Grace Perry remembers the moment she began to separate from her peers in the pool.

As a 9-year-old competing at a swim meet in Texas, Perry was given an outside lane in the 50 butterfly. Inside lanes, usually three through six, are reserved for those with faster times.

However, as the 50 fly commenced, Perry immediately pulled away. Then Perry’s lead ballooned and, as she completed the event, she was well ahead of the other 9-year-olds at the event.

“It was unexpected,” Perry said. “That was the first time I realized that I had more potential than I thought.”

Unfortunately for Perry’s competition, that gap hasn’t shrunk, especially not during her prep career. The Lewis-Palmer star crushed her competition during the 4A state swimming and diving meet in February, scored 48 points for the Rangers and collected first-place medals in the 200 freestyle, 200 free relay and 100 fly.

And Perry’s spectacle in the 100 fly not only surprised her, but it set a 4A state record. Perry clocked in at 53.89 seconds.

“I definitely did not expect what I did at state. I was 100 percent surprised by that,” Perry said. “I think I knew I could do it, but I hadn’t acknowledged it yet. To be able to do what I did, I was happy with that.”

Perry’s nearest competitor at Veterans Memorial Aquatics Center in Thornton, teammate Riley Vick, was more than six seconds behind Perry’s pace in the fly. Vick finished in 1:00.20.

“Grace is one of those swimmers where it doesn’t look like she’s swimming that hard and she makes it look so easy,” Lewis-Palmer coach Molly Switzer said. “I saw the split and I could not believe that was her time. Sometimes you’ll see girls who struggle but still have a good final time. But she made that look easy. It was cool because (Riley) finished second and it was cool to see them go one-two.”

Perry credited her coaches and teammates for her success this season along with her sisters, who swam and helped hone her talents. The Rangers sophomore grew up in Houston with a family of swimmers with sisters Megan and Abigail.

Perry, who is the baby of the bunch, said, “We’re a very competitive family” and noted how each race with or against her sisters resulted in swifter times. Switzer recognized that last year in her first season as Rangers coach. In 2025, Perry had one season with Abigail, who’s now a swimmer at Ohio State. The sisters constantly challenged each other and did so at Abigail’s final state meet.

“They both wanted to swim the 200 free last year and I told them that was fine,” Switzer said. “They said they were going to go one-two and I’m like, ‘OK, do it, girls.’ It was like, they were going to work together to meet those goals and they had an amazing race together.”

Abigail won the event at 1:51.10 and collected one of her four first-place medals – two individual and two relays – while Perry finished second at 1:51.52. Both times marked the sisters’ fastest 200 freestyles of the year.

“They were fun to have on the team,” Switzer said. “They were competitive against each other, but in a positive way. They would cheer each other on and always supported their teammates. Abby had a big personality and Grace is a little more quiet and reserved.”

Perry applied some of Abigail’s traits to start her sophomore season when a sprained left ankle sidelined Perry until January. Switzer said Perry maintained a prominent role with the Rangers.

“She would show up like she was out there swimming, she was just dressed in shorts and not in her swimsuit,” Switzer said. “She would show up and support everyone. That speaks volumes because it would have been easy for her to say, ‘I’m hurt so I’m not going.’ But she was there and would hang out and she was always there for everybody.

“I want these kids to know that no matter who you are, everyone is important on the team. Whether you’re swimming in an event or not, we have to support each other. I want them to have life skills that will take them further than swimming or diving will ever take them.”

Perry said she knows she can improve. Although she has the 4A 100 fly record, she fell 1.72 seconds shy of the state mark set by former Fossil Ridge swimmer Coleen Gillilan on Feb. 9, 2018. And the sophomore said, along with her teammates, marks like Gillilan’s serve as motivation.

During the Boise Spring Sectionals on March 12-15 at Idaho Central Aquatic Center, Perry collected a swath of first-place medals and swam a 53.31 to win the 100 fly.

“Getting exposure to other athletes from other areas is important,” Perry said. “You get to meet other people and get to improve times. My coaches, teammates and family all help me keep going. All of that combined has been critical to where I am now as a swimmer.”