Melissa Olivo
Junior - Clarksville, Tennessee
As an athlete:
For the fall of '98, Melissa returns as the most experienced cross country runner, as a team leader, and as the Lady Govs' primary distance threat on the track in the spring. The junior is coming off of a track season where she broke through for a new best in the 1500 (4:59), and will be relied heavily upon in the 1500, 3000 and the 5k in XC. That 1500 came in a heat where she was completely by herself, so she is set for a good season on the track. One of the crazy things I think about when I think of Melissa is the fearless race that she ran anchoring the ladies DMR at the OVC Indoors back in February...she got tangled up with Kenya on the final exchange and managed to lose one of her spikes, but she took off anyway where she held on in one sock to wrap up a medal for the ladies. She's also another one of the GPA leaders, as she was named the team's scholar athlete in the spring.
At Clarksville Northwest High, Melissa was a superstar...where she teammates with yours truly. We didn't always get along in high school, but now we have a great deal of respect for each other. I know some great stuff about her back in the day that I won't even mention here (loved that hair, Melissa... Seriously, she made it through to the state meet all four years in both track and cross country. She rewrote the record books at NWHS, claiming the school records in the 800m, 1600m, the 3200m, and as part of the record-breaking 3200m relay team. Along with Kenya, she was part of two Junior National Championship relays, claiming the 4x800 titles in '95 and '96. She was also named All-Midstate four times in cross country.
More Personally...
Melissa (born May 22, 1978) is a Spanish Major with a double minor in education and math (hey, those are my minors). In her spare time, she enjoys writing poetry and listening to music. Back in the day, she used to sell shoes at Foot Locker, I'm not sure what she's doing now. Her mother (who is also a runner) has made a very strong impression on her, and Melissa describes her as "...an independant woman who has done a lot for herself".
As a team, her goal is for the track team to improve on its 98 finish, despite the fact that it was the most talented team in recent APSU history. For herself, she wants to "...be all that I can be. I don't want to hold myself back for anything."