After starting the Class 4A state meet with a state record in the preliminaries, the girls on the Rock Canyon swim team know it's safe to say they are off to a good start.

In the first event of prelims Friday at the Edora Pool Ice Center, the Jaguars from Highlands Ranch set a classification record in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1 minute, 48.98 seconds. The time broke the 4A record of 1:50.10 set by Mullen in 2005.

"We are pretty excited with how (Friday) went and we are feeling pretty confident," Rock Canyon junior Kirsten Milberg said. "Breaking a state record in the 200 medley relay was definitely a surprise, I think. We knew it was a possibility, but we didn't expect to go that fast that early, I think. And we were just swimming to make the finals, so I think we can go even faster."

Milberg, who was a part of the 200 medley relay, qualified for the championships in the 200 freestyle and also had the fastest time in the 100 backstroke (58.34), and was a part of the Jaguars' 400 freestyle team that posted the fastest time in the prelims (3:38.90).

The finals are scheduled for 3:30 p.m. today.

After the prelims, Milberg said her Rock Canyon team should give defending champion Ralston Valley a good run for the state team title.

"This whole season has kind of been about Ralston Valley, and so I think they are a little nervous for us this year," Milberg said. "I think it's really going to be a close race between us and Ralston Valley. It's going to be interesting to see how it plays out."

Londyn Clawson and Jehan Atoe were also with Milberg on the record-setting team in the 200 medley, along with junior Taylor Curado, the defending champion in the 100 butterfly.

"We were so excited, our adrenaline was pumping; it was awesome," Curado said. "We didn't plan on breaking it in prelims, but we were kind of gunning for it. We wanted to see how close we could get to it in prelims to set us up for a good finals."

Curado had an impressive individual performance, with the fastest time in the 100 butterfly (57.35) and the final qualifying spot in the 50 freestyle.

"Confidence will always be there when you're seeded first," Curado said. "When you're doing great things in prelims, that's awesome, but that means you have to show up and you have to be ready to go and improve on how you did the day before."

Even though Rock Canyon had faster times in the 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relays, Ralston Valley shouldn't be counted out. Behind juniors Arianne Lujan and Katie Johnson, the Mustangs are loaded with enough talent to repeat.

Lujan had the fastest qualifying time in the 200 individual medley (2:10.46), an event she won last year, and Johnson was close behind (2:11.68.) Lujan had the second-best time in the 100 butterfly behind Curado.

CLASS 4A STATE PRELIMINARIES

Top eight qualify for state finals

200-yard medley relay: 1, Rock Canyon (Kirsten Milberg, Londyn Clawson, Jehan Atoe, Taylor Curado), 1 minute, 48.98 seconds (new Class 4A record). 2. Ralston Valley, 1:50.44; 3. Estes Park, 1:52.00; 4. Montrose, 1:55.01; 5. Windsor, 1:56.07; 6. Niwot, 1:56.31; 7. Broomfield, 1:57.59; 8. Thompson Valley, 1:57.88.

200 freestyle: 1. Shannon Garlie, Fossil Ridge, 1:56.50; 2. Caroline Shea, Mullen, 1:56.90; 3 (tie). Paige Fischer, Ralston Valley, and Summer Cook, Mountain Range, 1:57.32; 5. Milberg, Rock Canyon, 1:57.82; 6. Jessica Holley, Rock Canyon, 1:58.09; 7. Madeleine Smith, D'Evelyn, 1:59.58; 8. Kirsten Queen, Windsor, 2:00.52.

200 individual medley: 1. Arianne Lujan, Ralston Valley, 2:10.46; 2. Katie Johnson, Ralston Valley, 2:11.68; 3. Emily Stucky, Montrose, 2:12.45; 4. Kia Dobie, Broomfield, 2:12.87; 5. Lizzie Bergquist, Thompson Valley, 2:13.17; 6. Jessy Badaracco, Platte Canyon, 2:14.84; 7. Brianna Willoughby, Fountain- Fort Carson, 2:15.16; 8. Kellyn Craig, Denver South, 2:15.92.

50 freestyle: 1. Kelsey Conci, Moffat County, 24.59; 2. Kenzie Hewson, Estes Park, 24.74; 3. Tesse Maciejko, Gunnison, 25.02; 4. Jullie Simmons, Mullen, 25.35; 5. Sierra Grove, Glenwood Springs, 25.37; 6. Kim Schemahorn, La Junta, 25.42; 7. Lindsay Banning, Silver Creek, 25.45; 8. Curado, Rock Canyon, 25.63.

100 butterfly: 1. Curado, Rock Canyon, 57.35; 2. Lujan, Ralston Valley, 59.17; 3. Rachel Snyder, Ralston Valley, 1:00.06; 4. Stucky, Montrose, 1:00.67; 5. Madison Krall, Pueblo Centennial, 1:00.63; 6. Badaracco, Platte Canyon, 1:00.99; 7. Dobie, Broomfield, 1:01.12; 8. Shelby Remillard, Cheyenne Mountain, 1:01.21.

100 freestyle: 1. Kenzie Hewson, Estes Park, 53.68; 2. Maciejko, Gunnison, 53.79; 3. Holley, Rock Canyon, 54.36; 4. Atoe, Rock Canyon, 54.40; 5. Shea, Mullen, 54.46; 6. Jordan Quick, Ralston Valley, 55.20; 7. Grove, Glenwood Springs, 55.32; 8. Schemahorn, La Junta, 55.64.

500 freestyle: 1. Cook, Mountain Range, 5:12.69; 2. Garlie, Fossil Ridge, 5:13.15; 3. Ruthie Pappas, Ralston Valley, 5:17.18; 4. Krall, Pueblo Centennial, 5:17.67; 5. Johnson, Ralston Valley, 5:18.00; 6. Fischer, Ralston Valley, 5:18.12; 7. Queen, Windsor, 5:20.71; 8. Smith. D'Evelyn, 5:24.11.

200 freestyle relay: 1. Estes Park, 1:41.48; 2. Rock Canyon, 1:42.89; 3. Mullen, 1:43.12; 4. D'Evelyn, 1:44.04; 5. Ralston Valley, 1:44.09; 6. Niwot, 1:44.33; 7. Thompson Valley, 1:45.03; 8. Pueblo Centennial, 1:45.19.

100 backstroke: 1. Milberg, Rock Canyon, 58.34; 2. Conci, Moffat County, 59.26; 3. Quick, Ralston Valley, 59.82; 4. Atoe, Rock Canyon, 59.98; 5. Bergquist, Thompson Valley, 1:01.29; 6. Mackenzie Norlin, Windsor, 1:01.56; 7. Willoughby, Fountain-Fort Carson, 1:01.81; 8. Karoline Fry, Delta, 1:01.83.

100 breaststroke: 1. Lauren Hewson, Estes Park, 1:05.97; 2. Clawson, Rock Canyon, 1:08.24; 3. Danielle Gleason, La Junta, 1:08.96; 4. Melissa Phelps, Cherokee Trail, 1:09.09; 5. Craig, Denver South, 1:09.13; 6. Katie Wedel, Pueblo South, 1:09.23; 7. Angie Wolfrum, Skyline, 1:09.55; 8. Allison Scott, Windsor, 1:09.76.

400 freestyle relay: 1. Rock Canyon, 3:38.90; 2. Ralston Valley, 3:41.07; 3. Mullen, 3:45.08; 4. Thompson Valley, 3:45.65; 5. La Junta, 3:45.85; 6. Estes Park, 3:46.28; 7. Montrose, 3:47.27; 8. D'Evelyn, 3:49.59.