FORT COLLINS • Lewis-Palmer’s Alex Claude is out for redemption. And she didn’t waste any time finding it Friday at the Class 5A state swimming and diving meet.

Claude swam the opening backstroke leg of the Rangers’ 200-yard medley relay — the first event of the day — that finished fifth in preliminaries, good enough to advance to today’s finals at Edora Pool Ice Center.

“We were shocked,” Claude said. “It was so exciting. Afterwards I was jumping around and screaming ’cause it’s my senior year and we made it and it’s just exciting.”

In 2008, the last time the Rangers were in 5A, Claude was a freshman with a case of the flu.“I was seeded pretty well in my (100) backstroke freshman year and then I got dead last,” Claude said. “And that just kind of got me down. Then when I found out we were coming back to 5A, I was like alright, I’m taking all my vitamins, I’m coming back. It’s been good so far.”

This time Claude swam her way into the backstroke consolation finals, finishing 15th. She also swam the third leg of the Rangers’ 400 freestyle relay that qualified 13th.

“I’m really excited to see what tomorrow’s gonna bring,” said Claude, who plans to swim at the Air Force Academy next year.

Doherty seniors Maggie Morris and Emily Gradisar — the only other seniors from the Pikes Peak area to qualify in individual events — didn’t advance to the finals but they aren’t done swimming yet. Morris will walk on at Northern Colorado and Gradisar heads to Division-III Southwestern College in Texas.

Morris trimmed .06 of a second off her time but finished 23rd in a loaded 50 freestyle field.

“It’s still really cool that I got a chance to race some of these girls that are so amazingly fast,” said Morris, who also finished out of contention in the 100 breaststroke. “It’s definitely an honor to get here.”

Gradisar, who will swim at Division-III Southwestern College in Texas, said there was nothing bittersweet about finishing 29th in the 200 free, her first individual event at state.

“I’ve been having a really great meet and an awesome season,” said Gradisar, who was pleasantly surprised at being named the 5A Metro League Swimmer of the Year last week. “This is just the start for me.”

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5A area finalists

The top 16 in each event advance to Day 2. Nos. 9-16 swim in the consolation finals. The top eight swim in the finals.

200-yard medley relay: Lewis-Palmer (sixth)200 freestyle: Lucile Chevalier, Rampart (13th)50 free: Karin Roh, Lewis-Palmer (14th)100 free: Roh (fifth); Chevalier (11th)200 free relay: Lewis-Palmer (10th); Rampart (15th)100 backstroke: Sarah James, Doherty (fifth); Alex Claude, Lewis-Palmer (15th)100 breast: Laura Day, Lewis-Palmer (second)400 free relay: Lewis-Palmer (13th)

Note: Lewis-Palmer’s Chandler Marshall and Palmer’s Amanda Jennings will compete in today’s diving preliminaries starting at 9 a.m. The finals for all events start at 2 p.m.

Pine Creek freshman Madison Cooper competes during her 200-yard freestyle prelim Friday. Photo by THE DENVER POST