MICHAEL ITALIANO SET TO PLAY LACROSSE AT OHIO STATE

Like many of today’s top lacrosse players, Michael Italiano didn’t set out as a youngster to become a lacrosse star.  In fact, Michael’s favorite sport early on was ice hockey.  One day he came across a flyer at St. Gabriel Catholic School promoting Mecklenburg Youth Lacrosse (MYL).  After some thought, he asked his parents to sign him up and the rest is history.

Michael, the son of Stephen and Amy Italiano, has developed his lacrosse skills to the point of becoming one of the top lacrosse players in the state.  His play the last few seasons attracted the attention of colleges across the country.  Just last month, the Charlotte Catholic junior committed to play lacrosse at Ohio State University, adding another feather to the Charlotte lacrosse community cap!

Michael plays the Middle Attack position and always forces the opponent to keep a close eye on his whereabouts.  Last season for Charlotte Catholic, he scored 22 goals with 28 assists as a tenth grader.  Michael was honored with All Conference recognition and named to the Queen City Top 50 Underclass Team.

It wasn’t until after the school lacrosse season that Michael realized he would truly have a chance to play Division 1 lacrosse in college.   After attending the Top Star Lacrosse Camp at historic Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, the offers began to roll in.   He performed well at the prestigious camp with some of the best players in the country.  Michael thought long and hard before giving the early commitment to Ohio State.

 When asked why he chose The Buckeyes. Michael said, “If you ask my parents they would say for the academic support, but I choose OSU for several reasons, I connected immediately with Coach Meyers and his coaching staff.  Ohio State has a great support program for their student-athletes.   I was very impressed with their outstanding facilities.  Jesse Owens Stadium, indoor practice field, their weight room was amazing and they have an awesome student fitness and activity center. They have a Sports and Leisure Major, which is what I want to study.  It was just a perfect fit for me.”

Michael also considered Maryland, Navy, Salisbury, Bellarmine and Belmont Abby.

Michael credits his experience with Team Charlotte as playing a big part in improving his talent for the next level. Team Charlotte is one of the top lacrosse showcase teams.

“It’s hard to get better or get exposed to recruiters if you don't take part in some type of travel team.  Team Charlotte leader Mike Desmond is the real reason I was able to go on and play at the next level.  If you stick with him, he will expose you to so much.  I owe him a lot of thanks and gratitude for his hard work and commitment to organizing such great programs for lacrosse in Charlotte.”

With the college commitment now behind him, Michael can focus on helping the Charlotte Catholic Cougars challenge for a state title.

“We lost a lot of talented players to graduation, but we still have a lot left on the field.  We have a decent shot at going back to the state championship as well as doing well at the Queen City Championship.
Our coach, Bo Turner does a great job keeping us focused on our goals.”

Adding to the impressive accomplishments on the field for Michael is the fact that he was diagnosed with ADHD and Dyslexia in the tenth grade.  With accommodations now in place, and his tutor, Noreen Zito, plus a lot of hard work, Michael is now very successful in the classroom.  He has earned many A’s and B’s and is really enjoying history class this year.

 The South Charlotte Sports Report would like to send our congratulations to Michael Italiano for working hard on the lacrosse field and in the classroom to find success.   With two more years to play in high school, Michael has a chance to become one of the top lacrosse players ever in the area.  Good luck this season!