Vanderbilt Basketball Coach Mark Byington Wins Award For Efforts to Spread Cancer Awareness – Sports Illustrated

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NASHVILLE—-Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington was awarded the Dave Loos Award at Tennessee’s Coaches Vs. Cancer event on Saturday, Vandy on SI has learned. 
The award is granted to those who exude strength, perseverance, and determination in the fight against cancer. It’s named for former Austin Peay head coach Dave Loos, who overcame a cancer diagnosis that caused him to take a leave of absence from coaching in 2017. Loos was the seventh longest-tenured coach in college basketball at the time.  
Byington was awarded as a result of his efforts to bring awareness to the dangers of colon cancer. 
Byington’s girlfriend Katina Kangelaris was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer ahead of Vanderbilt’s January win over Kentucky and was proactive in sharing her story with the public in an effort to encourage others to get screened for it and to catch it early. Byington is a self-described private person, but was on board with sharing Kangelaris’ story. 
“Coach Mark Byington embodies everything the Dave Loos Award represents,” Scott Holmes—the Senior Executive Director of The American Cancer Society in Tennessee said in a statement distributed to Vandy on SI. “While leading Vanderbilt Basketball through a successful season, he also faced the very personal challenge off the court. He has been supporting his girlfriend, Katina, through a Stage IV colon cancer diagnosis. Rather than retreating from that experience, Coach Byington chose to use his platform to raise awareness, encourage early detection, and advocate for the lifesaving impact of cancer research. His leadership, compassion, and commitment to helping others make him a deserving recipient of this year's award."
Kangelaris has already seen the benefits of her intent to spread the word. One of her brother’s friends received a colonoscopy–which is one of four ways to get screened for Colon Cancer–as a result of her case, and he found that he had pre-cancerous polyps that he was able to get removed prior to them having any ill effects. 
Colon cancer increasingly affects younger adults, with cases rising by over 2 percent annually in those under 50. Forty-five percent of new cases now occur in adults under 65. Colon cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in men under 50 and second in women, despite a decrease in older adults. The age at which colonoscopies are recommended has changed from 50 to 45–and even younger for those who have a family history.
The award was granted with Kangelaris in mind, but is traditionally given to basketball public figures in Tennessee. 
“This can happen to anyone,” Kangelaris said as she shared her story for the first time with Vandy on SI. “I feel like we're in this lifestyle where everyone's so busy, it's dual income, both people working and it's just a reminder that people need to pay attention to their health and make themselves a priority. We need to feel like you can ask for help when you need something. For me it's just about creating awareness.”
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Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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