Sydney Masciarelli, a senior from Northbridge, Massachusetts, signed her National Letter of Intent to run cross country and track and field for The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill last Wednesday.
Over her time at Marianapolis, Masciarelli has broken numerous records in both cross country and track and field, including beating Olympian Shalane Flanagan’s under-18 record at the Mayor’s Cup in Boston in 2018 with a time of 17:04. She is a NEPSTA D III Track & Field Champion and a NEPSTA D IV Cross Country Champion. Masciarelli also won the 2018 Foot Locker Northeast Regional Championship (17:12), 2018 Foot Locker National Championship (17:00), and 2019 New Balance Outdoor Track & Field National Championship (5K - 16:16.20; 2-mile - 10:11.99). In addition, she was named the 2018 & 2019 Gatorade Connecticut Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year and 2019 Gatorade Connecticut Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
Though the COVID-19 pandemic has prohibited interscholastic competition since March 2020, Masciarelli was still able to compete in three local races this fall. The highlight for Masciarelli was "being able to run at night under the lights in a twilight 5K."
On signing with UNC, Masciarelli said, “I chose UNC because of the amazing coaches and team. When I went to look at the school over the summer, I loved everything about it and I knew it would be the right place for me. I’m most excited for meeting new people, running with teammates that will push me to be my best every day, and to work hard every day to win a national championship as a team."
“Marianapolis is so proud of Sydney and her signing with UNC," said Marianapolis track and field head coach David DiCicco. "She is a driven and talented student-athlete. Since her freshman year, and across the seasons thereafter, she has challenged herself each day to get better and never rested on her many accomplishments. We are excited for this next chapter in her life as a student-athlete and look forward to her cheering her on for many years to come."
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is a Division I school playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference.