Football | 1/30/2025 12:30:28 PM
Senior defensive lineman Nick Lardaro of SUNY Cortland was named to the 2024 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America® Football NCAA Division III Team, which recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. Lardaro was a second team selection.
The 2024 Academic Academic All-America® Football Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. In order to be eligible for both All-District and All-American consideration, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore academically, hold a 3.30 cumulative GPA or above and be a starter or important reserve for their respective teams.
Lardaro, who has a 3.55 grade-point average as an adolescence education major with a concentration in mathematics capped off an incredible season in 2024. Lardaro earned Division III All-America honors this season from four different organizations - he was an Associated Press first team selection, a second team AFCA honoree and a third team D3football.com choice and Walter Camp honor. He was the 2024 Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-E8 first team honors for the fourth time.
Lardaro registered 42 tackles, 20 solo, in 12 games. He had 11.5 tackles for loss, including 4.5 sacks, along with five pass breakups, 19 quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. He made six tackles each in road wins at Susquehanna and Brockport and five stops in a home victory versus St. John Fisher. In the win over Susquehanna, a current national semifinalist, Lardaro also forced a fumble with less than four minutes left and Cortland clinging to a 33-31 lead in the Red Dragons' eventual 40-38 victory.
In 46 career games, Lardaro registered 140 tackles, including 24 sacks and 48.5 total tackles for loss, in addition to 11 pass breakups, five forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, an interception and a blocked kick.
The Division II and III CSC Academic All-America® programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2024-25 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs. The NAIA CSC Academic All-America® program is partially financially supported through the NAIA national office.ember.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
EMPIRE 8 SOCIAL MEDIA
YouTube –
Facebook –
Twitter –
Instagram