Generals rule own pool with sweep at OCC meet
The Wooster High girls swim team captured first at the Jan. 15 Ohio Cardinal Conference meet, held in the Generals’ home pool. It was the girls team’s fourth-consecutive conference title.
Every Wooster High School swimmer or diver knows they’ll ultimately be remembered by how they perform at the state meet.
However, the most fun they have is usually at the Ohio Cardinal Conference Championship.
“There’s nothing you look forward to more coming into your senior year than the OCC meet,” senior Aiden Strand-Fox said after the host Generals boys and girls teams claimed championships on Jan. 15 at Ellen Shapiro Natatorium. “All you want is that title.
“That’s what we strive for. State is always the end goal, but you want to take care of the conference first. We know the legacy everyone in the past has left, and it feels good to continue that.”
It was the first time the Generals swept the OCC since 2020.
The Wooster boys racked up 500 points to edge Lexington (450) in the seven-team field. The Generals won the first 14 OCC boys titles, but the Minutemen had taken three of the last four.
Wooster’s girls finished with a huge 527-383 edge over runner-up Ashland. The Generals girls won their fourth-straight OCC title, giving them 15-of-19 championships.
Wooster’s Gracie Chelf was named OCC Swimmer of the Year while Chris Matthew was voted as Girls Coach of the Year.
Brooke Balas earned OCC Diver of the Year after scoring 485.55 points on 11 dives to break a 47-year-old school record and the pool best.
“It was a total team effort,” Matthew said. “We just really prepared for it. There is some strategy, breaking it up to see who’s gonna place where, but both teams swam great. We had lots of personal bests, and I think this sets us up to do a lot of great things the rest of the season.”
Any talk of the Wooster swim team has to start with the Chelf sisters: seniors Gracie and Emma, along with junior Gretchen. They combined for five individual first-place finishes, and each helped two winning relay teams.
Gracie Chelf will graduate with five OCC records including the 200-yard freestyle mark of 1:56.82 that she set on Saturday. It broke the record previously held by Orrville’s Madison Monheim (1:58.80, 2012). She also won the 100 backstroke (58.74) and swam on the 200 free and 400 free relay teams.
“Gracie is ready for February,” Matthew said. “This is her senior year. The next four weeks are what she’s been training for the last four years.”
Emma Chelf won the 500 free (5:40.41), was fourth in the 200 individual medley, and helped the 200 medley and 400 free relays to wins.
Gretchen Chelf took gold in the 100 free (54.77) and 200 IM (2:16.68) and teamed up with the 200 and 400 free relays to go home with four first-place medals.
“Without the Chelfs, seriously?” Matthew said. “I’m very sad that two of them will be graduating, but Gretchen is a great swimmer who will be back. For Gracie to leave with five OCC records is amazing, and Emma has really come a long way. They’re such a great family.”
Emma Chelf swam her second fastest time in the 500 free.
“We’re all working super hard, and we know what we have to do to perform our best in February,” Emma Chelf said. “We all give each other a lot of support. I love the camaraderie on this team.”
Senior Olivia Frantz stepped up with firsts in the 50 free (25.99), 200 medley and free relays and a third in the 100 free.
Junior Lillian Green was second in the 50 fly and third in the 100 fly, freshman Miley Green was fourth in the 50 free, and they were both on a pair of winning relays.
Also making key contributions were freshman Margaret McBride (second 500 free), junior Sophia Baxstrom (fourths 200 free and 100 back), freshman Colleen Frantz (third diving) and junior Isabella Sarzosa (fourth 500 IM).
Wooster’s boys took firsts in the 200 and 400 free relays, with sophomore Andrei Dordea and seniors John Sibilia, Aiden Strand-Fox and Andrew Glasgow teaming up.
“The boys team has a family culture like no other,” Matthew said. “(Former boys coach) Jeff DeHaan started it, and it’s still here. They love everybody on the team and cheer for everybody. The three seniors (Sibilia, Glasgow, Strand-Fox) are outstanding athletes who also excel in other sports.”
Glasgow added a second in the 200 IM and third in the 100 fly.
“We’re looking strong,” Glasgow said. “We’ve got a lot of super-fast 50 swimmers again, so it’s looking good for us in the 200 free relay, and we hope to be state-bound.”
Strand-Fox swam to seconds in the 50 and 100 free races. Like his since-graduated brother Tyler Strand-Fox, Aiden didn’t start swimming competitively until his freshman year.
“My brother loved being on the swim team here, and I thought I wanted to try it too,” Aiden Strand-Fox said. “My advice to anyone who’s thinking about it is to go out for the swim team. It’s a lot of fun.”
Dordea starred with a first in the 500 free (5:01.05), third in the 200 free and helping two first-place relay teams.
Other top contributors for Wooster included freshman Michael Buchholz (second 100 back and thirds in 200 IM and 200 medley relay), junior Courson Kauffman (third 100 free, third 200 medley relay and fourth 50 free), sophomore Cole Walenciak (third 500 free and fourth 200 free) and Owen McConnell (second diving).