Ten Argenziano cousins have studied at either NYU or Columbia University (five at each institution) with two pairs of siblings currently student-athletes at NYU. Joe and Nick Argenziano are cousins and both in their final month of graduate school. Joe’s sister Elizabeth is a soccer student-athlete who is completing her junior year, while Nick’s brother Dan is a sophomore and the third Argenziano to be on the baseball team.
Joe was the first one to choose NYU. “I went to all the baseball camps I could. I knew I wanted to go to a high academic school no matter what happened with baseball. Coach (then assistant baseball coach Thomas) Cardona was the first person I talked to and from that conversation, I knew NYU would be high on my list,” he recalled. “At the end of my junior year, Coach (head baseball coach Doug) Kimbler told me he wanted me to come play for NYU. It was a good decision for me. I have been here six years, and I don’t regret the choice at all.”
Nick is glad he followed his cousin to NYU but made the decision much later. “My recruiting process was complicated. I was aiming to play Division I baseball but there was never an opportunity to do that somewhere that made sense in terms of academics, location, or playing time,” he described. “I did have interest in New York City from the beginning of my search in my sophomore year. My dad worked in the city and an older brother went to Columbia. I liked the idea of staying close to home (Closter, New Jersey) as I am a little bit of a homebody.”
“I was interested in NYU because of Joe and Nick being at the school and I loved visiting them. We came into the city a lot when we were growing up and I liked the idea of having an older brother and cousin in New York City. I knew it would be a great place for me and them being there made me feel a lot safer also,” Elizabeth explained.
Dan found his decision to attend NYU to be the easiest of the four. “I had known Coach Kimbler since my freshman year of high school when Nick was on the team. He and Joe helped me understand the baseball program and the school. Elizabeth and I both knew there would be ups and downs in living in New York City and that it forces people to mature more quickly, but we knew we had Nick and Joe there for us,” he remarked.
Joe and Nick were excited about their freshman season in 2020. The Violets started out 4-1 and headed to Tampa, Florida on March 11 for their spring break schedule. “There had been some news about COVID-19, but no one was really sure what was going on. We were practicing at the Yankees’ complex in Tampa when Coach Kimbler brought us into right field and told us that the season was canceled. It was scary and sad,” Nick described. “Our seniors had their careers end just like that. We were hoping maybe it would only be two or three weeks ,but of course it did not turn out that way.”
Although there was no UAA baseball season in 2021, all Association teams other than NYU still had seasons with rival Washington University reaching the NCAA Division III College World Series. “We practiced twice and that was it. When we returned to the field, I was a junior and was named a team captain. I was an upperclassman with no experience, having seen two classes graduate. The biggest challenge was being a leader when I was, in a way, a novice in baseball,” Nick continued.
Joe was also hit hard by his first season ending. “I went through the same thing as Nick. Our season was immediately shut down in Florida. It was almost hard to stay in a baseball mindset not knowing if and when we would get to play again,” he stated.
In each of the past two seasons, the NYU women’s soccer team has advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship. “I chose NYU for academics and the team culture. It wasn’t super important whether we were a winning team because I was somewhere I wanted to be and around people who would lift me up academically,” communicated Elizabeth, who is a defender for the Violets. “We have been fortunate to be on an upswing, to find those missing pieces. It has been such a good feeling to be part of something so successful.”
Although the global pandemic robbed Nick and Joe of a “normal” first two seasons, they have both had the chance to not only play four years of college baseball but also to pursue master’s degrees at NYU. The cousins were accustomed to playing together. “We have been on the same team since tee ball and played basketball and baseball together in high school. We have always been together. It has been really special to be teammates and then to have my younger sister at the school with me for three years,” Joe expressed. “Though there have been some roadblocks, one thing I will always be thankful for is the chance to play with Dan, an opportunity I never thought I would have,” Nick added.
“Because of our age gap, I never got to play baseball with my brother and cousin growing up. Being on the same team with them for two years has been awesome,” said Dan, who is majoring in psychology. “I got that idea from Nick (who is earning his master’s in clinical psychology) and that it made it easier for me to be able to talk to him about the courses and the workload. I am interested in understanding why people do things. Our dad is a cardiothoracic surgeon and has encouraged me to attend medical school. I also have an interest in law school and will probably choose between the two this fall.”
In addition to earning his postgraduate degree, Nick has been taking classes at NYU and other schools in the summer to fulfill a pre-health core requirement. “I am applying to physician assistant (PA) schools all over the Northeast. I want to be a PA and work with athletes, particularly in orthopedics,” he explained. “I had Tommy John surgery in the summer of 2022. I remember seeing the surgeon once or twice. Every other time, I saw nurses and PA's and I became interested in that work and lifestyle.”
Joe is waiting to hear back from the law schools he has applied to while earning his master’s degree in real estate. “I worked in a law office as a paralegal for a real estate lawyer and enjoyed that,” he stated. Elizabeth is majoring in business marketing with a goal of working in sports marketing. Last summer she worked for Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls on the marketing partnership team that interacted with sponsors.”