West Babylon, N.Y. - The East Coast Conference announced on Thursday afternoon that Matteo Itri (Mineola, N.Y.) of Molloy College men’s cross country and track & field teams, was selected as the 2021 winner of the conference’s Excellence in Community and Character Award.
Recipients of the ECC’s most prestigious award are student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through positive actions and behaviors that are consistent with the NCAA Division II attributes of learning, service, passion, sportsmanship, balance, and resourcefulness.
Athletically, Itri compiled 17 top-10 finishes over the course of his career. He has also been the captain of the cross country and track & field teams the past two seasons, helping lead his fellow Lions during a period of uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While a frequent contributor to his teams, Itri also excelled off the track and cross country course. In the classroom, he has compiled a 3.73 GPA as an Adolescent Social Studies/Special Education major. He has spent time as a student-teacher at Garden City Schools and as he wraps up his graduate studies with expected graduation in May of 2022, Itri has been hired as a substitute teacher in the Mineola School District.
In addition, Itri has written a number of publications including “Continuing to Look for New and Innovative Approaches to Best Meet Student Need,” and “Fostering Passionate and Dedicated Educators Who Want to Inspire Others.”
Itri has spent time as a coach, as well. The past two summers he worked with Foundations Running Camp, a sleepaway camp for middle and high school-aged runners. He also will spend the coming season as an assistant track & field coach at Wantagh High School.
As if all of this wasn’t enough to pack into the busy schedule that comes with being a student-athlete, Itri has served on campus as a student ambassador, resident assistant, orientation leader, and as a member of the executive board of Molloy’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), while also holding a job as a delivery driver for a local restaurant and spending time as a volunteer firefighter in his hometown of Mineola.
