North County Male Athlete of the Week: Matthew Cheung

Name: Matthew Cheung

Class: Junior

School: Mount Greylock

Sport: Cross Country

On Sept. 7, Cheung captured first place in a tri-meet at Mount Greylock Regional High School, conquering the 4-kilometer course in a personal-best 13 minutes, 53 seconds. He crossed the finish line 44 second before Lenox’s Scott Carpenter, who happens to be the defending Berkshire County champion.

On Sept. 11, Cheung had a great showing at the Ed Springstead Invitational in Colonie, N.Y., placing 10^th out of 64 runners, most of whom are Division I athletes. His 5K mark of 16:17 was one minute faster than his time on the same course in 2009.

On Sept. 15, Cheung again topped Carpenter but this time on Lenox’s home turf. The Mounties’ No. 1 runner took first overall in 17:10, edging his friendly rival by 5 seconds.

Cheung shared a few moments in between victories this past week to answer some pressing questions, such as ‘What’s your favorite TV show?” So, Matt, what is your favorite show?

Favorite TV Show? “The Office (U.S. version)”

Favorite character on The Office? “Probably Dwight. He’s hilarious.”

Favorite subject in school? “AP Physics”

Favorite pro athlete? “Russian marathon runner Emil Zatopek”

If someone gave you $1 million, what’s the first thing you’d do with it? “I’d put it in the bank, many banks actually. I’d save it up and probably invest in some stocks.”

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? “Definitely somewhere in Europe. I went to Italy last year, and it was definitely one of the best times of my life.”

Favorite place to eat in the Berkshires? “Michael’s Restaurant and Pizzeria (in Williamstown)”

Do you have a hidden talent? “I’ve recently been playing piano. I just started taking lessons, and I played every day over the summer. It’s fun.”

Toughest athlete you’ve ever competed against? “On my team, it’s Will Kirby. In the league, it’s definitely Scott Carpenter. He’s always pushing me to work harder and run faster.”

Dream job? “I want to be an orthopedic surgeon. When I sprained my ankle last year before the postseason, my doctor really put me on the right track so I could heal faster. That really inspired me to want to get into the medical field. Plus, my dad is a doctor.”

Favorite athletic memory? “During a practice a few years ago, it was late in the fall and (former Mount Greylock runner) Patrick Joslin and I were running in the woods, and it was snowing pretty hard. It just looked really cool. It was cold; the snow was freezing to our shirts.

“I really looked up to [Joslin], so it was a really cool experience to share that moment running together.”

Coach’s take on Cheung: “He’s one of the top students in his class, if not the top. He’s just a great kid, and he has a great attitude. He had a really great summer of training. He knows that you win races by working in July and August.” (Mount Greylock boys’ cross country coach Scott Burdick)

 *Hoosac Valley senior Ali Hill (girls' soccer) is our iBerkshires North County female athlete of the week. Check back in the next couple days to find out about Hill's recent accomplishments*

*Also, Drury senior Mike Tatro had an unbelievable showing last week in the Blue Devils' victory over Taconic. Check out Ryan Holmes' profile on the Drury quarterback*