Danielle Bambola, a standout women's golfer at SUNY Cortland from 2016-21, has been chosen as the recipient of the 2022 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Award of Valor. 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.

Danielle will be recognized by the conference and the SUNYAC Governing Body along with the other 2022 award recipients at the SUNYAC Awards Banquet in Syracuse in May. (UPDATE: Award was presented on June 13)
 
During her freshman year at Cortland in 2016, Danielle was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes following a bout of mononucleosis that left her in a coma for two days. After that, regular diabetic episodes required her to stop activity, rest, eat and/or inject insulin - often on the golf course. In addition, in the December of 2020 she contracted COVID-19 and her body went into diabetic ketoacidosis - a life-threatening condition in which the blood becomes acidic. She spent multiple nights in the hospital receiving emergency treatment.
 
Despite these challenges, Danielle thrived both on the golf course and in the classroom. She earned Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Division III second team All-America honors and first team All-East honors in both 2020 and 2021, and she capped her career in May 2021 with a 17th place finish out of 131 golfers at the NCAA Division III Women's Golf Championships.
 
Danielle received the 2020 WGCA Division III Kim Moore Spirit Award, a national honor presented to a student-athlete or coach who exhibits a great spirit toward the game of golf, has a positive attitude on and off the golf course, is a role model for their team, and demonstrates mental toughness in facing challenges.
 
Danielle is a three-time conference champion, winning Northeast Women's Golf Conference (NWGC) titles in the fall of 2019 and the spring of 2021, along with the 2018 Empire 8 crown. She won 20 career tournament titles, including all six tournaments in the spring of 2021 leading up to her qualifying as an individual for the NCAA Championships. She recorded 11 single rounds of 73 or better during her Red Dragon career, including a school-record 71 on three occasions, and her seven two-day totals of 148 or better include a school-record 144 in the fall of 2019.
 
Danielle earned a bachelor's degree in physical education in May 2020 with a 3.21 cumulative GPA and is currently has a 3.56 GPA as a graduate student pursuing a master's degree in health.