MIDDLETOWN — Maria Castaldo won a North Coast Section championship in 2012. That”s not a first for Middletown High School but it is a first for a talent-filled Mustangs girls” wrestling program.
A battled-tested sweeper on the school”s North Central League I-champion soccer team and a solid hitter for the Mustangs” softball team, the three-sport standout and Middletown High School junior (and soon-to-be senior) is the Record-Bee”s Athlete of the Year runner-up for girls” sports in 2011-12.
Honored on the All-League second team in soccer, Castaldo was an important piece of the puzzle for the Mustangs during a season in which they captured a fourth straight NCL I championship, winning that title on the final day of the regular season.
“She played her role and was very physical in her role,” Middletown coach Lee Hoage said of Castaldo”s work at sweeper, which is the last line of defense before the goalie. “She was intelligent in her choices, knowing when to stay back and when to come up if a player was breaking through with the ball. She did a great job of communicating with the fullbacks playing in front of her and the keeper behind her.”
The Mustangs posted a 17-4 record on the pitch and made it as far as the semifinal round of the North Coast Section playoffs, where they were beaten 1-0 by St. Helena.
“I have a lot of confidence in her,” Hoage said. “She is self-motivated and focused on what she is doing. She was one of my captains and as a junior she played big for us. Her leap from the 10th grade to her junior year was huge. She made huge progress.”
In wrestling, Castaldo won the sectional title at 98 pounds to earn a berth in the state championships, where she lost two close matches to Southern California opponents.
“As far as her work ethic goes, she is a seemingly endless ball of energy,” Middletown wrestling coach Troy Brierly said. “I can”t say enough about how hard she works in practice and matches. I always knew when my back was turned that she was working just as hard as when I was looking at her.”
Castaldo had a 20-7 overall record, including a 6-5 mark against boys.
“She is a great student, a great athlete and holds down a job at Hardesters in Middletown,” Brierly said. “Even on days when she would say she was tired, you wouldn”t know it by watching her wrestle.
“She studies the sport, too. I have never had a wrestler ask as many tactically-based questions in a season as her,” Brierly said. “For instance, if we were working on a move that required less strength and more finesse, she would ask why the strength added to finesse wouldn”t work. That”s just an example but it was pretty common throughout the year. She”s a gifted athlete,” Brierly added.
While the softball season wasn”t nearly as rewarding to Castaldo and the Mustangs in terms of win-loss record – Middletown struggled to a 5-18 mark, including 2-12 in league – Castaldo certainly did her part at the plate with 26 hits, the second-best total on her team and eighth-best total in the county.
