John Bapst runner is assaulting every track record she can find

As far as the selection of Midweek’s Athletes of the Month are concerned, the choice of Melissa Lockman of John Bapst Memorial High School was an unusually easy one to make.

Within the last month, the young woman from Seboeis has set three track records in the Eastern Maine Indoor Track League.

Two of the marks she erased – in the mile and two-mile runs – had stood for 13 years. Her most recent record-setting performance in the 1000-yard run erased a seven-year mark.

The high school senior’s time of 5:07.9 in the mile shattered the old mark of 5:13 set by Alecta Rhoads of Old Town in 1978. Lockman’s two-mile time of 11:04.9 wiped out Rhoads’ mark of 11:27.3, also set in 1978.

Lockman notched her third record last weekend with a 2:46.2 in the 1000, two seconds better than the 1984 mark of 2:48.5 set by Becky Brown of Mount Desert Island.

Lockman’s assault on the records this year has come as a slight surprise to her. “I did have certain times in mind, but I wasn’t concentrating on breaking the records,” she said.

Primarily a distance runner, Lockman has shown she is adept at a variety of distances.

“It’s fun to think I can be competitive in other types of races besides the mile and two-mile,” said Lockman. “I loved (the 1000) because it was just a blast to be able to run all out and have fun.”

Running the 1000 has not been the only new experience for Lockman this year. She attended the Brown Invitational at Providence, R.I., and the Dartmouth Relays in Hanover, N.H., earlier this season. She has been invited to the prestigious Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Feb. 1. She will be one of only eight high school girls competing in the mile.

“Getting invited to the Millrose Games was a complete surprise,” Lockman said. “I’m going to approach it like I’ve approached the season and try to do my best and have fun.”

That approach has paid off handsomely for Lockman. It has paid off for her team as well. Her enthusiasm, dedication and motivation have been contagious.

“She’s very highly motivated,” said John Emerson, John Bapst’s indoor track coach. “She bothers to learn all she can about her sport and prepares herself in all areas – technically, nutritionally, mentally and physically.”

Emerson added that Lockman has been an ideal role model for younger teammates.”Her committment rubs off on people,” Emerson said. “And she’s very outgoing and approachable.”

Lockman also excels in the classroom. She has a 95 average and is in the top third of her class. She has been recognized as a National Merit commended-scholar for scoring in the top five percent of all students in the nation who took the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test.

Lockman also sings for the St. John’s Episcopal Church choir in Bangor and will accompany the choir on a tour of English cathedrals.

After she graduates from high school, Lockman plans to continue her running in college. She would like to go to a school with a liberal arts program and major in literature.

Lockman said she might also like to go on to medical school and study sports medicine or obstetrics.

Whatever she does later, her place among student-athletes at John Bapst is assured, both in memory and in the record books.

“There will never be another Melissa Lockman,” said Emerson. “It’s a lot of fun to watch a kid like that do so well.”