FORT COLLINS • Air Academy swimmers Jacob Mueller and Jeff Allen were excited to make it to the top. Even if that meant being on the bottom.

Both seniors met the Class 5A state qualifying time requirements in their individual events for the first time. Their reward? Last-place seeds at the state meet, which started Friday at Edora Pool Ice Center.

“It’s not a big deal that I’m seeded last,” Allen said. “I’m here more for fun.”

“It’s awesome to be here, it’s awesome to swim,” said Mueller, who competes for the Kadets because The Classical Academy does not field a swim team. “And the other thing is you can only go up.”

The experience proved to be a short one, as neither swimmer advanced past the prelims. Still, it’s easy to understand the happy-to-be-there mentality for the pair who have swam against and with each other for about 13 years and didn’t expect to make the state cuts in their individual events.

“I was really excited,” said Allen, whose 1:06.00 at a dual meet last Tuesday against Pine Creek was right at the cut in the 100-yard breaststroke. “I had the best race of my life.”

Mueller swam a 57.77 in the 100 butterfly preliminaries of last weekend’s Metro League Championships to slide in under the 57.80 requirement.

“Jeff dropped like 2.5 seconds to get his qualifying time and I dropped like 1.5 to get mine,” Mueller said. “… He barely made it and I barely made it. So it was kind of cool to do that our senior year.”

Mueller’s time of 59.67 seconds in the butterfly prelims Friday wasn’t enough to move him out of 45th. Mueller also swam the opening leg of the 400 freestyle relay — anchored by Allen — to help the Kadets move up from last place (35th) to 24th in the final race of his high school career.

“It’s not my best meet, but it’s a blast just to be here,” Mueller said. “This is like the reward for the years and work we put in.”

The duo also swam in the 200 medley relay, which was disqualified because of a false start, and the 200 freestyle relay that finished 26th.

Allen jumped up three places to 39th in the breaststroke, finishing in 1:05.85.

“He won’t be top 16, but he’s not dead-last,” Kadets coach Scott Newell said. “And that’s something too.”

TCA’s Ben Hinckfoot Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS