FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 14, 2013
Courtesy of Assumption Athletics Communications
MILFORD, Mass. - Former Assumption College football standout Nick DiAntonio '12 has always been involved in the community and now is no different as he is currently serving as the co-head coach of the Milford (Mass.) Special Athletes Wrestling Team in his hometown of Milford, Mass. DiAntonio was an All-Region linebacker for the Hounds football team, as well as the 2012 Class Valedictorian.
"Seeing these athletes compete and succeed in a sport that has long been considered off-limits for them is beyond rewarding," said DiAntonio, who serves as the team's co-head coach with Dan Duest. "There is nothing that can match the excitement you feel when a student with intellectual disabilities conquers a challenge and proves to the world that those disabilities are incapable of holding them down."
On Saturday, November 16 at the Milford High School Gym, the team will be hosting a charity match at 6 p.m., with the proceeds going to benefit Milford Special Olympics. The match will feature the Milford Special Athletes Team, along with the Milford High School Club and New England Gold Club (Franklin, Mass.) teams.
The match will include cross-mat introductions, team warm-ups, entrance music and a DJ. In addition, Senator Richard T. Moore, Senate President Pro Tempore, will be honoring the Milford Special Athletes team members with Massachusetts Senate Citations in recognition for their hard work throughout the fall in preparing for this match.
This program is in its first year of existence and currently meets once a week in the Milford High School Wrestling room. Each of the athletes enrolled in the program has some sort of intellectual disability such as Down syndrome or Autism.
The event has received recognition on both the local and regional level, including a Boston Globe article which you can view here.
DiAntonio was also named the 2011-12 Northeast-10 Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
For more information on the Milford Special Athletes Wrestling Team, visit their official web site at www.milfordspecialathleteswrestling.weebly.com.