Gateway Class of 1989
Melanie Morgan’s swimming prowess led the Gateway Gator girls to two PIAA State Swim titles. The Morgan name kept Gateway swimming prominent on the State and National level. Melanie’s domination of her events in the WPIAL and State PIAA championships have never been duplicated. Even today, she still holds the PIAA 100 yard freestyle record and the WPIAL 50 yard freestyle record. Melanie’s presence inspired her teammates to a higher level of confidence and competitiveness. What impressed me the most, besides her swimming accomplishments, was Melanie’s inspiration, support and encouragement to her teammates whether on a high school or summer club level. Each year as we continue to see her records in the PIAA and WPIAL programs, those thrilling memories of her unparalleled career are always with us. Since she arrived on the Gateway High School campus back in the mid 1980’s, the name Morgan is synonymous with the success, pride and tradition of Gateway swimming.
Coach Larry Petrillo
Let us take a look at what was accomplished by Melanie Morgan while she attended Gateway High:
| WPIAL Championships 1st Place Finishes | 1986 50 yard freestyle 1987 50 yard freestyle 1988 50 yard freestyle 1989 50 yard freestyle |
| PIAA State Championships 1st Place Finishes | 1986 4 X 100 yard freestyle relay 1987 100 yard freestyle 1988 100 yard freestyle 1989 100 yard freestyle 1987 50 yard freestyle 1988 50 yard freestyle – set record 1989 50 yard freestyle 1986 4 X 100 yard freestyle relay 1987 100 yard freestyle – set record 1988 100 yard freestyle – set record 1988 record still stands today 1989 100 yard freestyle |
Other Gateway High School Swimming Accomplishments
- 1986 Outstanding Freshman
- 1987 Outstanding Sophomore
- 1988 Outstanding Junior
- 1989 Outstanding Senior
Gateway High School Record Holder
- 50 yard freestyle
- 100 yard freestyle
- 4 X 100 yard freestyle relay
- 100 yard breaststroke (record broken)
Member Of The 1986 Gateway State Championship Swim Team
11 Time National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Of America High School All American
- 1985-1986 50 yard freestyle
- 1986-1987 50 yard freestyle
- 1987-1988 50 yard freestyle
- 1988-1989 50 yard freestyle
- 1985-1986 100 yard freestyle
- 1986-1987 100 yard freestyle
- 1987-1988 100 yard freestyle * (Ranked #1 in the Nation)
- 1988-1989 100 yard freestyle
- 1986 4 X 100 yard freestyle relay
- 1987 4 X 100 yard freestyle relay
- 1988 4 X 100 yard freestyle relay
United States Swimming Junior Olympic National Champion, 100 meter freestyle, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 1987
1988 United States Swimming Olympic Trials Competitor in Austin, TX, August 8 to 13, 1988, 50 meter freestyle and 100 meter freestyle
Honored at Women in Sports Banquet Parade of Champions sponsored by the Pittsburgh Area Chamber of Commerce, March 18, 1987
Pittsburgh Post Gazette High School Athlete of the Week, February 2, 1988
Pennsylvania House of Representatives Citation for Outstanding Achievements for Gateway Senior High School Swim Team, April 22, 1988
Honored by Sports Illustrated Magazine for outstanding accomplishments as an amateur athlete by appearing in “Faces in the Crowd”, June 13, 1988
Recipient of the Lindstrom Award for Girls, presented by Allegheny Mountain Swimming for Outstanding Swimmer of the Year, October 1988
Recipient of the YMCA Al Abrams All Sports Award, May 5, 1989 Recipient of the Presidential Academic Fitness Award, 1989
Gateway Sports Hall of Fame, 2000
Melanie attended the University of Florida on a full athletic scholarship. In the four years that she was a member of the swim team, the Gators won the southeastern conference championship four times, her 4 X 100 yard freestyle relay team won the conference championship four tin1es, her 4 X 200 yard freestyle relay team won the conference championship once, she competed in nine individual events at the conference championship meets and finished in the top five in all nine different events, and she was named to the All SEC Team four times.
Melanie was a member of the 1989 U.S. Olympic Festival Team and the 1991 World University Games Team. In 1992 and 1996, she competed in the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials. In 1991 she was named State of Florida Long Course Swimmer of the year and in 1992, she was named to the Greater Augusta, Georgia Sports Council. Melanie was also a member of the 1992 and 1996 U.S. Swimming National Championship Teams as well as two 1991 U.S. Swimming National Championship Relay Teams.
She was a two time NCAA individual All American. Her 1992 University of Florida Team placed 3rd at the NCAA Championships and her 1993 team placed 2nd at those same Championships. She was a member of the 1993 University of Florida 4 X I 00 yard freestyle relay team that broke the University of Florida record, the NCAA record, the U.S. Open record and the American record for that event. These records still stand today.
Melanie had an outstanding career and is proud to be a Gateway Gator. We at the Gateway Sports Hall of Fame are proud to have Melanie as a member. Her credentials are unmatched. Of course, Melanie graduated from the University of Florida in 1993 and currently works as a pharmaceutical sales representative. She remains single and lives in the Pittsburgh area.
“I have so many great memories from my time as a Gateway Gator that it is very hard to pick just one. I thought about my first WPIAL title as a freshman, team state titles, and coming from behind to beat Bethel Park in the dual meet my senior year. But, my greatest memory would have to be the 100 yard freestyle my junior year at the state meet. I set the state record, and qualified for my first U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials. The scoreboard failed when I touched the wall so no one knew what my time was. I asked the timer standing behind my lane what her hand held watch said and she told me 50.1. This seemed very fast to me, well under the Olympic Trials qualifying time, but I couldn’t believe it because I had never been faster than 51 seconds before. Everyone was scrambling to find out what the official time was because we all wanted to be sure that I qualified for the Olympic Trials. When the scrambling was over, the official time was 50.27, one of the best swims of my career and definitely my favorite memory as a Gateway Gator.”
Melanie Morgan, 2000