Melanie Batiste
High School Honors
4 track & field letters: Won numerous PIL and state sprint and relay titles. All-time state Top 10 in 100- and 200-yard dash; school record holder in 100 yards (11.00), 200 yards (25.00) and 440-relay (48.3).Tied for most points in a state meet in 1975
Post-High School Career
4 track & field letters, University of Oregon, 1977-80; on Oregon’s first-ever Women’s National Championship Team. Earned 4 All-American certificates and 13 regional crowns. In 1979 and 1980 won four NCWSA events and the opening leg of the AIAW mile relay unit. Held Oregon’s 200m record (23.66) for nine years.
Joined Air National Guard in 1978. Earned B.A. degree in Business Administration from UO, MBA from UCLA and CPA designation. Inducted into UO Athletic Hall of Fame.
Four years with U.S. Bancorp, two years with Deloitte Haskins & Sells; and 32 years with Toyota Motor North America.
Retired in 2006 as Lt. Col. after 27 years with the Air National Guard.
Commentary
As I reflect on the role high school athletics played in my life, I quickly recognize that women’s track — at both Lincoln High School and the University of Oregon — served as the bedrock of what became a successful and achievement-oriented life for me.
The invaluable experience offered by high school athletics provided early lessons in work ethic, resilience, defeat, achievement, teamwork, and self-confidence. Those lessons shaped me and influenced many of the choices I made while navigating life’s passages.
I take my hat off to the many teachers, coaches, and administrators who support our young people as they grow toward responsible adulthood. The PIL plays an important role in providing a venue for personal development through athletics. For many young people, participation in athletics not only provides the aforementioned invaluable experiences, but also gives them their first real taste of success. The belief that “I can do this” can stay with an individual throughout a lifetime.
It is with great honor and gratitude that I accept this induction into the PIL Hall of Fame. I am deeply appreciative of this recognition and congratulate my fellow inductees on their accomplishments.
Thank you for this wonderful honor.
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