ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Chantel Mattiola

As any Hopkins affiliate
knows, the academics at
JHU are rigorous, intensive
and time consuming. It
would not be an exaggeration
to say that a typical
daily schedule comprises
of sleeping, eating, studying
and then repeating the
aforementioned activities
(sometimes without the
sleep).
That's why participating
in extracurriculars and
social activities here is not
an easy undertaking. Varsity
sports, in particular,
present a monumental
challenge to those who
wish to not only excel in
their given sport but also
in academics. Chantel
Mattiola, currently in her
senior year at Hopkins,
manages to not only pursue
both a major and a minor
but also to serve as a
co-captain on the women's
basketball team.
With four outstanding
seasons as a Blue Jay under
her belt,
Mattiola has
been named
The News-Letter's
Athlete
of the Week.
Mattiola cocaptained
the
Lady Jays to
a 24-5 overall
record and
regular season
Centennial
Conference
title. In addition,
Mattiola
led the the
Jays in points per game
with 12.3 and was also the
team leader in free throws
made and three-pointers
made. Mattiola made 53
shots from behind the arc
this winter, good for an astounding
65 percent of the
team's total tre-balls.
In the NCAA tournament,
in which Hopkins
advanced to with an atlarge
bid for the second
consecutive year, Mattiola
scored 10 points in the firstround
against the University
of New England. She
also drained 13 in the Jays'
final game of the season
against Tufts University in
the round of 32.
We recently chatted
with number thirty-two to
discuss what it's like to be
both a part of the basketball
team and a part of Hopkins.
The News-Letter (N-L):
Where are you from, and
why did you decide to
come to Hopkins?
Chantel Mattiola (CM):
I'm from Collegeville,
PA, about thirty minutes
outside Philly. I chose
Hopkins because of its renowned
academics, urban
location and I was also
being recruited by [head]
Coach [Nancy] Funk. It
was a win-win situation.
N-L: What major did
you decide to pursue here?
CM: My major is International
Relations and my
minor is Women, Gender,
and Sexuality Studies. I
have always been interested
in diverse cultures,
along with human rights,
human security and development.
I truly believe
the combination of
my academics propelled
me to pursue activism
on the topics
and issues
I am most
p a s s i o n a t e
about.
N-L: How
did you first
get into basketball?
CM: I started
playing
when I was
six years old.
I don't really
r e m e m b e r
why I wanted
to play, but
my dad tells
me that I went
up to him
one day and
said, 'I want
to play basketball.' My dad
is the only guy in a house of
all females, so he probably
jumped on that opportunity
real quick. Let's just say he
has been my number one
fan since then.
N-L: Do you have a favorite
position or a favorite
thing about basketball?
CM: I'm a point guard at
heart, but I have been the
shooting guard the past
couple years.
N-L: Did you have any
personal goals for your last
season?
CM: {Seniors] Steph
{Fong], Kat [Fox] and I were
named captains for this
season, so my number one
goal, personally, was to
make sure I was a respectable
captain and teammate.
Especially with a large
freshman class; it was really
important to me that everyone
felt welcomed and
like a part of the team.
N-L: Did you have any
particular team goals for
the season?
CM: Our team goals for
this season were to show
up every day at practice,
be ready to work hard and
to push each other to get
better. We never sat down
and wrote out any specific
goals for where we wanted
to be at the end of the season,
but just like every other
team in our conference
we wanted to make it to the
Championship game.
I think what made us
so successful this year was
taking one game at a time
and never looking past the
opponent we had in front
of us. Our season is very
long, about five months, so
it also helped that our team
was so close and comfortable
with each other.
Finishing my career
with a season like this onegetting
to the conference
championship and the second
round of NCAA's with
a great group of girls and
coaching staff - I couldn't
have asked for anything
better.
N-L: Do you hope to
continue to play basketball
competively, recreationally
or otherwise?
CM: I definitely think
I will take a bit of a break
from basketball for now,
but I'm sure I will be playing
in pick up games whenever
I get the chance.