Without context it looks like any other name: the Leslie Sherman Memorial Track.
After passing over it every day it is easy for students and teachers who did not know Sherman to merely glance over the name printed on the track but to every name there is a person whose story is waiting to be told.
Today is the eighth anniversary of the Virginia Tech Massacre that ended Sherman’s life and this is her story.
In the summer going into her freshman year of high school, Sherman began her 12 season running career here by joining the Cross Country team. While she was seldom the one leading the race, she always lead in different ways. Sherman displayed a contagious passion and enthusiasm for the sport and for her teammates.
“I think she was the ideal teammate; she was not the fastest or most talented team member but she was always the most encouraging,” said former Cross Country coach and Physics teacher Ed Linz.
“She was always cheering on her teammates and that’s not easy in a sport like running, where it’s all about first, second and third. She always cared about people whether they were in front or behind her.”
Sherman’s positivity and enthusiasm extended to the classroom as well. She brought her charisma and kindness everywhere she went and always was engaged in learning by participating and supporting others.
“She always sat in the front row near the window. She had an incredible smile; she was never afraid to ask questions and worked extremely hard. She is everything a teacher wants in a student,” said Linz.
History captivated Sherman throughout high school; she was extremely fond of American History but studied any time period that she could by taking every available history elective. This insatiable hunger for history eventually led to her election as the president of the History Honor Society.
“She immersed herself as much as she could because she was interested in the stories and in people,” said James Percoco, who taught history here for more than 30 years. “She took advantage of every opportunity to learn more about people.”
Given her passion for history, it’s no surprise she connected with a few of her history teachers. Percoco even included her and a few other students prior to her death in a chapter of his book, Summers with Lincoln: Looking for the Man in the Monuments. He later added an afterword when the April 16, 2007 events transpired at Tech.
“As I grew to love her I recognized a place in my teaching as one of those rare students who inspired me among thousands I have been fortunate to teach,” wrote Percoco.
Sherman’s passion for history and running did not falter even after her high school days came to an end. She picked up right where she left off while attending Virginia Tech. She majored in History and International Studies and spent time training for the Marine Corps Marathon.
“She trained for [the Marine Corps Marathon] in the fall of her sophomore year. She wanted to beat [Oprah Winfrey’s] time and she put in a lot of time training,” said fellow Spartan and close friend Rebecca McMahan (Class of 2004). “I didn’t appreciate how hard it was until I started training for half-marathons. It speaks about her character in that when she was passionate about something she went all in.”
The events that cruelly took the lives of Sherman and 31 individuals at Virginia Tech rocked the entire nation. Sherman and the other Hokies died in the most cold-blooded and heartbreaking way but her story did not end there.
The entire Spartan Community came together to honor Sherman three months after her death by organizing the Leslie Sherman Memorial 10K at Burke Lake and by creating the Leslie Sherman Scholarship, which is awarded every year to a graduating senior who will attend Virginia Tech. The WS track was dedicated in her name five years ago and is the most prominent memorial that marks the impact Sherman left on both the program and the community.
“I think that every time you have people connecting the past and the future, every time you go down to the track, you know that it’s the Leslie Sherman Track and that carries so much weight,” said Track and Field Assistant Coach Dave Watt, whose daughter, Alex, helped dedicate the track in 2010.
At the beginning of every track practice, athletes stand around Sherman’s name on the track as they listen to their instructions for the day: a small gesture that is standard procedure but contains the deeper meaning that Sherman still is part of the team and that her name signifies how each individual should portray themselves.
“It’s what I’m trying to impart. [Sherman’s] name embodies the positive aspects of what I want the team to be,” said Track and Field Head Coach Chris Pellegrini, who also ran track as a Spartan. “You want a relentlessly hard worker, someone who is extremely upbeat and someone who genuinely wants to be there, just like Leslie.”
Over the years, it has been the little details that Sherman’s loved ones focus on the most. These details, along with their cherished memories of her, come together to form a lasting image they will hold into perpetuity.
“It was her smile; she was a very cheerful person, even in times of adversity,” said Linz.
Linz and others said Sherman was always a winner regardless of her place in the race and a champion of the causes she believed in. The memorial track serves to honor who she was and her story, not necessarily a symbol of what occurred at Virginia Tech.
“Leslie’s life should be remembered not by how she died but how she lived,” said Percoco, a message he stresses in the afterword of his book.
Sherman will always be a part of the two things she loved most, history and running. She is sewn into the fabric of history; her name will also remain on the track facing the center of the home section bleachers as a reminder to everyone of the life she led and the example she set.
“The great gift of Leslie was that she didn’t want to be the center of attention but she was a shining star anyway and people knew it,” said Percoco.
