Suffolk County Student Athlete Of The Week: Smithtown West’s Maribella Marciano

SMITHTOWN, NY — Maribella “Bella” Marciano’s high school career did not fit into one season, one field or one role.

At Smithtown High School West, Marciano played lacrosse, basketball and soccer. She was a starting goalie in lacrosse, a defensive-minded guard in basketball and a do-everything soccer player who spent time at midfield, striker and goalie.

This summer, Patch is looking back at the student-athletes who helped define the 2025-26 sports seasons across Suffolk County.

This week’s Suffolk County Student Athlete of the Week is Marciano, a Smithtown West graduate who built her high school career around toughness, versatility and a willingness to do whatever her teams needed.

Marciano, 18, said lacrosse is her main sport and the one she will continue at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, where she plans to study finance and economics.

She played goalie for Smithtown West, a position she said gave her a different view of the game and of her teammates.

“I get to interact with everyone in the field from a different point of view than everyone else," Marciano told Patch.

Marciano started for Smithtown West for five years, beginning in eighth grade. Playing with older teammates who have since graduated and younger players who will carry the program forward.

“Getting to play with so many different grade levels from girls who graduated five years ago and girls who will graduate in five years was definitely a full-circle moment over the years," she said.

Her favorite lacrosse memory came in 2025, when Smithtown West won the Suffolk Class B county championship. Marciano said the title represented years of shared work by a group that had grown up together.

“That was just so special, and we definitely had worked towards that through the years growing up, Marciano said. "That was something we always wanted to accomplish. Being able to do that all together as a team was truly special.”

But Marciano’s athletic identity extended far beyond lacrosse. In basketball, she played guard. After playing junior varsity her first year, Marciano spent three years on varsity under Smithtown West girls basketball coach Katie Schroeder.

Marciano was a captain as a senior and earned All-League honors in basketball. She said she played significant minutes and embraced a defensive role.

“I was a defensive member of the team, which was definitely another unique role, like in lacrosse as well,” Marciano said.

Marciano was named an Unsung Hero in basketball and also received the White Letter award, given to a player whose contributions may not always show up in the box score.

Schroeder said Marciano’s senior night performance captured the kind of player she was.

“I jokingly thanked her for her ‘Josh Hart’ on senior night because she played like him, fearless and intentional, with the desire to do anything to win,” Schroeder said. “But it wasn’t Josh, it was Bella’s heart that made her incredible.”

For Marciano, the basketball program’s success during her junior year remains one of the highlights of her high school career. Smithtown West won a league championship and advanced to the county tournament, a breakthrough for the program.

“We had a lot of success my junior year as well,” Marciano said. “We were league champions. We made it to counties for the first time. It was so much fun.”

Basketball also helped her in lacrosse, she said, especially with positioning and awareness. Marciano said playing multiple sports made each one better.

“Getting to play multiple sports, I think, is so important,” she said. “Basketball really showed me that because it translates over to lacrosse as well.”

Soccer was the third piece of Marciano’s athletic life. She played midfield, striker and goalie at different points, moving wherever she was needed.

The sport, like basketball and lacrosse, was something she had played since childhood. Marciano said she grew up in a sports family, following the example of her older brother, Arturo, and her father, Lou, who coached her in youth sports.

Marciano played soccer with the Smithtown Kickers, lacrosse with Smithtown Youth PAL and basketball with St. Patrick’s. Her father coached her youth basketball teams and also helped coach her in soccer and lacrosse as she grew up.

Marciano said being a three-sport athlete was time-consuming, but she never viewed that as a burden

“It was definitely time-consuming, but it was also my favorite part of every day, being on the field and the court with all of my best friends,” Marciano said. “After soccer season, I look forward to basketball. After basketball, I look forward to lacrosse, and after lacrosse, I look forward to soccer after the summer. So it was always something that I’ve always loved doing.”

That experience is why Marciano encourages younger athletes not to specialize too early or give up a sport too quickly.

“Do multiple sports,” Marciano said. “Everyone has their own reasons for quitting a sport, and it’s never worth it. There’s nothing more special than playing multiple sports, especially for your home high school team.”

She said the high school years move quickly and should be appreciated while they are happening.

“Cherish every moment,” Marciano said. “It goes by so fast. I miss it still. Just be grateful for every moment you get with your teammates and on the field and the court.”

Marciano said her coaches shaped much of that experience. She pointed first to lacrosse coach Vincenza Daniels, who coached her for four years and guided the group through its county championship run.

“She was so awesome,” Marciano said. “We always say she got to watch us grow up, and we also got to watch her do so much because she got married while she was coaching us, and she was pregnant on the sidelines of our county championship and had her daughter the week after. Her sacrifice towards our team— she did so much for us, and I think we always tried to do so much for her as well, as a team.”

Marciano also credited Schroeder, who coached her in basketball for three varsity seasons.

“She cares so much about all of us, and she loves basketball,” Marciano said. “She loves Smithtown West. She lives for it every year. She’s a really special coach to me.”

Outside athletics, Marciano stayed busy. Marciano was DECA president during her senior year and reached nationals as a junior. She also participated in Relay For Life, the American Cancer Society event run through the school, and was part of the event leadership team for three years.

Now, Marciano is preparing for the next step at Lehigh. She said she is looking forward to the higher level of college competition, but also to joining a new community after growing up in one that helped prepare her.

“I’m definitely looking forward to the high level of competition at the collegiate level,” Marciano said. “But I think Smithtown and just being part of such a strong community athletically and a strong community outside of sports has definitely prepared me for that, and I’m very excited to start new communities and new relationships in a new place.”

What she will miss most, she said, is the group of friends and teammates who were with her through all those seasons.

“All my friends, we’ve all grown up playing sports together,” Marciano said. “We’re all so close. We all have played every sport together growing up, and I’m definitely going to miss playing with them. But I’m excited to follow all of them and see what they’ll do in their next chapters as well.”

This summer, Patch is looking back at the student-athletes who defined the 2025-26 sports seasons across Suffolk County. The series highlights standout athletes, team leaders and competitors whose achievements extended beyond the scoreboard.

Do you know a Suffolk County student-athlete who should be featured in a future Student Athlete of the Week profile? Coaches, athletic directors, school district officials and families can send nominations, standout accomplishments and photos to Kepherd Daniel at kdaniel@patch.com for consideration.