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07/18/2019 12:00 AMMadelyn Costello keeps herself busy all year long as a student-athlete at Valley Regional High School. Madelyn, who recently completed her sophomore year, is a three-sport athlete who competes for the Warriors’ girls’ soccer, indoor track, and outdoor track squads. She’s also the Student Council secretary and sings in Valley Regional’s select choir.
Madelyn has already experienced some big moments throughout the first half of her high school career. This spring, Madelyn ran on a 4x100 relay team that finished in second place on behalf of the Valley girls’ outdoor track team at the Shoreline Conference Championship. Madelyn joined forces with Hanna Babek, Audrey Lenda, and Addi Marchese to post a time of 52.90 seconds at the meet.
“It was a huge accomplishment for us. We had to run it again, because there was a misfire at the beginning of the race,” says Madelyn. “They couldn’t hear the gun at the starting line, and we had to rerun the race against Old Saybrook. We worked really hard all year to cut down on our time, and it was great to do that at Shorelines.”
During the winter, Madelyn earned second place in the high jump for the indoor track team at the Shoreline Conference Championship. Madelyn cleared a height of 4 feet-6 inches to snag the silver medal. It was an exciting moment for Madelyn and her teammates when they learned the final result.
“It was really exciting to find out that I had placed second at Shorelines. I kind of knew that I was going to get second with the jump I had, but I ended up waiting a bit to find out,” Madelyn says. “Once they announced it, I went over to [Head Coach Chris Allegretti], and he was really excited about it. My friends were, too.”
Madelyn is a versatile contributor for the Valley track program, because she can compete in a variety of events. Her favorite event is the high jump. Madelyn loves leaping to new heights, and she feels satisfied whenever she reaches a new plateau.
“I just love being able to clear the height. It feels good to get up and over the bar,” says Madelyn, who lives in Deep River. “I always set a goal at the beginning of the season, and I love the feeling I get when I’m able to meet the standards that I set for myself.”
Indoor track Head Coach Brian Drinkard saw Madelyn make major strides during the winter campaign. Drinkard says that Madelyn’s improvement is a direct result of her hard work at practice, as well as on her own.
“She’s very coachable. Madelyn understands when you’re working on something specific, and she applies that in her practice,” Drinkard says. “There isn’t a day I drive through Deep River that I don’t see her out there running. That is what makes her successful. It doesn’t matter the event. Madelyn will give a positive result, because she cares about her performance.”
Madelyn also plays a pivotal role in the backfield as a defender for the Valley girls’ soccer squad. She prides herself on frustrating opposing attackers and moving the ball up the field. Madelyn and the Warriors saw some success when they qualified for the Class M State Tournament during her first season with the team.
“I’m an aggressive defender when I need to be. I can clear the ball away or pass up to my teammates. We all trust each other on defense and play as a unit,” says Madelyn. “I remember my freshman year, we played in the State Tournament. We were all feeling great about it when we made it to states. That was a great time for the soccer team.”
Madelyn is ready to step into a leadership role for each of her teams during her junior year at Valley Regional. Madelyn wants to guide her underclass teammates to success just like her older teammates did for her.
“I just want to be a leader for the younger girls,” Madelyn says. “When I first came onto the team, a lot of the upperclassmen were really encouraging to me. I want to be the same way with the younger athletes next year.”