2007 Inductee Sheryl (Haynes) Lemaster, 1980
You could say that Sheryl Haynes Lemaster was always fast on her feet.
Blessed with great genes from a talented family, Sheryl was one of the top female athletes and sprinters to graduate from Bellevue Senior High School. A 1980 graduate of BSHS, Sheryl earned six varsity letters in the sports of tennis, basketball, and track and field, completely rewriting the record book in track and field.
It began for Sheryl in 1976 as a freshman at the current Junior High School since BSHS was only a three-year high school at the time. Sheryl participated in girls basketball and was a head cheerleader at the junior high, and was also a member of the boys track team as there was no recognized girls track team at that time. Sheryl and three of her male teammates (Art Goss, Keith Miller, Terry Miller) still hold the record in the 880-yard relay at the junior high.
Sheryl made her presence felt a year later, entering BSHS as a sophomore and lettering in both basketball and track while also completing a year as a head cheerleader. In track, she was named team Most Valuable Performer, set new Northern Ohio League marks in both of the 100 and 220-yard dashes (11.4 and 26.6), and was a district qualifier in those same two events.
As a junior, Sheryl continued to make an impact on the record books. She participated in tennis and basketball and once again lettered in track and field. In tennis, she was the No. 1 singles player for the junior varsity squad in her first year participating in the sport. In basketball, a broken foot sidelined Sheryl for all but eight games, but by track season, she was fully healed and ready to go. Once again, she was chosen MVP of the track squad and set new NOL records in the 220 and 440-yard dashes (26.5 and 60.2). She set a new Bellevue Invitational record in the 220 (26.9), won the 440, was second in the 100 and the long jump, and was voted MVP. She set a school mark in the high jump (5-1) and was a district qualifier in the 100, 220 and 440, setting a new district mark in the 220 at 26.0. She was district champ in the 440 (59.1) and qualified to the state meet in the 220 and 440 where she finished fourth in the 440 with a new school record of 58.9 and finished fifth in the 220 at 26.3
During her senior year in 1979-80, Sheryl continued to excel athletically, earning varsity letters in tennis, basketball (co-captain) and track (co-captain). She played No. 1 doubles in tennis and was a district qualifier. In basketball, she earned second team all-league honors. And in track, she continued to garner records and awards. For the third straight year, she was named track MVP. She won three events at the league meet (100, 220, 440), setting a new record of 60.0 in the 440. She finished first in those same three events at the Bellevue Invitational, setting Invite and stadium records in all three (11.7, 26.2, 61.2). She qualified to the districts in all three events and won the 220 in record-setting fashion (25.4). She qualified to state in the 200 and finished fourth at 25.8 seconds. For her efforts, she received the Gazette Award as the most valuable female athlete of 1980.
Sheryl still owns four school and two league records in track and field.
After high school, Sheryl had offers from the University of Kentucky and Kent State University to pursue her academic and athletic careers, but decided not to participate in college athletics.
Sheryl, her husband, Don, and their family reside in Bellevue