Poland swimmer is top in the region

Poland swimmer Gina Ungaro, 10, a fifth-grader at Poland McKinley Elementary walked away from the Quadrangular Championships held Jan. 8 through 10 at IU Natatorium in Indianapolis with a first, second, two thirds and a fifth-place finish, putting her at the top of her game in a multi-state region.


Ungaro, who swims for coach Sue Mellish’s Youngstown YMCA Neptunes, placed first in the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 27.85. She also placed second in the 100-meter butterfly at 1:13.24, third in the 100-meter freestyle at 1:01.76, third in the 50-meter butterfly at 30.73, and fifth in the 50-meter breast stroke at 38.99. She also competed in two relay events.


Ungaro said she began her swimming career at age eight at the Poland Swim Club. In the winter of that year she entered the YMCA Neptunes swim team and began competing with them. As a competitor, her times were recorded and the top five times in the state have an opportunity to be part of the Ohio-Lake Erie Team that competes in the Quadrangular Championships.


For Ungaro, taking first at the event brought a moment of fame, but she has bigger goals for the future.


“I really want to go the Olympics when I’m older,” she said. “That would be amazing.”