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Nabs top
award 2nd
year in row
THOMPSON — For the second year in a row, Marianapolis Prep junior Sydney Masciarelli of Northbridge, Mass., has been named the Gatorade Connecticut Girls’ Cross Country Runner of the Year.
The award recognizes “the nation’s most elite high school athletes for not only athletic excellence, but also for high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character.” Masciarelli is now a finalist for the Gatorade National Girls’ Cross Country Runner of the Year, to be announced in February. Masciarelli was also named the Gatorade Connecticut ‘ Track and Field Athlete of the Year last year.
“Winning the Gatorade Athlete of Year Award has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl,” Masciarelli said. “To be able to win this prestigious award three times is truly an honor and a blessing that I will never take for granted.”
As the 2018 Foot Locker Cross Country Champion, Masciarelli finished in seventh place this year with a time of 17:19:4. This season also saw her win the New England Prep School Division 4 championship in 18:49 and finish first in the Canterbury Invitational, Marianapolis Prep Invitational, and second at the Foot Locker Northeast Regional championships.
Masciarelli is currently in the middle of basketball season on the girls’ varsity basketball team and she also participates in track and field in the spring. In addition, she has maintained a 3.57 GPA.
“This season Sydney continued her career as a phenomenally talented runner and acquired some important wisdom along the way: that a runner’s strength lies less in their successes and more in their ability to encounter and learn from challenge,” said Marianapolis Head Cross Country coach Emily Gaudet. “It’s difficult to believe in yourself when others judge your worth based on how many races you win and expect you to win every race when, in fact, that is an impossible feat. It was a season of tremendous growth that will provide her with a solid foundation in her future seasons.”
As part of Gatorade’s “Play it Forward” platform, Masciarelli has the chance to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national youth sports organization of her choosing. In addition, she has the opportunity to submit an essay to win one of 12 $10,000 spotlight grants for an organization of her choosing.
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