Emily Morano has hit a major milestone of 1000 career points following their SUNYAC Championship win on Saturday night. While Morano is most known for her success on the basketball court, that is not all she has to offer to SUNY Cortland Athletics. She is a two-sport athlete for Cortland. Along with basketball, Morano is also key player on the women’s tennis team.
Deciding to pursue not one but two college level sports, is very demanding. Morano is familiar with the discipline, and the challenges that come with being a two-sport college athlete.
“There’s so much time and dedication that is required while being in season for one sport that it is hard to think about the beginning of another season,” Morano said. “And as one of my seasons comes to an end, another begins, and recovery time is very hard to find. It is definitely one of the major challenges I face here at Cortland”
Finding a balance between school, social life, and even personal time can be very overwhelming. Adding the demands of two sports on top of an already busy schedule can make navigating day to day life that much more difficult. While excelling in these two sports, Morano still finds time to stay on top of schoolwork and maintain a social life.
“Whether it’s my schoolwork, practice times, or meetings that I need to attend, going through the list and checking off everything that has been completed is a way I keep myself in line and not allowing for any assignments or meetings to be missed.”
Morano is currently in basketball season, where she had a successful season so far. Throughout the season she has consistently been a key player for the red dragons on both ends of the court. So far in the 22-23 season, Morano put up a recorded 322 points for Cortland. She was even recognized as SUNYAC women’s basketball player of the week, following a win against Oneonta. Morano has helped lead her team to the SUNYAC playoff tournament, where they will play Oneonta for the 3rd time this season in the semi-final game on Friday (2/24).
Morano’s success as a red dragon does not end on the basketball court. She was also a key player on the tennis team for SUNY Cortland this season. During the 2022 tennis season, Morano was named SUNYAC Women’s Tennis Doubles Team of the Week, with her partner Isabella Bonapace. The two finished the season with a record of 6-2.
“I rarely find it difficult to focus on the sport that I am currently in season for.” Said Morano. “Even though I do miss out on things with each team while in other seasons. Things such as playing pickup, team lifting, or even just hanging out with the girls as team bonding.”
Basketball or tennis, Morano has proven she puts her all into whatever season she is in. While she does find herself having to miss out on team activities, she does not let this get her down, or prevent her from excelling on both the basketball and tennis court. Being a student athlete in college is demanding, schedules are busy, deadlines are overwhelming, but with her strong work ethic and routines Emily Morano continues to excel at Cortland, both in the classroom and on the courts.