The Bronco girls swimming and diving team can still win a dual meet in the Falls High School pool, even without starting blocks.

After missing out on hosting two home meets earlier this month because of a new rule in 2011-12 that requires a minimum depth of 4 feet to use starting blocks, and the FHS swimming pool is only 3 1/2 feet deep, all of the swimming events started in water Thursday when the Broncos handily defeated Northeast Range, 116-65.

“It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be (without starting blocks),” said Falls head coach Jill Herzig. “The times, of course, were a couple seconds slower, but for the most part, the girls kind of dug in — went with it — and it was really a fun meet.”

Being that Northeast Range fielded a team with considerably fewer swimmers than the Broncos, Herzig said she had the Falls swimmers compete in a lot of different events than they normally are in, which produced some surprises.

For instance, sophomore Breanna Shofner, who often competes in the 50-yard freestyle and is on freestyle relay teams, edged out senior Ashley Hasbargen for first place in Hasbargen’s specialty event, the 100 breaststroke, and also won the 200 individual medley.

“It was good to experience something new, because I haven’t swam everything yet,” Shofner said.

She said it was “definitely different” not being able to use starting blocks in dual competition, “but it was still fun to have a home meet.”

“I’m just proud of our team, and everyone did really good (Thursday),” Shofner said.

Of the 12 varsity events, the Broncos placed first in nine of them.

Three other individual swimming events besides the 100 breaststroke also featured 1-2 finishes by the Falls.

They included sophomores Blair Johnson and Kari Arnold in the 50 freestyle, junior Abby Oveson and sophomore Courtney Klow in the 100 freestyle and seniors Morgan Bruess and Rachel Adams in the 100 backstroke in first and second, respectively.

Adams also placed first in the 100 butterfly.

The Broncos placed 1-2 in the 200 freestyle and 200 medley relays.

Northeast Range had no divers entered in Thursday’s meet. Falls seventh-grader Tassja Herges won the varsity diving competition with a score of 111.9 over freshmen Clara Wenger (104.35) and Jessica Hell (102.65).

The Broncos will host their final home meet of the season next Thursday at 4:30 p.m. against Mesabi East, which Herzig said “is very evenly matched with us.”

“That meet will be very, very close,” she said.