WESTFIELD – There was one local athlete who was right at home with snowflakes flying Friday in the Whip City – St. Mary’s senior student-athlete Matt Masciadrelli.
Masciadrelli, who eagerly awaits Tuesday’s opening day baseball game against Southwick if Mother Nature decides to cooperate, is finally taking a breather from a sensational ski season.
Masciadrelli recently hauled in a pair of silver medals at the USSA Eastern ski finals March 22-23 at Gore Mountain, New York with a second place finish in the Giant Slalom, as well as the Super GS. He outperformed more than 100 skiers, and placed 13th in the Slalom.
MATT MASCIADRELLI
“I was most surprised of my Super GS because I don’t get the opportunity to ski it a lot,” Masciadrelli said. “It’s much longer with much more use of the hill, and speeds are a lot faster.
Masciadrelli won a training run on the super GS, hinting at a possible title run. He finished second by just 2/100ths of a second.
“It was probably just all the consistent skiing during the year that added up,” Masciadrelli said. “Things just started to click. I’m really pleased with the season. I couldn’t ask for anything better. I’m really happy about it.”
Although ski season is officially over despite what Mother Nature has had to say about of late, Masciadrelli is seeking to extend the good vibes when he and his defending state champion baseball mates take the field in the coming days.
“Coming off last year … we’re still looking for results to be very competitive,” Masciadrelli said. “We have a target on our back. We’re going to be that team.”
Just a few weeks ago, it appeared that Masciadrelli’s achievements would be the final ones ever made at the school. Threatened with closing its doors for good, he and his fellow student-athletes began a fundraising campaign, and helped drum up a spirited effort as local residents, current and former alumni lobbied to keep the school open despite claims of financial distress and faced with a shrinking school population.
When we first found out the school was closing, it (was) very sad because I had been there since kindergarten,” Masciadrelli explained. “It’s like losing a senior home. We were very motivated to keep it open.”
The decision to close was reversed by the Catholic Diocese with stipulations of increasing enrollment, and raising more funding through tuition.
In the eyes of the local religious community, it was considered an Easter miracle, of sorts.
Said Masciadrelli: “It couldn’t be better.”
Masciadrelli will be attending Wentworth Institute of Technology (Boston) this fall majoring in construction management or civil engineering. He plans to play baseball for the Division 3 school.
