Greg Cunningham
Greg Cunningham began his competitive swimming career at age 11 with the Mercer Community Swim Team at Brady Springs Park and grew up to make enormous waves in the water world.
The fact that Mercer High didn't have a pool didn't stop Greg. He began swimming at the Sharon High pool with the Shenango Valley Swim Team. He asked Sharon Coach Eric Wenger if he could practice with the team and he swam exhibition representing Mercer at meets. In the District 10 Championships he brought home many medals, winning D-10 crowns in the 50 Freestyle in 1986 and 50 Freestyle and 100 Butterfly in 1987. He finished runner-up in the butterfly and 4th in freestyle at the PIAA meet. He was a 3-time All-State swimmer and 3-time National Interscholastic State Top 10 award winner.
He won many independent state and national awards in his high school years, highlighted at the United States Swimming Junior Olympics in 1987 where he won 3 crowns - 50 Freestyle (tied meet record), 100 Butterfly (meet record) and 100 Freestyle. Greg copped 1st in the 50 Freestyle and 100 Butterfly (record) at the PA YMCA Championships. He competed in the National YMCA Championships in Orlando, the largest meet ever held in the U.S. at that time, and finished 6th in the 50 Free.
Heavily recruited, he accepted a full scholarship to swim at Clarion University where he posted legendary numbers. In four years, he was a 5-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference champion, 12-time runner-up and 7-time third place finisher. Twenty-five times in 26 various events he earned top 6 honors. In the NCAA Division II Championships, he earned 19 All-American awards and 22 times in 26 events he finished in the top 15. Greg held several Clarion records and from 1985-91 he had a combined total of more than 120 pool, meet, team, district and state records at the high school and college level.
He was inducted into the Mercer High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017.