Locke set for induction
Staff reports
The Danbury High School Athletic Hall of Fame’s 12thannual induction ceremony is scheduled for Oct. 26 from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Amber Room Colonnade in Danbury. Among this year’s honorees will be 2004 graduate and track and field star Marsha Locke.
“You can’t beat 10 points every week,” longtime Hatter track and field coach Kevin Wilcox said Locke. From her sophomore to senior years at DHS, the girls track team could always count on team points from Locke’s specialty, the shot put. But she often scored points for Danbury in the other field events as well, including the javelin and discuss.
“I wanted to run,” Locke said, “but the track scared me. So I started throwing. I was a natural.”
From 2002-04, she dominated FCIAC and state field events. In 2002 outdoor track, the Danbury girls were FCIAC first place, with Locke placing first in the shot put and third in the javelin. That year, Danbury was also the Class LL state champs, with Locke finishing fifth in both the javelin and the shot put.
For 2003 indoor track, the Danbury girls finished first in both the FCIAC and state Class L, with Locke placing first in the FCIAC shot put and second in the state shot put. For 2003 outdoor track, the Danbury girls were FCIAC runners-up and Class LL state champions, with Locke scoring points in the shot put, the discus and the javelin.
For the 2004 indoor track season, the Danbury girls finished first in both the FCIACs and the Class LLs, with Locke placing first in the shot put for both competitions. She also qualified for New Englands and Nationals, placing fourth in the shot put at both events. In the 2004 outdoor season, Locke competed in the shot put, discus and javelin, and took first place at the New Englands in the shot put and set the school record with a throw of 42 feet, 51⁄
After her graduation from Danbury High School, Locke continued her academic and athletic careers at Sacred Heart University. While at Sacred Heart, she competed in the shot put, the discus, the javelin and the hammer.
During her senior season in 2008, she was the first female Sacred Heart athlete to garner All-East honors and place at the NCAA Regionals. She was the NEC Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Scholar Athlete of the Year and awarded the ECAC Medal of Merit. Locke was also named to the ESPN Magazine Academic AllDistrict second team.
Locke graduated with a degree in nursing and currently works in San Diego in the emergency room and as a detentions nurse in the county jail. She is an avid world traveler and has a great appreciation of history. When she is in the area, she has assisted the throwers at DHS and helped at the O’Grady Relays and DHS track meets.
Contact Betsy Merullo at 203-744-1223 for more information about the banquet.