Stoneham Native Captures All-American Track and Field Honors for Fitchburg State College

It has been 17 years since a Fitchburg State College (FSC) track and field athlete was crowned as an All-American. That is, until this past weekend when Stoneham native Matthew Muolo achieved the feat.

Muolo, a senior at FSC, earned this honor at the 2012 Men's Indoor Track & Field Championships hosted by Grinnell College, where he earned top eight honors in the weight throw after posting a 17.98m (59 feet, 9 inches) throw. Muolo set his NCAA qualifying mark in the event with a throw of 18.62m to finish atop the pack.

Record Holder

Muolo, a 2007 graduate of , currently holds several records at FSC, including the indoor and outdoor shot put and the discus record. His shot put record is set at 51.5 and his discus record is set at 170.5m. His discus throw of 170.5 put him 11th in the nation during last year's outdoor track season.

Muolo also has won the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC)'s six throwing events. He has won one javelin title, one hammer title, two shot put titles, three discus titles and three weight throw titles as well. On top of these accomplishments, Muolo has received even bigger honors, including Athlete of the Year at FSC for two consecutive years.

Mission Accomplished

When Muolo found out of the news that he was named All-American, he couldn't have been more proud of himself given how much time and effort he has dedicated to track and field events.

"It means a lot to be named All-American because it is an affirmation of all the hard work that I have put in over the years," Muolo said. "It also feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders because I have expected this honor out of myself for a couple of seasons now and to finally accomplish this goal feels great."

Time Well Spent

Muolo's success didn't happen overnight and he continually challenges himself to improve.

"My success is from my hard work, my dedication and my coaching staff," Muolo said. "I also feel as though never being satisfied with what I had already accomplished helped me to drive toward my goal of becoming an All-American."

Practice Makes Perfect

The All-American star can be found either practicing his technique or strength training during track seasons because Muolo believes that is the recipe for success.

"I work on my technique at practice every day in order to become elite in my events," Muolo said. "When I'm not practicing, I'm in the gym strength training because I feel as though if I'm focused on specific events more than every throwing event, I could have been better in specific areas, but being an All-American thrower was more important for me so that I could help my team when it came time for the league meet."

Tournament Tested

Muolo entered the NCAA Championships ranked 11th in the country after having a productive meet at the MIT Invitational in late January.

"It was a great confidence boost to be nationally ranked, but I never really thought too much about it because I knew that what really mattered was what I did at nationals," Muolo said. "If I became complacent then I may never get there at all."

A Network of Support

Muolo stressed that his coaching staffs from high school to college has made him into the All-American track star that he is today.

"My coaches have helped me greatly from high school when I had Todd Lemoine, Ron Melkonian and Bob Powers to my current coaches Nora Lynch and Jim Jellison," Muolo said. "They have helped and supported me through any hard times that I came across during my time with them. I would have to say that without them pushing me on a daily basis I would not have accomplished what I have during my career."

Muolo is most proud of being able to compete during nationals this year and becoming All-American after just missing his chance to compete nationally in 2011.