Relentlessly Positive
Goalie Mary Acho-Tartoni keeps the faith
By Steve Stein
She runs her own public relations company. She does marketing and communications for a family company.
She’s on the Michigan State House of Representative Youth Government Council for her district, is a four-year member of her high school’s student government, a qualifier for a national high school forensics competition in original oratory, and a 3.9 GPA student.
She has a passion for social justice and equality.
And, oh yes, she’s a captain of her high school’s field hockey team and one of the top goalies in the state, even though she didn’t play field hockey until she was a freshman in high school.
Meet 17-year-old Mary Acho-Tartoni of Farmington Hills, a senior at Farmington Hills Mercy High School, whose resume eclipses many others twice her age.
She’s been involved in so many activities and causes that she admits she’s had to learn to say “no” on occasion.
“Through some failures, I’ve learned to make better use of my time, to be more efficient,” she said. “I can’t do everything. I need to give 100% to everything that I do. And, of course, make time for family and friends.”
Her push for social justice and equality emanates from her family.
“I come from a family of immigrants,” she said. “I don’t think hate causes discrimination and a lack of equality. It’s a lack of education. We need to change the preconceived notions that people have of other cultures.”
Mercy field hockey coach Kristina Sikora is a huge fan of Acho-Tartoni. And not just because as a goalie, she’s so reliable as the team’s last line of defense.
“Mary is relentlessly positive. You can always hear her cheering on her teammates from the goal,” Sikora said. “She’s a pure leader, whether or not she’s wearing the captain’s band in that particular game.
“She works hard, is dedicated, and wants to win. And she’s very coachable.”
Acho-Tartoni’s uncle Jim Acho, a prominent Detroit area attorney, is another big fan.
“Mary is so driven to excel at everything she does: academics, athletics, helping people,” he said. “And she does it all with zero ego. Accolades and awards mean nothing to her. She’s very self-assured. Really a rare kid.”
Acho-Tartoni said she tried out for the Mercy field hockey program when she was a freshman to get involved in a school activity and create memories with her teammates.
She volunteered to play goalie even though she knew nothing about the position, and says she now loves having all the responsibilities that go with being a goalie.
Sikora said the story about Acho-Tartoni volunteering to play goalie says a lot about her.
“Mary always does whatever the team needs. I can’t say enough about her as a team player,” she said.
Mercy is one of the top high school field hockey teams in the state.
The Marlins were 10-2-2 heading into the Michigan High School Field Hockey League state tournament, which began the week of October 18.
Acho-Tartoni played in nine of her team’s 14 regular-season games. Her goals-against average was a microscopic 0.59 per game. She played 510 minutes and made more than 30 saves.
Mercy won the Catholic League playoffs, beating defending state champion Grosse Pointe University-Liggett and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood by identical 1-0 scores in its two games.
Acho-Tartoni had a shutout in each game, no doubt a big reason why she was recently named to the All-Catholic League team.
Playing goalie requires a mental toughness that Acho-Tartoni possesses.
"After each save, or if I give up a goal, I consider the score of the game to be 0-0," she said. "It doesn't matter if I gave up a fluke goal or made my best save ever. You have to start over."
With her high school field hockey career coming to an end, Acho-Tartoni looks back on it fondly.
“I can’t think of any group of girls I would have rather spent all this time with,” she said.
Acho-Tartoni is exploring her college options, which may include playing field hockey.
“Right now, I’m focusing more on academics than field hockey while trying to decide where I want to go to college,” she said.
She’s the youngest child of David Tartoni and Stephanie Acho-Tartoni. She has a sister Anne, 21, and a brother Michael, 19.
The sisters own the Detroit Chocolate Company, an online business.
Family and faith are important to Mary. She’s attended private schools all her life, going to Our Lady of Sorrows School in Farmington Hills from kindergarten through eighth grade before transitioning to Mercy.
“It’s important to have a strong faith life at home and at school,” she said. “I know it’s helped me keep my priorities in line and become the best person I can be.”