FREDERICKTOWN – Thomas Caputo’s state championship t-shirt hung on the edge of the table as he signed his National Letter of Intent for Youngstown State University on Friday, Dec. 11, at Fredericktown High School.
Caputo was joined by teammate Macy Thorne, who signed her NLI to run at Mount Vernon Nazarene University.
Caputo has yet to actually wear the shirt, allowing his mother to keep it as memento instead. He is the first state champion to come through the vaunted Fredericktown running program.
“I haven’t worn the shirt or the medal,” Caputo said. “I’m really not big on wearing my medals after races. I don’t plan on wearing it. My mom really likes it as a decoration in the house, so I let her have that.”
That humble mindset is what made Caputo such a great leader, Fredericktown cross country and track & field coach Bob Geiger said.
“To watch him grow up and see what he’s brought to the table as far as leadership and just how we do things,” he said. “He’s taught the guys how to act. The standard that he’s set. What he’s done for our program is, hopefully, take us from a program that’s always in the state meet to (a program that) can go to the next level.”
As for Thorne, she was a valued member of the girls program, which qualified for the state meet as a team for the first time in Division II last fall.
“Macy is that solid rock,” Geiger said. “She’s so dependable and her leadership is more through actions. She’s one we’re going to miss because she’s always been here and she’s always been dependable. She’s run in two state meets and has been an alternate for a third. So that’s good for her.”
MVNU was an easy choice for Thorne.
“The scenery is great,” she said. “It has a really good nursing program, which I wanted to go into anyway. They offered me great scholarship opportunities. So overall, it was just the best decision for me as well.”
Caputo wasn’t sure where he was going to college. He was told he would know when he stepped on campus if it was the right place for him.
He made his visit two weeks after the state meet.
“It felt like home,” he said. “I just had that feeling, and so I didn’t think twice about it. This was the only place I felt that, so it must be something special.”
Caputo’s work at Fredericktown isn’t done yet: he’ll run track in the spring. But in the meantime, he’s a key piece on the boys basketball team.
“Basketball is what keeps me competitive,” he said. “All my senior friends — we’ve all been playing together since we were really young. We all love to win and hate to lose. They all help me keep my competitive spirit sharp. That’s one thing that I just love about basketball.”
Having a state champion in the fold has been a big difference-maker for boys basketball coach Derek Dibling and the team.
“He’s one of a kind,” Dibling said. “He’s really one of the most energetic kids that we have. He brings it every day. He’s a competitor — as much as I’ve ever seen one. He’s just one of those pieces that just makes us go — especially on the defensive end. He sets the tone. He makes every guy around him better. He’s an invaluable piece.”
