nicholas costanzo (2018)

Nick’s athletic journey began on the youth football and baseball fields of North Cheektowaga and the soccer fields at the Epic Center and St. Barnabas. From there, Nick’s journey took him to the wrestling mats and football field at Maryvale and then to Don Shula Stadium at John Carroll University. Nick’s distinguished athletic career has been defined not only by wins and personal accolades, but his character, work ethic and leadership.

Nick joined the Maryvale Varsity Football team as a sophomore and immediately became a two starter on the Offensive and Defensive lines. After his sophomore season, Nick won the Neil Bateman Award for Courage and Leadership and had laid the foundation for what was to become one of the most successful and decorated careers in Maryvale Football history. 

During his Junior season, Nick was named team Captain and started at Right Guard and Middle Linebacker. That Flyer team had a breakout season going 6-1 in league play before suffering a playoff loss to the eventual Section Winner (Dunkirk). For the season, Nick dominated both sides of the ball and accumulated 92 total tackles (11.5 per game), 8 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery on defense and became one of the best guards in WNY. He was recognized by WNY Football Weekly as a 4th Team All WNY OG and 1stTeam Class B OG and The Buffalo News 1st Team Class B OG. Additionally, Nick was honored as the Maryvale Flyers Defensive MVP and finished ranked 7th in Section VI and 67th in New York state in tackles. 

Nick was once again named team Captain for his Senior season and started at Right Guard and Middle Linebacker. Nick’s Flyer team once again finished the regular season 6-1 and made it to the Sectional Finals at Ralph Wilson Stadium where they lost to Cheektowaga in overtime. For the season, Nick once again dominated both sides of the football and accumulated 125 total tackles (12.5 per game), 5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble and 2 fumble recoveries. Nick finished the season ranked 2nd in Section VI and 6thin New York state in tackles. Nick’s outstanding season culminated with an impressive list of recognition. He was named 1st Team Class B All State LB by the NYSSWA, 2nd Team All WNY LB by The Buffalo News and WNY Football Weekly, Section VI Class B MVP, Class B Defensive Player of the Year by WGRZ and The Buffalo News, Shane Conlan Award as Co-Outstanding Linebacker of the Year in WNY and The Buffalo News All WNY All-Academic Team. Nick finished his Flyer football career as Maryvale’s all-time leader in tackles with 256. This record still stands today.

After Nick’s sophomore season of football ended, he decided to go out for the wrestling team as an additional way to stay in shape during the offseason. It wasn’t long after those first few practices that Nick discovered he had a genuine love for the sport and this would become a new obsession for him. After a sophomore season in which he learned all of the nuances and gained valuable experience in the sport, Nick became a force during his Junior and Senior seasons. Over the next two years, Nick placed 1stat ECIC’s, 2nd at Class Championships, 3rd at Class Championships, 4th at Sectionals. For his career, Nick finished with a 55-18 record. 

In addition to Nick’s athletic achievements, he was also an honor student for all four years of his Maryvale tenure. Nick finished with 3.90 GPA and made the High Honor Roll three times and Honor roll 13 times. After Maryvale, Nick continued his academic and athletic career at John Carroll University in University Heights, OH and the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). Nick was a five-year Varsity football player for the Blue Streaks and a starter at Defensive Tackle for 2 years. During his Senior season at JCU, Nick was named D3 All American Player Defensive Player of the Week and named to the All Ohio Athletic Conference 2nd Team for Defense. Nick was also voted as team Captain for his Senior season by his teammates. In 2022, Nick received his bachelor’s degree from John Carroll and will be graduating from their Boler School of Business in May with a master’s degree in accounting. Upon graduation, Nick will be joining the firm Deloitte LLP in Cleveland, Ohio.