Melisa Ongun

Junior Women’s Eight

Birthdate: 6/19/1990  

Height: 5’8”  

Weight: 155

Birthplace: Evanston, Ill.

Hometown: Chicago, Ill.

Residence: Chicago, Ill.

High School: Lincoln Park High School

Began Rowing: 2005, Lincoln Park Juniors

Club Affiliation: LPJ-Chicago Rowing

Training Location: Chicago, Ill.

Current Coach: Mike Wallin

Years on National Team: One -- 2007, Junior

National Results: Won the women’s senior eight at the 2007 USRowing Club National Championships...Won the women’s junior four with coxswain and finished second in the women’s junior eight at the 2006 USRowing National Championships...Finished 12th in the women’s eight at the 2006 USRowing Youth National Championships.

Facts of Interest: Melisa was named most improved and most outstanding rower with the Lincoln Park Juniors in the Spring of 2006...She enjoys shopping for athletic apparel, drinking water and reading Rower’s World...She lists winning the women’s junior four with coxswain at the 2006 USRowing National Championships as her most memorable sporting achievement...She began rowing after seeing a story about her local team on the news...She lists her grandfather, who came to the U.S. from Turkey and earned a master’s degree in engineering from the University of Michigan without knowing a word of English, as her personal hero.