Claire Cox, Leah Guess lead Marlington girls swim team's surge back to OHSAA state meet

CLEVELAND − The Marlington Dukes return to their water wonderland after using Friday's OHSAA Division II district girls swim meet in Cleveland to get back to Canton.

The Dukes' 2022 state meet at Branin Natatorium was magical.

"It was my favorite meet of my swimming career so far," said senior Claire Cox. "It was high energy. Everybody was going fast. I love the people I was there with.

"Every time I think about that meet, it makes me happy."

In the 2022 state finals, Cox placed third in both the 100-yard freestyle (52.10 seconds) and the 100 breaststroke (1:03.38).

In advancing through Friday's loaded districts at Busbey Natatorium, she swam the 100 free in 52.32 and the 100 breaststroke in 1:04.81. She didn't win the events but was in the top three getting automatic state berths. The aim is to hit her best times at state, as she did last year.

Teammate Leah Guess swam Friday's third-fastest times in both the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke.

The Dukes were fourth in Friday's medley relay with the lineup of the Cox sisters, Claire and Caitlin, Guess and Megan Montgomery. That quartet walked off with another fourth place, in the 400 free relay.

Caitlin Cox came in sixth in the 500 freestyle and 10th in the 200 free.

In the boys district meet, Alliance sophomore Ben Craig placed fifth in the backstroke and a ninth in the 100 free.

Marlington entered the season with a late head coaching change after Jake Rehfus took a job in Indiana. Claire Cox led the charge to talk Sheri Guess, Leah's mom, into applying for the job.

"She has a bunch of experience," Cox said. "We've all responded to her. We've done a lot of team bonding."

Another big change was offseason club team. Key Dukes switched to Akron Firestone Swim Team, better known by its acronym, FAST.

"It's a 50-minute trip to Akron, but it hasn't been bad," Cox said. "Sometimes Leah will drive. Sometimes I will. The team was very welcoming and helpful toward our high school season."

Cox chose the Akron Zips as her college swim team.

"Akron felt most like home," she said. "I visited Buffalo and Oakland (Michigan). I wanted to be close to my mom and my sister."

She was right there beside her sister and her Marlington teammates all day Friday in Cleveland. Next stop: Canton.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Marlington girls swimmers return to OHSAA state meet