Cortland's Nick Marola Receives SUNYAC Award of Valor

06/05/2024

Nick Marola, a fitness development major from Saratoga, N.Y., and the starting shortstop for the SUNY Cortland baseball team, has been honored as a recipient of the 2024 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Award of Valor.

Marola chose to have his cheek swabbed at a NMDP (formerly the National Marrow Donor Program) event and was later identified as a match for a 45-year-old leukemia patient and father. During the early portion of the 2024 baseball season he went through a lengthy process to make a bone marrow blood donation.

“I really was thrilled that I could potentially do something so that he can be back playing in the yards with his kids in due time,” Marola said. “That’s what it was all about for me.”

The procedure included injections to boost his stem cell count that had to be administered an hour and a half drive away from the team's hotel during the Red Dragons' spring break trip to California in March, limiting his playing time during the week. The process continued with blood draws when he returned to New York.

Marola was recognized by the conference and the SUNYAC Governing Body, along with the other 2024 award recipients, at the SUNYAC Awards Banquet in Syracuse on June 3. The award, which originated in 2003, is presented to those who have used perseverance, dedication and determination to overcome a life-altering event, and whose ability to overcome obstacles has served as an inspiration to others.

SUNYAC award winners, from left, Steve Beville, retired Red Dragons lacrosse coach, Tom Spanbauer, retired Red Dragons basketball coach, and Nick Marola stand with Mike Urtz, SUNY Cortland's director of athletics.

“The only real discomfort is just the injections, which make you feel like you have a baby flu,” Marola said. “But like I’ve been saying to my friends and family, it pales in comparison to what these patients have to go through with chemo treatments and the other effects of dealing with these cancers, so it really puts it in perspective.”

Marola was able to play the remainder of the season for the Red Dragons. He especially shined during the SUNYAC tournament in early May, batting .571 (8-for-14) with three homers, two doubles, three walks, eight RBI and eight runs scored. His performance earned him a spot on the conference all-tournament team.

"I'm hoping what I went through allows me to spread more awareness about the NMDP," Marola said. "With the help of SUNYAC Commissioner Tom DiCamillo, I'd like to see more testing done on other SUNY campuses."