Foot Locker Nationals champion Sydney Masciarelli can add World Record Holder to her
growing list of accomplishments.
By combining her passions for running and playing basketball, Connecticut's two-time Gatorade Player of the Year and the 2018 Foot Locker Nationals winner accepted the challenge of breaking the record for fastest mile run while dribbling a basketball.
Masciarelli, a rising senior for Marianapolis Prep (CT), took to the track with her brother, Salvatore, and, basketball in-hand, dribbled and ran as bystanders continued their exercise.
The senior crossed the finish line in what looked like an effortless attempt of 5:08.57.
Without dribbling a basketball, Masciarelli has run 4:58.62 in the mile, paired with personal bests of 4:34.72 in the 1500m and 10:11.99 in the two-mile.
With this effort, Masciarelli broke the former world record set by 2015 World Championship semi-finalist Lauren Johnson, who ran 5:16.36 just a few weeks ago.
Prior to COVID-19, the three-time national champion across XC and track and field was having the best basketball season of her career. In February, Masciarelli joined the 1,000 points club, becoming the ninth girl in Marianapolis Prep history to reach that milestone. During the 2020 season she averaged 20.8 points, 7.2 assists, 4.1 steals and 8.1 rebounds per game.
As the start of cross country and other high school fall sports are being called into question due to the pandemic, Masciarelli's training could allow for more fun attempts in the future.
At the end of her world record mile, the senior even alludes to taking another attempt.
"It was a little bit harder than it looked, but it's my first time doing it," she said. "Hopefully, if someone else wants to challenge me to it and they get a better time, I can come back and try and take it back again."
