07/02/2025
Throughout his 13 seasons with the SUNY Cortland men’s soccer program, head coach Steve Axtell ’08, M ’14 has built a program known for overcoming challenges and serving others.
Axtell put the culture into practice recently, joining more than 120 stand-up paddleboarders on June 22 for The Crossing for Cystic Fibrosis, an 80-mile journey from Bimini, Bahamas to Lake Worth Beach, Florida — longer than the distance from Syracuse to Binghamton.
Partnering with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Central New York Chapter, Axtell raised more than $2,500 to not only participate in the event, but also include 12-year-old Noah Bowen, a young Binghamton resident who lives with his mother, Amanda, and has cystic fibrosis (CF). Noah will be an honorary member of Cortland’s men’s soccer team during the 2025 season.
“It’s hard to understand how much people struggle with CF because you don’t see it,” Axtell said. “I knew nothing about CF but learned it all in a matter of eight weeks. I have three daughters, and I can’t imagine how hard that would be as a parent.”
Throughout his training, Axtell would listen to the story of the Piper’s Angels Foundation, the organization that originated The Crossing in 2013. Piper’s Angels Foundation founder and CEO Travis Suit started the organization after his daughter, Piper, was diagnosed with CF at 4. The organization has raised more than $3.9 million during the 13-year history of the event, in which only 975 paddlers have braved the trek across the Straits of Florida.
Upon arriving in Bimini, Axtell and Noah participated in several activities, including a rose ceremony that paid tribute to past, present and future individuals who are affected by CF.
“He had this huge, three or four-day experience that helped his perspective with CF. He saw himself in a bigger community that he doesn’t normally see,” Axtell said. “It was just amazing to see all of that come to fruition.”
Once on the water, Axtell was not only challenged by the physical trials inherent from a 14-hour trek across open waters, but also unexpected environmental dangers. Axtell faced swells of five to six feet, severe sea sickness and a lightning storm that forced event officials to relocate the paddlers five miles outside of the original path to continue.
“It was exhausting. It never stopped,” Axtell said. “The (lightning) storm was the loudest, brightest, scariest thing. I could taste the adrenaline in my sweat. There was a point where I was laying on my board and looking up at the sky. But after a minute, I told myself to keep paddling, we’re not going to finish thinking like that.”
Axtell plans to apply the lessons learned from his journey into practice as the Red Dragons welcome Noah onto the sidelines during the upcoming season, which kicks off Friday, Aug. 29. The squad’s first home game takes place Saturday, Sept. 6, against Vassar.
“If you truly have gratitude towards the community that you’re in, you want to give back to it. I want Noah to always feel like my family, our team and our alumni will have his back,” Axtell added. “My hope is that it’s not just a thing for this fall, but it’s something we can provide for him until he graduates and carves his own path.”
As Axtell’s focus shifts to the Red Dragons and their upcoming season, he remains engaged with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Central New York Chapter. He plans to continue to advocate for individuals with CF not only through the team’s relationship with Noah, but by encouraging others to take the same approach that helped spark a life-changing adventure.
“I would love for more people to hear this story and then spend a half hour to research cystic fibrosis,” Axtell said. “If people read this story, do their own research and educate themselves on it, I would call that a win.”