On Nov. 13, five Walpole High School seniors: Caitlyn Naughton, Sophia Fruci, Brayden Mattera, Matthew St. Cyr and Noah Mackenzie all signed their Athletic Financial Aid Agreement to carry on with both their athletic and academic careers in college.
Caitlyn Naughton has been committed to play Division I lacrosse at the University of Massachusetts Amherst since September 2023 and will be majoring in Health Science and Public Health. Naughton has played lacrosse since the third grade. She chose UMass Amherst because of its competitive program and good academics.
“I’m excited to be able to play at a high level of lacrosse and be surrounded with a bunch of amazing lacrosse players,” Naughton said.
Sophia Fruci committed to Bryant University in July of 2024 for Division I lacrosse. Fruci has been playing the sport since second grade and is looking forward to being a part of a sport she loves for another four years. When choosing Bryant, she had made a list of schools she would want to go to based on their academic offerings before narrowing down those schools based on their athletic opportunities.
“I chose Bryant because of the family-like atmosphere and the location. It’s small and close to home, which was exactly what I was looking for,” Fruci said. “I’m also looking to major in the business field and Bryant is an amazing business school.”
Brayden Mattera committed to play Division I lacrosse at Merrimack College in December of 2023. Mattera, who has been playing lacrosse since the third grade, chose Merrimack because of its proximity to home, its coaching staff and its close knit team. The school’s history of athletic success was another large factor in his decision, as well as their business program which he intends to major in. Mattera was also interested in Merrimack because of its vast alumni network that he hopes will be able to help him get a good job straight out of college.
“I am most looking forward to having a group of people that will be with me from the day I step on campus to the day I graduate,” Mattera said. “It will be nice knowing I have a team full of people that will always have my back.”
Matthew St. Cyr signed with Northeastern University on Oct. 19 to compete for their track and field program as a javelin thrower. St. Cyr began throwing javelin in his freshman year of high school and currently holds the WHS record having thrown 191 feet and 10 inches. St. Cyr chose Northeastern primarily for academic reasons, but he also factored their very strong team into his decision. He plans to major in business and is looking forward to competing against stronger competition.
“I put a lot of emphasis on finding a good school academically, Northeastern just so happened to also have a great track and field program,” St. Cyr said.
On Oct. 11, Noah Mackenzie agreed to play quarterback for Stonehill College’s Division I football program. Mackenzie has been playing football for the past 12 years and chose Stonehill because of its historic success in football. He also decided upon it because of the opportunities they present to help students have a successful career after college. Mackenzie is excited to play at a higher level and learn new aspects of the sport from Stonehill’s successful coaching staff. Mackenzie is yet to decide a major but will most likely do something business related.
“I chose Stonehill because I loved the community that they had built. It is a school which is new to the Division I level and they are all focused on getting better,” Mackenzie said. “The school itself is great for academics and is close to home. When I went on my official visit the players treated me as if I was already a part of their team and it felt like a true family.”
After having had successful high school careers, all five of these student-athletes intend to continue their athletic and academic careers through attending Division I schools . Naughton, Fruci, Matterra, St. Cyr and Mackenzie are all now moving on to their respective schools and will hopefully have a college experience just as fruitful as their high school ones.
