Nick Paxson and Matt Fazio, a junior and senior on the men's golf team, have already been through more than most people their age.

Paxson and Fazio are cancer survivors.

"When I was in seventh grade, I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a rare form of squamous cell carcinoma," Paxson said.

Paxson had a tumor near his sinus cavity that needed to be removed. When working on removing the tumor, Paxson's doctors also had to remove three teeth and part of his jaw to get to the tumor.

With numerous surgeries over a five-month period, Paxson was officially cancer free.

He then went on to St. Xavier High School and became a standout golfer. This attracted a great amount of interest from schools that were interested in him playing at the collegiate level.

However, once he visited the University of Dayton, he knew that it was the place for him.

"Right away, I knew it was the right fit," said Paxson.

He enjoyed his visit to campus and his talks with Coach Gip Hoagland.

"He treats us like one of his own. He'd do anything for us. That's a big part on why I came to UD," Paxson explained.

Paxson has also had success on the golf course during his time at UD. In the 2013-14 season, he was one of three UD golfers to compete in all 12 tournaments and 35 rounds.

This season, he led the team with a 74.89 stroke average.

While he has been cancer-free for several years now, Paxson has used the experience to gain a new perspective on life.

"It really helped me put a value on life. I try to enjoy every moment of my life," he said.

Fazio also has a very touching story.

"I picked up golf my sophomore year of high school after I threw out my arm in baseball my freshman year," Fazio said.

Despite starting the sport later than most golfers, Fazio became quite successful and attracted interest from many schools. But an obstacle nearly prevented him from playing at the next level.

"My senior year I was diagnosed with cancer," said Fazio.

He was diagnosed the summer before his senior year of high school, which is a time when college coaches are very active recruiting athletes.

Because Fazio was not playing during the summer, many schools lost interest in him as a golfer.

He went through three surgeries in three months and was cleared to play in the fall season.

"I had to play well to get back on the radar," Fazio explained.

Although many schools backed away from Fazio, Coach Hoagland decided to give him a chance.

"I talked to Coach Gip, and he said that he was going to give me some sort of opportunity to play with the team," said Fazio.

During his freshman year at UD, Fazio played a few practice rounds with the team and impressed Coach Hoagland enough to earn a walk-on spot.

Fazio is now a scholarship player and finished fourth on the team in stroke average this past season.

While this experience has certainly brought the two teammates closer together at UD, they first met each other during their high school days.

"We actually played a tournament when I was a senior and he (Paxson) was a junior," Fazio explained.   

"We were able to become friends immediately, and we have been close ever since," he said.

Written by Ryan Wilker, Class of 2016, Athletics Communication Student Assistant