Garrett Trebilcock

Canfield's Garrett Trebilcock

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After battling bronchitis for several weeks and turning in less-than-stellar times at the sectional and district meets, Canfield junior Garrett Trebilcock could be forgiven for wondering whether his chance at state glory had slipped away.

But after a pep talk from his coach, and a healthy week of practice in the days leading up to the state meet, Trebilcock stepped behind the starting block for the 200-yard individual medley final in late February with an opportunity to put his frustration behind him.

The first half of the race went well — Trebilcock is strong at the butterfly and the backstroke — and he held steady with his weakest stroke, the breaststroke.

“When I started seeing cameras flashing in my face, I knew, ‘Oh yeah, I’m out front,’” he said. “I hit the wall for the freestyle and kind of sneaked a peek to my left. I didn’t see anybody, so I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, I got this thing.’ ”

He touched the wall in 1:53.18 — a state record in Division II, the first year for the division in Ohio — to finish two seconds faster than his closest challenger. It was the first individual state title in school history.

“I gave a little fist pump,” he said. “It was good.”

Trebilcock also finished ninth in the 100 butterfly and helped the Cardinals place third in the 200 freestyle relay and fourth in the 200 medley relay. It was a fine finish to a terrific season for Trebilcock, who also earned athlete of the year honors at the Northeast Aquatic Conference in January.

Trebilcock started swimming when he was 4 — when asked when he started taking it seriously, he smiled and said, “When I started winning” — and trains year-round.

He’s well-known for his work ethic, going so far as to call area fitness centers for pool access when snow cancels practice during the winter.

He trains with Penguin Swimming much of the year and recently resumed work with Coach Greg McAtee.

“Hopefully Greg will kick my butt,” said Trebilcock, who hopes to continue swimming in college. “We’ll see what happens next year.

“Hopefully, I can come home with two.”