CORTLAND, NY (607NewsNow) – A group of SUNY Cortland students is receiving recognition.

The Student Activities Board (SAB) was honored earlier this month at the National Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities (APCA) conference in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

The SAB won the National Marjoree Harper Event of the Year Award for its work on the 2025 Cortaca Jug Pep Rally. The event took place on November 14, 2025, on Main Street in the Crown City, marking the second consecutive year the SAB has partnered with the City of Cortland.

“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 Assistant Director of Campus Activities Kyle Cannon.

The rally featured performances from local and SUNY Cortland dance groups, live music, carnival games, raffles, a mechanical bull, and an appearance by the school mascot Blaze.

Seven students from the SAB attended the conference to learn about accessibility, marketing, and event management. They were unaware they’d won an award.

“There was a lot of excitement, and honestly a bit of disbelief at first,” said Juliana Franco, who chaired major events for the 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.”

The APCA previously named the SUNY Cortland SAB the 2024 Programming Board of the Year.

Read more from SUNY Cortland here.