03/23/2026
Cortaca’s famed status as “the biggest little game in the nation” helped SUNY Cortland earn a trophy off the field at the National Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities (APCA) Conference held March 5-8 in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
The university’s Student Activities Board (SAB) took home the National Marjoree Harper Event of the Year Award for the 2025 Cortaca Pep Rally.
The annual event, designed to fire up football fans on and off campus ahead of the Red Dragons’ showdown with Ithaca College, was held on Main Street in Cortland. It marked the second year SAB has partnered with the city to host the event in the downtown area.
It was also the second time the SAB has been honored at the APCA, winning Programming Board of the Year two years ago.
“Over the past four years, the pep rally has become a key program within SAB’s Cortaca week of events, serving as the culmination of the weeklong celebration of Red Dragon pride and support for our SUNY Cortland football team,” said Kyle Cannon, assistant director of campus activities.
The seven students who represented Cortland at the conference attended sessions that taught them about accessibility, marketing and other keys to event management. Winning the Event of the Year honor was an unexpected bonus.
“There was a lot of excitement, and honestly a bit of disbelief at first,” said Juliana Franco, the major events chair for SAB at the time of the rally. “We knew how much work went into planning the event, but to see it recognized on a national level was incredibly rewarding.”
She said the honor reflects the work of the SAB team and support received from the wider Cortland community.
“I’m especially grateful to have worked with such a dedicated executive board and group of volunteers who helped bring the rally to life,” Franco added.
This year’s rally featured performances by local and SUNY Cortland dance groups, live entertainment from the Cooper Greer Band, carnival games and attractions that included a mechanical bull, raffles, a street performer and the school’s mascot, Blaze.
Cannon, who submitted the nomination for the event, estimated that this year’s pep rally drew hundreds of students and hundreds of community members to Main Street.
Franco and senior Shannon O’Sullivan, president of SAB, described months of prep work. Performers were booked as early as March for the event held in November. Coordinating with campus groups, communicating with vendors and managing logistics on a timeline were crucial.
“There’s a point within the event where you can kind of just sit back and let the event run, and it is deeply emotional in that way as well,” O’Sullivan said. “We’ve worked so hard for so long and now I could just watch everyone enjoy themselves and having that sense of pride is one of the most rewarding things that I’ve ever done.”
She described goals that SAB has for every campus event: stay organized, stay on schedule, communicate and engage as many students as possible. O’Sullivan said she’s inspired to give campus the same kind of experience she had after transferring to SUNY Cortland her sophomore year.
“Getting involved on campus and attending activities made me really love this school and made me want to stay and become as involved in campus life as I possibly could be,” she said. “My goal is to have this same effect on at least one other student because it completely changed who I am as a person.”