth overall. LHS’s 400-yard freestyle relay team — Myers-Arenth, Unekis, Jones and McDermott — closed out the meet in ninth overall, as well.

“For a team full of nontraditional, non-club swimmers, they recognize the difference in someone swimming their entire life versus starting out in high school,” Weber said. “They recognize how far they’ve come in just a couple of months. I think they all felt really proud after today.”

Up next is the state swimming championship, slated for May 18-20 at Topeka-Capitol Federal Natatorium.