LYNNFIELD —  It’s official. A.J. Chiaradonna is taking his lacrosse talent to Salem State University. In front of several family members and an enthusiastic group of friends and teammates in the Lynnfield High gymnasium, Chiardonna signed a letter of commitment Friday afternoon.

“It was great having my friends and teammates here to share this,” Chiaradonna said. “Part of the decision was the fact that I’ll be close to home and family. My dad and my grandmother went there and coach (Alex) Soden went there, so I’m really familiar with the school and I am really excited about playing there.”

Chiaradonna, who plans to major in business, was also being recruited by Lynn University in Florida and UMass Amherst.

“Heavy consideration was given to both of those schools,” Chiaradonna said.

Lynnfield head lacrosse and football coach Pat Lamusta said Chiaradonna was already beginning to impress both high school and college coaches during his sophomore year after freshman year was lost to the pandemic. 

His efforts were recognized with a selection to the Cape Ann League All-Star First Team in 2022. He led the Pioneers in ground balls last year, despite being tasked with covering opponents’ top attackmen.

“When you think about the Lynnfield High athletes in the Class of 2024, you are going to bring up A.J. Chiaradonna,” Lamusta said. “He’s been one of the faces of that grade since they came here. They didn’t have a freshman season, but as a sophomore, he made an immediate impact and was noticed around the league and by college coaches even back then. He had an impressive resume and played down in Baltimore in a big all-star game, so he had a reputation on the national scene. He was awesome for us in football, too. You could just count on him in both sports for his physicality.”

Lamusta said for a guy with size, Chiaradonna also brings speed to the table.

“It’s been tremendous to have that on the lacrosse team – to be able to have that combination of size and speed and physicality all at the same time,” Lamusta said. “He’s also built a reputation as a leader, especially in terms of communication.”

Vikings head coach Stephen Driscoll said he is excited about the upcoming season and knows that Chiaradonna will be a valuable addition to the team. The team won just one game last year, in part due to injuries to four key players, but he is confident that things are looking up.

He first saw Chiaradonna two summers ago at a tournament and said he has also been fortunate to watch him with his high school team last year and throughout the summer. “A.J. is going to come in and be a straight lockdown defender and one of our leaders on defense,” Driscoll said. “He’s exactly the type of player that we are looking for at Salem State in terms of not only that local tie, but also that hard-nose attitude that he understands how important it is to work really hard and know the work that needs to be put in.”

Chiaradonna said he expects to help “turn things around” for the Vikings.

“I know we can have some great seasons there if we put in the time and effort and work hard,” he said.

With his decision now in the rearview mirror, Chiaradonna’s focus is on the spring season. The senior captain is making sure he’s doing his part in making sure the team is prepared with an aggressive offseason workout program.

“I think we are looking strong. Will Norton is going to be our leader in terms of goals this year; Aidan Norton is going to be big on defense and Ben Pimental will be making some great saves for us,” Chiaradonna said. “I think we will have a great season. We’re working out, we’re practicing, going on the field as much as possible, and are running captains’ practices, so we are doing as much as we can to make sure everyone is ready to play.”

Lamusta couldn’t agree more.

“I think he’s got the guys really excited about the spring season,” Lamusta said.