Track and field sensation Melody Sherman, a multi-time sprint champion, national-meet competitor and school record holder, came close to not being known for any of those accomplishments.
Hailing from Burbank, California, the 2024 Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame inductee wasn’t recruited to compete in track and even wasn’t planning on continuing her athletic career in college.
Says Melody: “I chose to attend Linfield when I visited a college fair in my hometown. I was persuaded by the small size and beautiful environment.”
Amazingly, she went on to represent Linfield in national competition three times, was a two-time Northwest Conference Women’s Track Athlete of the Year, and accounted for five conference championships over three seasons.
As a freshman in 1997, Melody enjoyed immediate success as a member of the Wildcats’ 4x400 relay squad that went on to place seventh at the NAIA Championships in Atlanta.
Melody truly came into her own as a sophomore in 1998. Linfield hosted the Northwest Conference Track and Field Championships, providing her the ideal stage to enjoy a breakthrough weekend. It was at Maxwell Field where she raced to school- and conference-meet records times in winning the 100-meter dash (12.04) the 200 dash (24.60). Melody was also a member of the 4x400 relay squad whose school-record time of 3:51.56 continues to stand as the program’s all-time best 27 years later.
Melody’s athletic career was not without its share of adversity. During a routine physical exam in 1999, a nurse detected an irregular heartbeat. That began a landslide of visits to doctors in Portland and Los Angeles and at one point, she was told that her running career was likely over. Eventually a cardiologist performed a procedure to regulate her heartbeat and provide clearance for her to return to training. But by then, her medical issues had resulted in the loss of her entire junior season.
The spring of 2000 saw Melody return to her previous blazing form, again claiming conference titles in the 100 and the 200. That year, she teamed with Katie McArthur, Lisa Taylor and Amber Larsen to capture the Northwest Conference 4x100 relay championship in a school-record time of 48.75 seconds.
Her point production on the track contributed substantially to the Linfield women’s squad finishing as NWC team runner-up each of her three seasons. Melody took as much pride in her own team’s accomplishments as she did any individual awards.
She capped her college career at the 2000 NCAA Division III Championships in Naperville, Illinois, running the fastest split of her career on the 4x400 relay.
Whether it was part of a relay or as a member of the entire team, Melody says she “enjoyed being a part of something bigger than myself. Competing and doing my best has always been to help others out and not let them down. I'm very competitive and was motivated to set goals, break records, and set new ones.”
Former Linfield sprints coach Jim Good calls Melody “one of the toughest athletes I’ve ever coached. Her burning desire to complete always showed on meet days. Not only was she a great athlete, she was a great teammate, always supporting her fellow Wildcats during practices and at meets.”
Not surprisingly, competing in track and field at Linfield taught Melody important life lessons. She calls herself “a naturally a competitive person who is always striving to do more. I continue to persevere in times of difficulty throughout my life.”
Since graduating from Linfield in 2000, Melody has gone on to complete a master’s degree from Cal State-Bakersfield in education curriculum and instruction. A four-time all-league performer at John Burroughs High School, she was inducted into that school’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.
Today, Melody lives in Santa Clarita, California, with her partner, Glen Kubasak. Her oldest son, Aiden, is a freshman lacrosse player at Sonoma State University. Another son, Zander, competes in soccer as a high school freshman. And her 11-year-old daughter, Lily, enjoys playing soccer as well.
For the last 19 years, Melody has been teaching elementary students in the Saugus Union School District. She’s twice been honored by her peers as the Teacher of the Year. To help others, she’s involved in a new teacher mentorship program, providing support for new teachers in their first two years.
