Cortland senior defensive end Nick Lardaro (St. James/Smithtown East) has been honored as a national second team Division III Football Academic All-American for the 2024 season by the College Sports Communicators (CSC).
 
Lardaro is an adolescence education: mathematics major who began the fall semester with a 3.55 grade point average. He finished the season with 42 tackles, including 4.5 sacks and 11.5 total tackles for loss, along with five pass breakups, a forced fumble and 19 quarterback hurries.
 
Lardaro was recognized as an All-American by four different organizations after the season. He was a Division III first-team selection by both the Associated Press and by the Walter Camp Foundation, a second-team honoree by the American Football Coaches Association, and a third-team selection by D3football.com.
 
Cortland finished the season 11-1 overall. The Red Dragons were 10-0 in the regular season for just the third time in school history (1988 and 2021 previously) and, after earning a bye in the 40-team NCAA Division III playoffs, defeated Endicott in the second round before losing to Springfield in the third round to tie for ninth place.
 
Cortland student-athletes have now earned 43 Academic All-America honors, including 23 since 2011. Lardaro is the third Cortland football to be chosen as an Academic All-American, along with Dan Pitcher (2011) and Paul Alexander (1981).