Siena College will benefit from Alto’s stick skills

By Walter J. O’Neill, Jr
December 23, 2020
When Dale Alto, senior at Ocean Township High School, was asked what he thinks his greatest skill as an elite athlete is on the lacrosse field, his answer was stick skills. On December 16, Alto signed his national letter of intent and will continue his lacrosse career at Siena College.

The liberal arts college in Loudonville, New York is happy to have Alto join the “Saint” Bernard squad. During the 2018 season, Siena finished 6-7 and were 3-4 in their division. They scored a total of 168 goals on 590 shots. So the stick skills of Alto will be a welcomed addition.

In high school Alto wears number 6, but in his summer lacrosse league he chose number 43. “I picked both numbers based solely on the way they look. I prefer 43 because it is not a common number and I like the fact that I am one of the few who wear it,” said Alto.

When asked if he had any pregame rituals or if he was superstitious, he said not really. “I do not have any specific pregame rituals, I just make sure I drink lots of water, stretch out a lot before a game,” added Alto. But upon reflection, he did come up with one routine. “If there was one thing I do every time, it’s making sure my shorts are rolled a lot. It makes me feel more explosive and it looks good.”

As Alto prepares for the next level of competition he had an opportunity to look back on his career days as a Spartan. “My best memory by far was our playoff game against Brick Memorial. I scored the game-tying goal in the fourth quarter and then the winner in overtime,” said Alto. According to him it was the biggest adrenaline rush he ever felt. “My worst memory would be getting kicked in the head after I was blindsided by a Middletown South player.” What really stung Alto was the no call by the official and the fact he had to sit out the rest of the game. On the bright side of the blindside attack, Ocean won the game ending the long winning streak of the Eagles.

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Another of his attributes on the playing field is his ability to shoot. He said that goes hand-in-hand with stick skills. “Ever since I was young I always wanted to use a radar gun and have always wanted to have a fast shot. I worked really hard to get my left as good as my right, and I am now comfortable with both hands and can shoot very fluently and fast with both,” said Alto.

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He also added that over his four years of scholastic and summer lacrosse his game has advanced not only in is ability to shoot, but on the defensive side of the action. He has become a more versatile player in transition, and his one-on-one defense.

Why Siena College? “I thought I would fit in extremely well with everything from the atmosphere to the players and coaches,” Alto said. It is a small school, which is something that was important to him. “They have my exact desired major, finance and their business school looked very upscale. During my visit the coaches were extremely outgoing as well as the players and I knew those were the type of people I wanted to be around for the next four years of my life.”

In five years, Alto hopes to see himself with a job in corporate finance and hopefully preparing for an MBA. “I want to pursue finance and learn the stock market and definitely get my MBA. I think these are all realistic goals and I hope that is where I am in five years,” added Alto.

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