Annie Marquiss Takes Swimming Skills and Smarts to Miami of Ohio

Solon swimming coach Mike Davidson doesn't mince words when he talks about Annie Marquiss.

"She is one of the best female athletes ever to come through our club and high school programs," said Davidson. "I've coached her since she was 10 years old and even at that point I knew she was special."

So special that Marquiss signed a national letter of intent this week to swim for Miami of Ohio. The Comet senior is a four-time state qualifier and All-Ohio swimmer and is a member of two of Solon's school record relay teams. The sprint specialist is also a standout student and will take her 4.3 GPA into a pre-med program at Miami.

"I've always liked the doctor shows on TV," said Marquiss. And, much like TV doctor Gregory House, she is a fierce competitor.

"Annie is a very competitive kid," said Davidson. "She will set her sights on what it's going to take and she will go out and do it."

Davidson, who came to Solon 10 years ago after stints at Penn State and Cleveland State, knows what college coaches are looking for when it come to recruiting high school talent. Both Miami and Kenyon College were hoping to land Marquiss.

"They saw what kind of contributor she was to the team," said Davidson. "That was a key component of signing her. Coaches look to see how kids perform at district and state meets and Annie had some of the best relay splits we've ever had since I have been here."

Marquiss was named as the Northeast Ohio Conference's female Swimmer of the Year this past season. She earned All-Ohio honors 14 times as an individual in the 50 and 100 meter freestyle events and as a relay team member.

"She has done a tremendous job for this program," said Davidson. "Her set-ups are great and she feels the water very well. The front end of her stroke is spectacular. She will clearly benefit from the work she put in this season when she starts college swimming."

Marquiss has also become a quick study in the pole vault event for the girls' track and field team. In just her second season of competition, she is already a top vaulter for the Lady Comets.

"It's something new and it's fun," she said. "I got interested in it because my brother (Chris) was a pole vaulter at Solon. It's a little bit like swimming because it uses a lot of upper body strength."

A swimmer since the age of five, Marquiss joined the Solon Stars club team at the age of 10. On the high school team, she became acclimated to practice sessions which began at 5:30 a.m. and ran until 7:15 a.m.

"My teammates were the most enjoyable part of high school swimming," said Marquiss. "You end up spending more time with them than your real family sometimes. And my favorite events were the relays. All my fastest times were in the relays."

The diagnosis? Continued success both in and out of the pool for Annie Marquiss.