Field Hockey, Softball
Favorite Athlete: Chase Utley
Favorite team: Philadelphia Phillies
Favorite memory competing in sports: Being named one of the top 11 softball players in over 50 high schools by the Trentonian in 2014
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: I forgot to pack my daily contacts for a major indoor field hockey tournament my freshman year and had to play the tournament without them.
Music on iPod: Ed Sheeran, the Killers
Future plans: Attend college and earn a PhD in STEM field, like biomedical engineering
Words to live by: “Determination determines your destination.”
One goal before turning 30: See the Great Wall of China
One thing people don’t know about me: I am terrified of spiders.
By Mary Jane Souder
Marguerite Salamone is hardly an imposing presence on the athletic field, but don't be fooled.
The diminutive Pennsbury senior - who measures in at 5-3 1/2 - is affectionately referred to as a “beast” by her coaches. It might well be one of the highest compliment an athlete could receive.
“I had her as a student in eighth grade, and she went at things in class like she goes after everything on the field,” Pennsbury softball coach Frank McSherry said. “She is just in attack mode all the time. It’s amazing, it really is, and she’s just a great kid on top of that too.”
“At practices and at games, she is always at 110 percent,” field hockey coach Jamie Parell added. “I have on multiple occasions said, ‘Wow, I wish everyone would go off of (her) example.’
“There’s no difference with her whether it’s a game or practice, and that’s what I love most because it’s hard to coach that.”
Salamone’s engine is always at full throttle, and it’s the reason why the Pennsbury senior has excelled – not in one but two sports – since she stepped on the field as a sophomore.
“I kept her as a freshman, and she saw a little bit of time, but she has just been a leader since the day I met her,” Parell said. “Not even a leader with her voice – just her skills.
“She has very good hand-eye coordination and very good dribbling skills. On the defensive end, she does not let you (get by her). There’s just no let up with her. She’s fun to watch.”
On the softball diamond, Salamone was thrust into emergency duty behind the plate as a sophomore when starter Dani Litwin was battling a shoulder injury.
“We were thinking we were gong to put her at second base or in the outfield, but she filled a need for us, that’s for sure,” McSherry said. “Last year it made sense for us to keep her there.
“She so quick back there. She blocks balls like crazy because she’s so quick and has such great lateral movement. Part of it is she anticipates well too. She anticipates where the pitch is supposed to be, and as a result, she’s kind of in motion before the pitch is completed. She knows where she should be, and she’s just so smart. She’s one of the smartest players I’ve ever coached.”
McSherry knew he was inheriting a special student-athlete before Salamone stepped onto the diamond.
“I had her in eighth grade English, and I knew how smart she was,” he said. “She certainly transferred that to the playing field as well.
“I’m lucky because I teach eighth grade, and I get to know her for five years.”
Softball was the first sport Salamone played competitively, although she admits she tried just about every sport she could.
“I even played flag football for a little bit when I was younger,” she said.
Salamone competed on both the travel softball and club field hockey circuit, most recently playing softball with the Philadelphia Spirit. She began playing with the Mystics field hockey club in ninth grade, and although it was a tough decision, field hockey looks to be a perfect fit for Salamone at the collegiate level.
“I really like both, but I’m kind of small for softball,” she said. “If you’re small, you usually should be super quick and a lefty, and that’s not me.”
What Salamone lacks in size she more than makes up for with skill and hustle.
“She goes up to the plate, and kids think, ‘Wow, look at this small kid,’” McSherry said. “She hits some rockets.”
The senior captain is a player teammates would do well to emulate.
“It’s phenomenal to have someone like her on the team,” Parell said. “People feed off of her.
“She is a leader with skill and voice, and there is little room left for error with her.”
“She just goes at things with such vigor,” McSherry said. “She just attacks – she’s constantly on the attack, and that’s a great thing in the classroom and on the playing field.”
For Salamone, assuming the role of captain was a natural one.
“It feels different in a way that there’s no one else to look up to and you’re the ones setting the bar,” she said. “I’ve always tried to just play – and if the girls have questions, encourage them, so it’s not that different than what I’m doing now.”
Competing in sports is just one small aspect of Salamone’s life. She is active in her school and her community, although getting her to talk about herself is no easy task – just ask her coaches.
“Marguerite won’t talk about herself, that’s for sure,” McSherry said.
“She’s almost embarrassed to be recognized or noticed,” Parell said. “She’s always appreciative, but she’s the most humble person too, which is awesome because obviously, she’s had a lot of accolades.”
Although her busy schedule prevents her from donating blocks of her time, Salamone has found a way to give back. She collects used sports equipment and then donates it to places that include the Children’s Home Society of New Jersey, the Salvation Army and the Bristol Township baseball and softball leagues.
“I came up with it because I wanted to do something, and I knew something like volunteering at a hospital would take a lot of time and a specific schedule that I didn’t have with sports,” said Salamone of a project she started as a freshman and continues to the present. “I kind of wanted to do something myself, so I basically went around with fliers and talked to friends and family.
“It was actually amazing because people really responded, and they were kind of happy to get some of the stuff out of their garages, so it worked out. I took whatever they offered. Some of the organizations would say – ‘We can’t take this,’ or ‘We can’t take that,’ but I found a place for everything.”
Salamone is also involved in peer mentoring at Pennsbury, which helps incoming freshmen acclimate to life at the high school. For the past two years, she has been a student representative on the school board and presents monthly reports at board meetings on the happenings at the high school. She has worked at both summer softball and field hockey camps.
A member of the National Honor Society, Salamone boasts a 4.82 grade point average. Last year she took two AP Calculus and Physics classes and is doing the same again this year.
She plans to pursue an engineering major and is leaning toward biomedical engineering with a career in medical research. Coming as no surprise, academics will play a significant role in her college decision, and Salamone, who will continue her hockey career at the collegiate level, is looking at an impressive list that includes Tufts and Johns Hopkins.
“Marguerite is a phenomenal student and athlete in so many ways,” Parell said. “She carries herself as a role model and leader on and off the field where not only students look up to her but members of the community as well.
“All of her accolades stand out because she doesn’t do them for recognition – she does them through her desire and kind heart. She’s just a great kid all around. I cannot say enough about her and feel honored I’ve gotten to know her so well throughout her high school career.”
