Athlete of the Week: Paige Ferrucci [VIDEO]

’s Paige Ferrucci is celebrating her 16th birthday next week and she hopes one of her presents will be making coach Tracy DeLuca’s varsity soccer team.

Ferrucci played with the freshman team last fall and said she hopes her speed will land her a spot on varsity this season. Ferrucci was a standout runner on the school's spring track team last year and has plans to run indoor track this winter.

Paige saw some action Tuesday afternoon when Marblehead beat Revere in a preseason scrimmage at Hopkins Field.

As a 15-year-old last May, Ferrucci improved on her 800 and ran the second leg of the girls’ track relay team. She ran a personal best of 2:29.91 in the 800 at the MIAA Eastern Division Outdoor Championships, placing ninth overall. Just one week earlier, she finished third in the NEC championships in the 800 with a time of 2:29.59.

Ferrucci started off the month of May by finishing second in the NEC Freshman-Sophomore meet with a 2:31.20, and ran a 2:29.16 at the Coaches Invitational a week later, finishing 15th.

Ferrucci’s best time in her 400-meter leg of the team's relay race is 61 seconds.

Paige is hoping to grab a spot on the soccer team at forward and played guard on the freshman basketball team last winter, serving as one of the captains.

Ferrucci moved to Marblehead from Salem in the fifth grade and she currently lives in town with her mom and dad and three younger siblings.

“She’s a very big talent,” Marblehead track coach Michael Toomey said.

“I’ve played soccer my whole life, but my mom and dad noticed that I had some speed, so I started running cross-country in eighth grade and I really enjoyed it,” Ferrucci said.

“I get really nervous before every track meet, but it’s a good kind of nervous, it’s positive energy really,” Ferrucci said. “I grab a little snack before I run and then I watch some of the other races to get focused on my race.”

“My coach (Michael Toomey) said it’s OK to be nervous before a race, it gets the adrenaline going,” Ferrucci said.

“I ran a really good race the first time out last spring during April vacation, my coach noticed and I just started running better the more I ran,” Ferrucci said.

Ferrucci loves to line up at right forward or at midfield on the soccer field, where she can use her bursts of speed to her advantage to outrace the defensive backfield.

“My parents have been incredibly supportive of me, and I really enjoy playing soccer and running for Marblehead, the community is very supportive,” she said.

The Paige Ferrucci File:

Favorite food – “My mom’s pizza.”

Favorite TV show – Pretty Little Liars

Favorite movie – Lizzie Maguire

Favorite band – Maroon 5

Most embarrassing song on my iPod – Safety Dance by Men Without Hats

Favorite team – The New England Patriots

Favorite athlete – Tom Brady

Dream – “To run track in the Diamond League.”

Up next – The fall soccer season at MHS

Download the movie