Celebrating 150 Years of Cornell Sports
WINTER 2014
Celebrating 150 Years of Cornell Sports
1970: UNDEFEATED NATIONAL CHAMPION TEAM CELEBRATES A WIN
2014: CORNELL ICE HOCKEY CELEBRATES A GOAL
n Wrestling Off to a Strong Start n Basketball Teams on the Rise
MEN’S
I C E
H O C K E Y REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D : • Eight of the top 10 scorers are back in the lineup this season. • The team is looking to defend its Ivy League championship. • The four non-league home games are against western teams Omaha-Nebraska and Denver. • Four seasoned seniors are back in All-Ivy firstteam defenseman Joakim Ryan, and forwards John McCarron, Cole Bardreau and Joel Lowry. • Freshman forwards Jared Fiegl and Dwyer Tschantz were NHL seventh-round draftees.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
MEN’S ICE HOCKEY
N O T E S : Three players, Ryan, McCarron and Lowry, turned down professional contracts to return for their senior years…Andy Iles ’14, who played 118 games between the pipes for the Big Red, must be replaced and early-season competitors are sophomore Mitch Gillam and freshman Hayden Stewart.
2
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
SHOP NOW FOR YOUR CORNELL ATHLETICS
19 7 0 N A T I O N A L C H A M P I O N S
29-0 PUT ON ICE FOREVER “There was never any doubt they would be national champs,” said the late Ned Harkness at the 1969-70 men’s hockey team postseason banquet. “In my mind, and in theirs, and it started in October. Not cockiness, just desire and determination.” The ’70 Big Red hockey team certainly displayed all of the above, as it took on 29 opponents that season without suffering a defeat. It was the greatest single-season record in U.S. collegiate hockey history, and still is. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the team’s amazing season. At the season-ending banquet the late Dale Corson, Cornell’s president at the time, told the team, “You have done more for Cornell than anything I can imagine.” How did they do it? Hard work certainly was a key, a trademark of Harknesscoached teams. In the last four games of the season, the ECAC and the NCAA championships, the team rallied twice to come from behind and capture the prize. After winning its fourth consecutive ECAC championship at the Boston Garden in March 1970 with a 6-5 triumph over Harvard and a 3-2 victory over Clarkson, the Big Red set it sights on winning a national title. Cornell lost in the 1969 championship game, dropping a tough 4-3 contest to the University of Denver. The scene for the NCAAs was the Olympic Arena in Lake Placid, and the Big Red’s first opponent was Wisconsin, which was making its first appearance in the tournament. The Badgers took a 1-0 lead on a power-play goal in the first period, but Cornell tied the game in the third period on a tally by forward Garth Ryan. The gamewinner came with 8:59 remaining, as wing Bill Duthie lifted the puck into the net to give the Big Red a 2-1 victory. Old foe, Clarkson, was waiting for the Big Red after losing four straight to the Ivy Leaguers. As it had done all season long, Cornell used its ferocious forechecking and effective backchecking against the Golden Knights. Over 1,000 Big Red Faithful packed the overflowing 2,200-seat rink. They were startled, as Clarkson scored just 20 seconds into the game. Once again, the Big Red was down, but never out. About four minutes later, wing Larry Fullan tied the game at 1-1. The Red then went ahead on a power-play goal by Garth Ryan. Clarkson knotted the game with a two-man advantage power-play tally. The two teams traded goals in the second period for a 3-3 deadlock. All-American and tournament MVP Dan Lodboa, a defenseman, then took over. He scored a natural hat trick in the first 12 minutes of the final period before Clarkson’s final goal for a 6-4 Big Red victory and its second national championship in four years. Named to the all-tournament team were Lodboa, senior tri-captain John Hughes and senior defenseman Steve Giuliani. One of the most incorrectly answered Cornell athletics trivia questions is the following: “Who was the goaltender for the Big Red when it won the 1970 national championship?” Most people answer with NHL Hall of Famer Ken Dryden ’69. The correct answer is junior Brian Cropper, who put up 1.86 g.a.a. and 29-0 numbers enroute to the Cornell Athletics Hall of Fame. After the season, Coach Harkness left Ithaca to become the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL. His contribution to the Cornell sports history is far-reaching, headlined by the 1969-70 hockey team—one of the greatest Big Red teams of all-time.
3
APPAREL. VISIT SHOP.CORNELLBIGRED.COM
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
WO M E N ’ S
I C E
H O C K E Y
REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D :
• The first-semester schedule included NCAA powerhouses Boston College, Minnesota-Duluth, Mercyhurst and Clarkson.
• The team will be out to defend its 2014 ECAC tournament championship, and compete in the NCAA tourney for the sixth year in a row.
N O T E S : Sophomore forward and 2014 Ivy League Rookie of the Year Hanna Bunton, in tandem with senior forward Emily Fulton, are being counted on to continue their potent offensive output…Seven Cornellians played in the 2014 Four Nations Cup in November, including current players Jenner and Saulnier. Rebecca Johnston ‘12, Laura Fortino ‘13, Lauriane Rougeau ‘13, and Jessica Campbell ‘14 joined them on the Team Canada squad. Current Big Red head coach Doug Derraugh is the head coach of Team Canada. Representing Team USA was Alyssa Gagliardi ’14.
• Senior forward Brianne Jenner is back after helping Team Canada win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Sochi last year. Two seasons ago, she was the ECAC and Ivy League Player of the Year, and is a three-year first-team performer in both leagues.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY
• Senior forward Jill Saulnier was a top-3 finalist for the 2014 Patty Kazmaier Award as the best player in NCAA Women’s Hockey. She was the NCAA’s leading scorer in points per game (1.65) and second in goals per outing (0.82).
4
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
SHOP NOW FOR YOUR CORNELL ATHLETICS
W R E S T L I N G REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D : • Cornell ranked as high as No. 2 in the preseason rankings. • The squad returns three All-Americans: junior Nahshon Garrett (125), sophomore Brian Realbuto (157), and sophomore Gabe Dean (184). • In addition to the above, senior Chris Villalonga (149), sophomore Dylan Palacio (165), and senior Jace Bennett (197) are pre-season AllAmericans.
N O T E S : Eight wrestlers are picked to finish in the top eight nationally within their respective weight class…The team has won eight consecutive EIWA team titles, the longest streak in the 107-year-old conference…Cornell has been the Ivy champion every year since 2003, the longest Ivy title winning streak by any school in any sport within the Ancient Eight.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
MEN’S WRESTLING
• Realbuto, Palacio and Dean are also Academic All-America. • There are seven great home events, including Oklahoma on Nov. 22 and Missouri on Jan. 10. • Cornell is one of 20 teams from last year’s NCAA championships who will compete at the 2014 Grapple at the Garden at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Dec. 21.
5
APPAREL. VISIT SHOP.CORNELLBIGRED.COM
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
MEN’S
B A S K E T B A L L REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D :
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
• Fourteen lettermen return, including the senior tandem of 6-7 forward Shonn Miller and 6-2 guard Galal Cancer, neither of whom suited up last year. Co-captain Miller (11.5 ppg., 6.8 rpg., 1.9 blpg.) was All-Ivy first team as a sophomore, but was injured the entire 201314 campaign. He is one of the nation’s top defenders. Cancer was the team’s starting guard two years ago.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
• Six seniors are back together for the first time in two years. • In an extremely competitive Ivy League, every game will be exciting. • A tough non-league schedule includes Syracuse, South Carolina, Penn State, Miami and others.
N O T E S : All-Ivy candidate, co-captain Devin Cherry (12.3 ppg., 4.3 rpg., 3.5 apg.), returns at guard, along with sophomores Robert Hatter (9.0 ppg., 2/1 apg.) and Darryl Smith (5.0 ppg. 2.3 rpg.)…6-9 sophomore center David Onuorah (3.1 ppg., 3.8 rpg.) showed the potential to be an impact player as a rookie, and senior big men 6-9 Deion Giddens (3.8 ppg., 3.1 rpg.), 6-9 Dave LaMore (1.7 ppg., 1.6 rpg.) and 6-7 Ned Tomic (3.5 ppg., 1.9 rpg.) will provide leadership on and off the court…Freshmen forwards 6-3 Wil Bathurst and 6-7 Jordan Abdur-Ra’oof, along with guards 6-2 Kyle Brown and 6-5 Pat Smith are all expected to see action…Men’s basketball was one of eight Cornell teams that received a perfect score of 1,000 in the APR this past year in NCAA Division I. The APR measures semester-by-semester records for each team member’s continuing eligibility, retention and progress toward graduation.
6
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
SHOP NOW FOR YOUR CORNELL ATHLETICS
B A S K E T B A L L
WO M E N ’ S
REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D : • With just six letter winners returning, the team will have a different look than last year’s veteran group. The 2014-15 cagers will have a youthful new appearance and rotation. • Sophomore forward Nia Marshall, last year’s second-leading scorer (12.6 ppg.) and rebounder (5.6 rpg.), returns after being named Ivy League Rookie of the Week five times last season. • Expect to see two familiar faces as mainstays in the lineup, with sophomore point guard Kerri Moran (6.4 ppg., 3.5 apg.) joining Marshall to form this year’s core of players. Both garnered significant experience during their successful freshman seasons. • The schedule features a number of first-time opponents, including Hartford, Marshall, and Youngstown State, all on the home floor at Newman Arena.
N O T E S : The 2014 team posted its best overall record since its Ivy League championship campaign, going 14-14 overall and finishing fifth in the Ivy League at 6-8. The Big Red was highly competitive in conference play, with half of its losses coming by eight or fewer points…Cornell, with a cumulative grade point average of 3.420, led all Ivy League teams and ranked 20th nationally in the WBCA Academic Top 25 for the 2013-14 season.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
7
APPAREL. VISIT SHOP.CORNELLBIGRED.COM
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
MEN’S
I N D O O R
T R A C K
&
F I E L D
REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D : • Cornell is the defending Heps and IC4A champion. • Last year’s team finished 14th at the NCAA championships out of 303 Division I schools. • Returning are Heps MVPs and All-Americans senior Stephen Mozia (shot put) and junior Max Hairston (hurdles), along with 37 other IC4A qualifiers. • Other returning Heps champions or school recordholders include: junior Bryan Rhodes (35# weight), sophomore Grant Sisserson (pole vault), sophomore Larry Gibson (400), and senior Cisco Olloqui (4x400).
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
MEN’S TRACK & FIELD
WO M E N ’ S
N O T E S : The Big Red has finished either first or second at the Heps every year since 2002…Sisserson tied the school record (17-4 ½) in the pole vault at the USATF Junior Championships, and that ties him for No. 6 all-time in Ivy League history… Sophomore Jordan Sherwood placed second (53.30) in the 400 intermediate hurdles at the Canadian Junior Championships…In 2014, the men’s team placed an Ivy League-high five student-athletes on the USTFCCCA All-Academic squad, and the Big Red was named an All-Academic team with its cumulative 3.03 GPA.
I N D O O R
T R A C K
REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D : • Returners include three NCAA All-Americans, eight NCAA Regional qualifiers, and four athletes who have previously won Heps titles. • The sprint-hurdles return three Heps champions in seniors Zena Kolliesuah and Katie Woodford, and junior DeeDee Akpaete, while sophomore Adrian Jones scored in both the 100 and 200 meters.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD
WO M E N ’ S
&
F I E L D
• The burgeoning throwing group continues to improve with junior Camryn Goodman, sophomore Kali Belonga and freshmen Taylor Baker and Taylor Drayton.
N O T E S : Key dates on the indoor schedule are a triangular meet in Boston with Harvard and Brown on Jan. 17, the Sykes-Sabock Challenge at Penn State on Feb. 7, and the Heps in Boston beginning Feb. 28.
• NCAA regional qualifiers, including senior All-American Elyse Wilkinson, tops at 800 meters, and junior distance stars Caroline Kellner, Maggie Szpak and Claire DeVoe, lead middle distance/distance events. • The jumps are deep, led by junior Hillary Holmes in the long jump, triple jump and pentathlon; seniors Jennifer Markin and Eve Bishop in the pole vault; and junior high jumper Liz Crissy.
8
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
SHOP NOW FOR YOUR CORNELL ATHLETICS
S Q U A S H
MEN’S
REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D : • Tri-captain Aditya Jagtap will lead the team from the No. 1 position. • Jagtap holds the leadership responsibility with juniors Gustav Runersjo and Graham Dietz, and they are expected to unite a very young team. • The preseason rankings have the Big Red in eighth place nationally, and the goal is to jump up to at least No. 6, where it finished last spring. • Five freshmen will add depth to the lineup and look to play in the top nine.
N O T E S : Jagtap, playing at No. 2 last season,
made both the All-Ivy and the Academic All-Ivy teams…Six players who competed at last year’s national team championships are back in action.
S Q U A S H
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
MEN’S SQUASH
WO M E N ’ S
REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D : • Twelve dedicated players are committed to the overall success of the team. • Team is ranked No. 6 nationally, setting the goal of being in the top five by the end of the season. • A challenging regular-season match schedule will prepare the team for the end-of-the-year championships. • The co-captains, Danielle Letourneau and Reut Odinak, have the experience and ability to draw out the best in the rest of the team.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
WOMEN’S SQUASH
APPAREL. VISIT SHOP.CORNELLBIGRED.COM
• Five solid freshmen will add additional strength and depth to the lineup.
N O T E S : Letourneau, an All-American and AllIvy player at No. 1, will represent Team Canada at the Women’s World Team Squash Championships in December. She is a three-time CSA All-America first-team member.
9
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
MEN’S
S W I M M I N G
&
D I V I N G
REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D : • Strong leadership from the seniors, plus a talented group of freshmen, should make the Big Red a formidable foe this season. • Sophomore Dylan Sali is the team’s top returning scorer, and is the school record holder in the 100 backstroke (47.61) and 200 IM (1:47.20). • Senior captains Eric May (breast), Tim Satterthwaite (free) and Tommy Hallowell (dive) are looking to lead the team through the dual meet season and into the Ivy championship meet.
N O T E S : Big years are expected from juniors Victor Luo (breast, IM) and Taylor Adams (free) who have made significant gains over the summer, and are on track for strong performances this winter…The freshman class was already impressive during the preseason training, and has the potential to make an immediate impact towards the team’s success… Only three out of 10 dual meets are at home.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING
WO M E N ’ S
S W I M M I N G
REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D : • The team has a lot of momentum and excitement coming out of last season, breaking 11 records at the Ivy championships. It is working very hard to build success that can be sustained for many years to come.
&
D I V I N G
N O T E S : Sophomore Billy Murch Elliott finished ninth in the 400 individual medley at the Ivy meet last spring after setting a school record in the 200 IM (2:03.35). Her sister, Currie, established new school marks in the 500 (4:52.79) and 1,000 freestyle (10:07.09) events in 2014…In diving, senior Bianca Herlitz-Ferguson will be counted upon for dual meet points, and make her mark on both diving boards at the Ivy championships.
• The highlights of the season are always the Ivy League meets. With four meets in November, the team had opportunities to swim fast early. • Junior Jenna Immormino excelled at the Ivies last spring, finishing in the top 5 in three events and scoring 78 individual points. She was a member of four school record-breaking relay teams. She hopes to build on these achievements this season.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING
10
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
SHOP NOW FOR YOUR CORNELL ATHLETICS
P O L O
MEN’S
REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D :
• The men are the favorites to repeat as champions in the Northeast Region and earn a bid to the National Championships in April.
• The team began the season with a 4-1 record, losing only a 10-9 shootout at Virginia.
• The Regionals and Nationals will be held at UConn, and the Big Red will benefit from being able to bring their own horses to these events.
• Two of the three starters from last year return in senior captain Nick Stieg and sophomore Ignacio Masias. Senior Hakan Karabey is looking to claim the third spot, but is being challenged by senior Alex Langlois and freshman Kamran Pirasteh.
N O T E S : Cornell has won the Regional championship 12 out of the last 14 years… Coach Dave Eldredge ’81, in his 30th season, has a 409-171-8 record with the men.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
MEN’S POLO
P O L O REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D : • The Big Red riders have started strong this season, losing only to the University of Virginia thus far. • Junior captain Anna Winslow and senior Devin Cox are the returning starters from 2013-14, and are joined at the third spot by sophomore Emma Eldredge. Junior Elena Wicker also figures for playing time. • Tough Regional competition is expected from UConn, one of the top three teams in the country, but the Big Red is looking to repeat as champion.
WO M E N ’ S
• An appearance at the Nationals would be the seventh straight for the women’s team. • Playing on their own horses at Regionals and hopefully at the Nationals will be a plus for the team.
N O T E S : Coach David Eldredge ’81 is coaching the Cornell riders in his 30th season. His record with the women is 457-125-17.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
WOMEN’S POLO
11
APPAREL. VISIT SHOP.CORNELLBIGRED.COM
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
WO M E N ’ S
F E N C I N G REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D : • The team is coming off great preseason training activities and working hard with the addition of a large and talented freshman class. • Team and individual goals were achieved last season, and everyone is looking to build on these previous achievements. • Some great individual performances are expected on the national level. • Foil continues to be the cornerstone of the team, but look for the saber squad to become a force this year as well.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
WOMEN’S FENCING
• Overall the team is a young, but talented one.
N O T E S : At the 2014 NCAA Fencing Championships last spring, current sophomore Victoria Wines placed 14th overall, and current junior Angelica Gangemi took 16th place. Last July, Wines was eighth overall to medal at the USA Fencing National Championships…Wines (epee) and Gangemi (foil) earned gold, and Olivia Weller (epee) took silver at the Temple Open this season.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
WO M E N ’ S
WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS
G Y M N A S T I C S REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D :
• The schedule is a challenging one with the usual Ivy competition, and additional meets vs. Penn State, UNH, Rutgers, Temple, Maryland, UNC, William & Mary and West Virginia.
• The team is looking to win its fifth Ivy Classic • Facility upgrades include new bleachers title in the last 10 years, more crowns than any that free up more space for meets while other Ancient Eight school. seating 300, and a new scoring system and scoreboard. • Last year, the Big Red had its second-highest team scoring average in program history, and this year’s group is looking to move into No. 1. N O T E S : Top returnees on vault are junior All-American Alicia Bair, classmate • This year’s freshman class has added great Sara Schupp, sophomores Alex Bourgeois depth to the roster, with eight new athletes. and Krystin Chiellini, and senior Sammy VanderPutten…Sophomore Elana Molotsky and junior captain Hannah Clark are the top returnees on bars…Leading the beam lineup are senior captain Maia Vernacchia, juniors Kaylie Cronin, Clark and senior Christie Wong… Floor is the deepest event with Chiellini, Cronin, Molotsky, VanderPutten and junior Julohn Teixeira leading the way…Don’t overlook the excellent freshmen who will infuse additional talent into the lineup.
12
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
SHOP NOW FOR YOUR CORNELL ATHLETICS
BIG RED FOR LIFE: MARY JOHN MILLER ’77 Q: Why did you choose Cornell? For you, what
Q: What motivated you to leave the job you had
I grew up in Ithaca and knew the campus and many people who worked at the University, including my father who taught history for almost 40 years. The size and diversity of what Cornell offered were compelling.
I had the opportunity to join the U.S. Treasury in the wake of the financial crisis and work on recovery and reform initiatives that were enormously challenging and interesting. The chance to work in the public sector and on a national level was a way to put my experience to work for our country and at a particularly important moment.
set it apart from other schools?
Q: As a gymnast here, what events did you do?
Mary John Miller ‘77 served as the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Under Secretary for Domestic Finance from 2012 through September 2014, in which she was responsible for developing and coordinating Treasury’s policies and guidance in the areas of financial institutions, federal debt financing, financial regulation, and capital markets. Previously, Miller served as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Markets, where she advised the Secretary on broad matters of domestic finance, financial markets, federal, state and local finance, and federal government lending policies. Prior to joining Treasury, Miller spent 26 years working for T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., where she was the director of the Fixed Income Division and a member of the firm’s Management Committee. A government major at Cornell, Miller, who grew up in Ithaca, was a member letter winner on the Big Red women’s gymnastics team and helped get the program off the ground. Mary was interviewed by Maia Vernacchia, a captain on the 2014-15 women’s gymnastics team.
My events were floor exercise and vaulting. I guess I liked flinging myself in the air! I need to say that I think I was on the first women’s gymnastics team at Cornell in 1973. None of us were recruited for gymnastics. It was a pretty bare bones operation; I recall doing my floor exercise routine on the bare wood floor of Barton Hall.
Q: What’s your favorite Big Red sports memory?
for 26 years at T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.?
Q: How did you feel about being on The New Republic’s list of Washington’s most powerful, least famous people?
The one thing you should never want to be in Washington is famous!
I would have to say competing in the East Coast Athletic Conference. I believe I actually won a medal in floor exercise, which was pretty exciting considering where I had started.
Q: How did your athletic experience influence
your career success?
Participating in sports made me more disciplined and organized. I think the skills I developed in managing my time and juggling competing demands in college helped me later in life. Perhaps even more important is learning the value of teamwork. Learning how to build and manage teams is a key ingredient to career success. Nothing I have accomplished has been without the help of others.
Q: Was it hard to give up gymnastics when you
graduated, or were you ready to move on?
I may have stopped doing gymnastics, but I will always be a fan. I was lucky enough to go to one Olympics and watch world class gymnastics competition. It made me appreciate how far the sport has advanced since my day.
Q: Did you pick up any other sport or athletic event after gymnastics? By my senior year I was also involved in starting up a squash club for women that was a lot of fun. Today I play tennis, run (slowly!) and even did a short triathlon with friends a year ago. I will keep going in athletic endeavors as long as I can.
Q: Since leaving the Department of the Treasury,
what are you doing/planning on doing?
I’m taking some time off to get my bearings and think about next steps. There are so many interesting things to do and consider. Right now I’m enjoying the holidays without worrying about conference calls, briefing books and meetings!
Q: What do you miss most about Cornell? The physical beauty of the campus (no matter how cold), the fun of watching a great athletic event, the anticipation of a new semester or school year.
Q: Do you have any final advice for current student-athletes?
Take advantage of everything Cornell offers in terms of training, coaching and competing. You may never find that level of support again. And don’t miss the opportunity to coach young athletes yourself if you can – very satisfying.
13
APPAREL. VISIT SHOP.CORNELLBIGRED.COM
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
E A R LY W I N T E R S E A S O N H I G H L I G H T S
Men’s Hockey
Men’s Squash
After going winless in its first four games, Cornell won three of four to enter the winter break with a 4-4 record. Cornell never trailed in a 4-1 victory over nationally ranked Denver to kick off a big non-league weekend series at Lynah Rink. Junior forward Christian Hilbrich scored twice and added an assist, and sophomore goaltender Mitch Gillam made 32 saves to earn ECAC Goalie of the Week for the second time in the last three weeks.
The men’s squash team, ranked eighth in the country is 3-1, having defeated 15th-ranked Western Ontario (6-3), 14thranked Williams (9-0) and No. 17 George Washington (8-1).
The Big Red faced Penn State in the second edition of The Frozen Apple at famed Madison Square Garden. Cornell withstood an early barrage from the Nittany Lions and got stronger as the game went on to post a 3-1 victory. Junior forward John Knisley scored twice to lead the team. The Big Red is ranked third nationally in team defense (1.56 goals against per game) despite leaning heavily on three defensemen and two goalies with a combined three games of college hockey experience heading into the season. Watch highlights of the win over Denver
Women’s Hockey The Big Red closed out the 2014 portion of its schedule with its best week of the season. The team kicked off the week with a 1-1 tie against No. 7 Mercyhurst, before winning its final three games against Syracuse, No. 6 Clarkson and St. Lawrence— outscoring these opponents by an18-7 margin. With the huge four-point weekend on the road against Clarkson and St. Lawrence, Cornell heads into the break sitting just four points out of first place in a crowded top half of the conference. Senior Brianne Jenner exploded for 11 points to more than double her point total for the year. The huge week pushed the senior captain near the top of the scoring charts in ECAC Hockey, as she is tied for first in points per game (2.20) and sits fourth overall in scoring (18 points) despite playing in only 11 contests this season. Watch highlights of the win over Syracuse
Women’s Squash: The women’s squash team continued emphatic defense of its national ranking on Dec. 7, posting its fourth consecutive 9-0 victory to start the season when it topped Columbia in the teams’ Ivy League opener. The Big Red, which is ranked sixth by the College Squash Association, has not lost a single match yet against No. 7 Stanford, No. 8 George Washington, No. 9 Columbia and No. 12 Williams.
Men’s & Women’s Track The Big Red men’s track and field team started their indoor season with the Greg Page Relays on Friday and Saturday in Barton Hall. Cornell produced six event wins, 10 IC4A qualifiers and nearly 20 top-five event finishes. Junior co-captain Max Hairston and sophomore Grant Sisserson won meet MVP honors for the men’s track and field categories, respectively. The women’s team won three events; Katie Woodford placed first in the 300, an all-freshman relay team won the distance medley; and the 4x400 relay unit won its event. Freshman Kate Gulbrandsen tied the school freshman record (and reached a tie for ninth best all-time in school history) with an ECACqualifying clearance of 5-7 in the high jump to place second.
Men’s Polo: The Big Red entered the semester break with a 6-3 record after topping Yale 36-2 on Dec. 5. Cornell also owns three victories over Skidmore College and two over the University of Connecticut.
Women’s Polo: Cornell closed out the fall semester with a pair of wins to move to 9-2 on the season, topping Yale 27-1 on Saturday and rallying for a 20-19 shootout win at Connecticut. The Red has two victories over UMass and Skidmore.
14
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
SHOP NOW FOR YOUR CORNELL ATHLETICS
E A R LY W I N T E R S E A S O N H I G H L I G H T S
Men’s Basketball
Wrestling
The Big Red finished the first semester’s portion of its schedule by winning three in a row to climb climbed over the .500 mark (5-4)— the latest in a season Cornell has posted a winning record since the 2012-13 campaign. The Red has been competitive all season; three of its four losses have come by a total of eight points. The team is 3-0 at home for the first time since 2008-09. The Big Red is limiting opponents to 37 percent shooting over its first eight games.
Cornell moved to 4-0 on the season with three wins at the Journeymen/ASICS Northeast Duals. The Big Red topped Division II power Kutztown 43-4, No. 23 North Carolina State 20-13 and West Virginia 26-9. Stalwarts Nahshon Garrett (125), Chris Villalonga (149) and Gabe Dean (184) each went 3-0 at the Duals and combined for six bonus point wins, including three by Garrett. Despite missing four starters, the Cornell wrestling team was able to win four straight matches in the second half of the dual to knock off No. 21 Oklahoma 21-13 on Nov. 22.
The biggest difference from last year is the return of firstteam All-Ivy selection Shonn Miller, who missed the 2013-14 season with a shoulder injury. The 6-7 forward returned with a bang, recording 21 points and 13 rebounds in the upset of George Mason and collecting 20 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals at Loyola (MD). His season averages of 13.3 ppg., 7.6 rpg., 1.8 bpg. and 1.0 spg. make him an early contender for All-Ivy honors. Watch highlights of the win over UMass-Lowell
At the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 5-6, Villalonga captured his first title at the prestigious meet and Garrett earned his second straight crown. Cornell finished fifth as a team in the tournament. Watch highlights of the win over Oklahoma
Men’s Swimming Women’s Basketball: The young Big Red squad is gaining experience and showing improvement during the non-league portion of it schedule. Cornell topped Bryant 66-64 on Dec. 6 to improve to 4-4. Of the team’s 14 players, 11 are underclassmen with just two seniors and one junior. No other team in the Ivy League has fewer upperclassmen. Watch highlights of the win over Bryant
Cornell continued its resurgence, knocking off Penn (168-132) and falling just short against Princeton (160-140) to end the semester with a 3-2 record. The Red also defeated Dartmouth (213-87) and Binghamton University (171.25-125.5).
Women’s Swimming The Big Red (3-2 overall, 2-2 Ivy League) won six events, including a school-record swim from sophomore Currie Murch Elliot in the 1000 free, as the team topped Penn 180118 and dropped a 167-133 decision to Princeton. In the meet with Penn and Princeton, Murch Elliot won the 1000 and lowered her own school record in the event by nearly five full seconds.
15
APPAREL. VISIT SHOP.CORNELLBIGRED.COM
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
F A L L
R E C A P S
Varsity Football
Men’s Soccer
Freshman safety Nick Gesualdi was named the conference’s top rookie, joining three other Big Red players garnering League honors this season. Sophomore punter Chris Fraser, last season’s conference Rookie of the Year, was one of seven unanimous first-team All-Ivy League picks and one of two non-seniors on each of the coaches’ ballots. Junior running back Luke Hagy captured second team honors and junior offensive lineman Zach Wilk joined Gesualdi as an honorable mention all-league pick.
The Big Red recorded at least 10 wins in the season for the second time in the last three years, and posted its fourth consecutive winning season. The team tied last year’s mark with 11 goals allowed, while it set a new program single-season record with 11 shutouts on the year.
The Big Red showed a tremendous fighting spirit all season long. Cornell finished second in the conference in the turnover/takeaway margin. That’s the highest finish for a Big Red team in this category in the league since at least 2007. The defense finished atop the league in number of takeaways and ranked fifth in total defense, the program’s best since 2007. The offense got better and better as the season progressed, posting three consecutive 100-yard rushing performances for the first time since 2005. The Cornell offense finished third in the league in the fewest number of giveaways, an impressive stat given the number of newcomers who directed the offense at quarterback. Click to watch’s Coach Archer’s comments after the season finale with Penn.
Field Hockey Cornell finished the season with an 11-5 record overall and secured a second-place finish in the Ivy League with a mark of 5-2. The 11 total wins tied a school record for victories in a single season, previously set in 2008 and 2010. The squad also set a school record for points, points per game, goals, and assists in single-season. Junior Marisa Siergiej was named a first-team All-Mideast Region All-American, and was a unanimous first-team All-Ivy selection.
The four captains of the 2014 Big Red earned All-Ivy recognition. Right back Peter Chodas took home FirstTeam All-Ivy honors, while midfielder Conor Goepel, center back Devin Morgan and keeper Zach Zagorski took home Second Team recognition. Senior midfielder Tyler Conway was named to the Capital One Academic All-America Third Team. The Class of 2015 secured the second most wins (41) of any senior class in the 107-year history of the program.
Women’s Soccer The Big Red won eight games overall, and two in the Ivy League for the first time since 2002. The 1-0 victory over Dartmouth was the team’s first triumph over the Big Green since 1995. In addition, for the first time since 2002, four Cornell players earned All-Ivy recognition. Senior midfielder Claire MacManus was named to the All-Ivy Second Team for a third consecutive season. Click to watch highlights of the victory over Penn in October.
Men’s Cross Country Cornell enjoyed its best showing at the Ivy League Heptagonal Chamapionships since 2007 with a secondplace finish, and made an appearance in the national poll (37th) for the first time in over a decade. Freshman Dominic DeLuca finished fourth overall, marking the highest finish by a Big Red freshman male at the Heps in several years. The top-five finish netted DeLuca first team All-Ivy honors. Junior Brian Eimstad moved from 32nd at the 3-mile mark all the way up to ninth place overall
16
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
SHOP NOW FOR YOUR CORNELL ATHLETICS
F A L L
R E C A P S
(24:44.8) to earn second Team All-Ivy honors. Senior David Melly also earned Second Team All-Ivy honors with a 13th-place finish (24:49.3).
Fall All-Ivy Honors
The Big Red finished in fifth place at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships. Freshman Dominic DeLuca capped his excellent rookie season with a 19th-place finish, posting an overall time of 30:52.24 for the third-best time by a freshman at the event. Junior Brian Eimstad finished right on DeLuca’s heels in 22nd place. Senior David Melly concluded his cross country career with another All-Region performance. He finished in 24th place with a final time of 31:00.61.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY FIRST TEAM Dominic DeLuca, Fr.
Click to watch highlights of the team’s second-place finish at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships
Women’s Cross Country Cornell finished ninth out of 40 schools at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships. The Big Red ran well at the hallowed Van Cortlandt Park course, posting two All-Region runners in junior tri-captain Caroline Kellner and sophomore standout Taylor Spillane. It was the sixth straight year in which Cornell recorded multiple All-Region honorees. The Red finished fourth (108 points) at the Ivy League Heptagonals Championships. Sophomore standout Taylor Spillane flew through the West Windsor Fields in 20:56.9 for a sixth-place finish and First-Team All-Ivy Honors. Junior Caroline Kellner finished 10th on the day in 21:09.6 to garner her first career Second Team All-Ivy recognition. Click to watch highlights of the team’s performance at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships
Sprint Football Cornell concluded the season on a strong positive note, handling Mansfield 38-21 at Schoellkopf Field. On October 10, the Red rolled past Princeton, 55-0 on the heels of a 48-point first half for the highest scoring total in a half in the 75-year history of the program. Click to watch highlights of the team’s season-ending victory over Mansfield
Volleyball Senior Natasha Rowland was the Ivy League Defensive Player Of The Year, the first-ever Big Red player to receive this award.
WON BY THE BIG RED
SECOND TEAM Brian Eimstad, Jr. David Melly, Sr. WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY FIRST TEAM Taylor Spillane, So. SECOND TEAM Caroline Kellner, Jr. FIELD HOCKEY FIRST TEAM Marisa Siergiej, Jr. D SECOND TEAM Sam McILwrick, Fr. D Katy Weeks, So. M HONORABLE MENTION Ann DiPastina, Sr. M Krysten Mayers, Fr. F FOOTBALL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Nick Gesualdi, Fr. S FIRST TEAM Chris Frazer, So. P SECOND TEAM Luke Hagy, Jr. RB HONORABLE MENTION Nick Gesualdi, Fr. S Zach Wilk, Jr. OL MEN’S SOCCER FIRST TEAM Peter Chodas, Sr. B SECOND TEAM Conor Goepel, Sr. M Devin Morgan, Sr. CB Zach Zagorski, Sr. GK WOMEN’S SOCCER SECOND TEAM Claire MacManus, Sr. M HONORABLE MENTION Elizabeth Crowell, So. M Caroline Growney, Jr. F Charlotte Tate, J. D VOLLEYBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Natasha Rowland, Sr. L SECOND TEAM Natasha Rowland, Sr. L
17
APPAREL. VISIT SHOP.CORNELLBIGRED.COM
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
ALU M NI ATH L E TE AC CO M PL I S H ME N TS KING ADDS ANOTHER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE
Max King ’02, one of America’s best and most versatile distance runners for the past several years, won the IAAF-sanctioned IAU 100K World Championship on Nov. 21 in Doha, Qatar. King ran the 20-lap, 62.1-mile course in 6 hours, 27 minutes, and 43 seconds for a new USA record. It was his second world championship title, following a victory at the 2011 World Mountain Running Championships. King’s efforts, combined with two other runners, gave the United States the team 100K World title.
ARENA-SARACHAN LEAD WINNING MLS CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
Head Coach Bruce Arena ’73 and Associate Head Coach Dave Sarachan ’76 led the Los Angeles Galaxy to a 2-1 extra time victory over the New England Revolution to win the MLS Championship. For Arena, it was his fifth MLS title, while it was the fourth for Sarachan. Both have been with the Galaxy for seven seasons. Both coaches are in the Cornell Athletic Hall of Fame for their outstanding exploits on campus.
CO M P L I A NC E
ALUMNI ROWERS IN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Tracy Eisser ’12 led a trio of Cornellians participating in the World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam. Eisser, rowing in the No. 2 seat, helped the USA team win a bronze medal in the women’s quad with a time of 6:12.030. Kyle Traub ’11 rowed bow for the USA lightweight men’s eight that finished fifth in 5:41.640. Alex Karwoski ’12 was the bow for the men’s double sculls that was second in the Final:FD with a time of 6:25.560.
CORNELL REPRESENTED WELL IN CWHL ALL-STAR GAME
Big Red Hall of Famer Digit Murphy ’83 coached the Red team to a 3-2 victory in the first Canadian Women’s Hockey League All-Star Game held in Toronto on Dec. 13. Also on the Red squad were Rebecca Johnston ’12 and Alyssa Gagliardi ’14. Cornellians on the White team were captain Jess Campbell ’14, Lauriane Rougeau ’13 and Laura Fortino ’13. The Red team scored all three of its goals in the third period with Johnston recording the game-winner.
FO O D FOR TH O U G H T. . . A ND PE R FORM ANC E
AMY FOSTER Associate AD for Compliance and Student Services
With the adoption of proposal 2013-31-B, institutions can now provide student-athletes with meals and snacks as a benefit incidental to overall participation in intercollegiate athletics. Prior to this proposal’s enactment, schools were generally limited to providing student-athletes with meals associated with competition plus fruit, nuts and bagels (but not cream cheese or spreads prior to March 2013) at any time. When asked about the rules change on ESPN radio, NCAA President Mark Emmert kept it simple and said “the NCAA has historically had all kinds of … dumb rules about food.” With this as the framework, 2013-31-B was voted on last January and became effective this past August.
Under the new rule, institutions have discretion to determine how to best meet the nutritional needs of their student-athletes. If schools so choose, they may provide their athletes with meals or snacks at any time during the academic year and during vacation periods when students are required to remain on-campus. Under Ivy rules, the provision of ongoing meals or subsidizing meals on a regular basis is considered impermissible athletically-related financial aid, but the new legislation has opened the door for Ivy institutions to provide occasional meals and snacks on a more liberal basis.
S O W H AT IS HAP P E NING AT CO RN ELL? We strive to provide our student-athletes with everything they need to perform their best and reach their potential. As a new, simple, researchbased, cost-efficient first step to help with refueling needs, student-athletes receive chocolate milk after their strength workouts. Extensive research has shown chocolate milk to be a naturally ideal recovery beverage. Its macronutrients support recovery and repair while also delivering a desirable mineral content for rehydration. The Cornell Dairy is currently developing a specialized product that is fortified with double the protein content of typical chocolate milk. This product will provide even more post-workout benefit to our student-athletes. Beyond the chocolate milk program, our Coordinator of Sports Nutrition, Clint Wattenberg, is developing a more comprehensive, calculated plan to maximize performance through targeted fueling. Empirical evidence has shown that student-athletes across the country tend not to meet their daily caloric needs. Further, those who snack regularly are better able to meet their metabolic and training demands, thus improving health and overall performance. Clint is envisioning an accessible fueling station with supplemental snacks to help fulfill student-athlete caloric requirements, with a particular focus on pre- and post- workout nutritional needs. The fueling station, in combination with Clint’s education, will also provide an opportunity for studentathletes to learn how to independently support their own nutritional needs. As is often the case, new rules open up new ways to explore gaining a competitive edge. In this case, it is particularly exciting given the potential to truly help our student-athletes optimize their athletic and academic focus and performance, while simultaneously supporting their overall health and well-being, now and for the future. Compliance Corner articles in Spirit Magazine are meant to be educational, but cannot cover all scenarios or be all-inclusive. Articles should be used as a reminder of the extensive NCAA rules that bind intercollegiate athletics and those involved. It is important that you always contact Amy Foster, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Compliance and Student Services, at 607-255-8874, or via email at [email protected], with specific questions or concerns.
18
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
SHOP NOW FOR YOUR CORNELL ATHLETICS
Photo from the Cornell All-Athlete Extravaganza, an orientation event held in Newman Arena in late August and one of the rare occasions when all Big Red athletes are in the same place at the same time!
A
Dear Friends of the Big Red, s the holiday season unfolds, I remember with appreciation the many loyal and generous alumni, parents and other benefactors who provide us with the moral and financial support that supplements our University subvention. Without
question, this assistance is the difference between operating a substandard NCAA Division I program and one in which our participants are afforded the opportunity to enjoy a positive experience, and for many, a championship one. On behalf of the nearly 1200 athletes and thousands of students who participate in our Outdoor Education (COE), intramural and recreational services programs, I extend heartfelt thanks and wish you a safe and enjoyable holiday with family and friends. Sincerely,
Andy
19
APPAREL. VISIT SHOP.CORNELLBIGRED.COM
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
N EWS & NOTE S WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY DAY
Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick ’09 declared Nov. 15 “Cornell Women’s Ice Hockey Day”. The team has a long-standing relationship with the United Way, and has participated in service projects around the community. The team has played an integral role in raising donations totaling more than $230,000. It also has a successful mentoring program called “Cub Club,” launched in 2010 in partnership with the Tompkins Girls Hockey Association. At the Yale game, the team celebrated a ceremonial puck drop with members of the Cub Club. Senior team captain Brianne Jenner said, “Being involved in service for the Ithaca community has always been very important to our team identity. We were thrilled to see so many fans (over 1,000) turn out for the Yale game to support both our team and the United Way.”
MEN’S TENNIS DOES WELL AT USTA/ITA NORTHEAST REGIONALS
The sophomore doubles team of Bernardo Casares Rosa and Chris Vrabel knocked off the No. 2 seed to advance to the semifinals at the USTA/ITA Northeast Regionals. Casares Rosa and Vrabel lost to a Harvard duo in the championship match, 6-4, 6-3. The Big Red had six entries in the singles main draw, and Casares Rosa advanced to the round of 32, as did junior Stefan Vinti.
SPRINT FOOTBALL PLACES 16 ON CSFL ALL-LEAGUE TEAM
Sixteen Big Red sprint football players were listed on the Collegiate Sprint Football League’s first three teams at the end of the season. Named to the first team on offense were junior running back Benjamin Herrera and senior lineman Gregory Zalevsky. On defense, first team honorees were defensive back Ryan Jackson and sophomore linebacker Christopher D’Ambrosio. Jackson also earned first team accolades as a punter, making him the only player to receive recognition on both defense and special teams. Named to the league’s second team were senior wide receiver Jonathan Roth and freshman kick returner Karriem Royster. Ten other players received league honorable mention.
EQUESTRIAN CONCLUDES SUCCESSFUL FALL SCHEDULE
The equestrian team concluded its extremely successful run through the fall portion of the schedule with a victory at the second show held at Alfred University. The win further solidified the Big Red’s lead in the regional standings. Junior Meridith Meyer completed excellent runs in both open fences and open flat to capture her third consecutive high point rider merit. Senior captain Georgiana de Rham finished first in open fences and second in open flat to capture reserve high point honors. Both riders have qualified for the regionals.
CROSS COUNTRY TEAMS NAME MOST VALUABLE RUNNERS At the completion of the fall season, sophomore Taylor Spillane and freshman Dominic DeLuca were named the outstanding runners on the women’s and men’s cross country teams, respectively. Spillane and DeLuca both earned first team AllIvy and All-Region honors.
ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT ADOPTS 50 FAMILIES
Andrea Dutcher, Senior Associate Director of Athletics and Physical Education, coordinated the Salvation Army Adopt-AFamily program once again for the Athletics Department. Twentythree varsity teams participated in adopting 50 families for the holidays, with football sponsoring 12. Each child in the family was given three toys and two articles of clothing, while the entire family was provided with food for one main meal. In addition, the families were given big boxes of generic food staples. Dutcher said, “We had an unbelievable response from the teams and staff. The 50 families included 69 adults and 123 children.”
MEN’S LACROSSE SELECTED EIGHTH IN PRESEASON POLL
Freshman Lizzie Stewart finished in second place in A Flight singles at the Harvard Invitational to finish out the fall season. Stewart was defeated by a Harvard player, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, in the finals. In doubles, Stewart teamed up with classmate Priyanka Shah for the Big Red’s only win before losing in the quarterfinals.
“Inside Lacrosse” has ranked the Big Red men’s lacrosse team No. 8 in its yearbook preseason poll. Denver is listed as No. 1. Senior Connor Buczek, last year’s Ivy League Player of the Year and a first team pre-season All-American, was again accorded pre-season All-America first team honors. Senior defenseman Jordan Stevens, All-Ivy first team in 2014, was named to the pre-season All-America second team, and senior attackman Matt Donovan, All-Ivy first team last spring, was named to the pre-season All-America third unit.
MCILWRICK NAMED TO CANADIAN JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT SQUAD
ZAGORSKI AND GOEPEL NAMED TO NSCAA ALL-EAST THIRD TEAM
STEWART LEADS WOMAN’S TENNIS TEAM AT HARVARD
After having an outstanding fall with the Big Red field hockey team, freshman Sam McILwrick, has been named one of 39 selections to the 2014 Canadian National Junior Team. A native of Coquitlam, B.C., McILwick will have the opportunity to compete for Canada throughout 2015 and into 2016, when the Junior World Cup will be held. A second-team All-Ivy honoree, McILwrick was part of the Cornell defensive unit that set a school record, allowing a mere 3.9 penalty corners. The defense also allowed just eight shots per game the lowest total since 1983.
The NSCAA All-Region teams were released recently, and named to the All-East third team were Big Red men’s soccer players Zach Zagorski and Conor Goepel. Zagorski, a senior, compiled the best goaltender statistical record in the league while earning All-Ivy second team honors. He had 10 shutouts this past season. Goepel, also a senior, was the “go-to” guy for scoring, leading the team with new career highs in goals (7) and points (17). He led the Ivy League with five game-winning goals, and received All-Ivy second team honors.
PHOTO CREDITS: Darl Zehr, Dave Burbank, Patrick Shanahan, and photos provided by the Cornell Athletic Communications Office.
20
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
SHOP NOW FOR YOUR CORNELL ATHLETICS APPAREL. VISIT SHOP.CORNELLBIGRED.COM
Celebrating 150 Years of Cornell Sports
1970: UNDEFEATED NATIONAL CHAMPION TEAM CELEBRATES A WIN
2014: CORNELL ICE HOCKEY CELEBRATES A GOAL
n Wrestling Off to a Strong Start n Basketball Teams on the Rise
MEN’S
I C E
H O C K E Y REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D : • Eight of the top 10 scorers are back in the lineup this season. • The team is looking to defend its Ivy League championship. • The four non-league home games are against western teams Omaha-Nebraska and Denver. • Four seasoned seniors are back in All-Ivy firstteam defenseman Joakim Ryan, and forwards John McCarron, Cole Bardreau and Joel Lowry. • Freshman forwards Jared Fiegl and Dwyer Tschantz were NHL seventh-round draftees.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
MEN’S ICE HOCKEY
N O T E S : Three players, Ryan, McCarron and Lowry, turned down professional contracts to return for their senior years…Andy Iles ’14, who played 118 games between the pipes for the Big Red, must be replaced and early-season competitors are sophomore Mitch Gillam and freshman Hayden Stewart.
2
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
SHOP NOW FOR YOUR CORNELL ATHLETICS
19 7 0 N A T I O N A L C H A M P I O N S
29-0 PUT ON ICE FOREVER “There was never any doubt they would be national champs,” said the late Ned Harkness at the 1969-70 men’s hockey team postseason banquet. “In my mind, and in theirs, and it started in October. Not cockiness, just desire and determination.” The ’70 Big Red hockey team certainly displayed all of the above, as it took on 29 opponents that season without suffering a defeat. It was the greatest single-season record in U.S. collegiate hockey history, and still is. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the team’s amazing season. At the season-ending banquet the late Dale Corson, Cornell’s president at the time, told the team, “You have done more for Cornell than anything I can imagine.” How did they do it? Hard work certainly was a key, a trademark of Harknesscoached teams. In the last four games of the season, the ECAC and the NCAA championships, the team rallied twice to come from behind and capture the prize. After winning its fourth consecutive ECAC championship at the Boston Garden in March 1970 with a 6-5 triumph over Harvard and a 3-2 victory over Clarkson, the Big Red set it sights on winning a national title. Cornell lost in the 1969 championship game, dropping a tough 4-3 contest to the University of Denver. The scene for the NCAAs was the Olympic Arena in Lake Placid, and the Big Red’s first opponent was Wisconsin, which was making its first appearance in the tournament. The Badgers took a 1-0 lead on a power-play goal in the first period, but Cornell tied the game in the third period on a tally by forward Garth Ryan. The gamewinner came with 8:59 remaining, as wing Bill Duthie lifted the puck into the net to give the Big Red a 2-1 victory. Old foe, Clarkson, was waiting for the Big Red after losing four straight to the Ivy Leaguers. As it had done all season long, Cornell used its ferocious forechecking and effective backchecking against the Golden Knights. Over 1,000 Big Red Faithful packed the overflowing 2,200-seat rink. They were startled, as Clarkson scored just 20 seconds into the game. Once again, the Big Red was down, but never out. About four minutes later, wing Larry Fullan tied the game at 1-1. The Red then went ahead on a power-play goal by Garth Ryan. Clarkson knotted the game with a two-man advantage power-play tally. The two teams traded goals in the second period for a 3-3 deadlock. All-American and tournament MVP Dan Lodboa, a defenseman, then took over. He scored a natural hat trick in the first 12 minutes of the final period before Clarkson’s final goal for a 6-4 Big Red victory and its second national championship in four years. Named to the all-tournament team were Lodboa, senior tri-captain John Hughes and senior defenseman Steve Giuliani. One of the most incorrectly answered Cornell athletics trivia questions is the following: “Who was the goaltender for the Big Red when it won the 1970 national championship?” Most people answer with NHL Hall of Famer Ken Dryden ’69. The correct answer is junior Brian Cropper, who put up 1.86 g.a.a. and 29-0 numbers enroute to the Cornell Athletics Hall of Fame. After the season, Coach Harkness left Ithaca to become the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL. His contribution to the Cornell sports history is far-reaching, headlined by the 1969-70 hockey team—one of the greatest Big Red teams of all-time.
3
APPAREL. VISIT SHOP.CORNELLBIGRED.COM
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
WO M E N ’ S
I C E
H O C K E Y
REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D :
• The first-semester schedule included NCAA powerhouses Boston College, Minnesota-Duluth, Mercyhurst and Clarkson.
• The team will be out to defend its 2014 ECAC tournament championship, and compete in the NCAA tourney for the sixth year in a row.
N O T E S : Sophomore forward and 2014 Ivy League Rookie of the Year Hanna Bunton, in tandem with senior forward Emily Fulton, are being counted on to continue their potent offensive output…Seven Cornellians played in the 2014 Four Nations Cup in November, including current players Jenner and Saulnier. Rebecca Johnston ‘12, Laura Fortino ‘13, Lauriane Rougeau ‘13, and Jessica Campbell ‘14 joined them on the Team Canada squad. Current Big Red head coach Doug Derraugh is the head coach of Team Canada. Representing Team USA was Alyssa Gagliardi ’14.
• Senior forward Brianne Jenner is back after helping Team Canada win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Sochi last year. Two seasons ago, she was the ECAC and Ivy League Player of the Year, and is a three-year first-team performer in both leagues.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY
• Senior forward Jill Saulnier was a top-3 finalist for the 2014 Patty Kazmaier Award as the best player in NCAA Women’s Hockey. She was the NCAA’s leading scorer in points per game (1.65) and second in goals per outing (0.82).
4
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
SHOP NOW FOR YOUR CORNELL ATHLETICS
W R E S T L I N G REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D : • Cornell ranked as high as No. 2 in the preseason rankings. • The squad returns three All-Americans: junior Nahshon Garrett (125), sophomore Brian Realbuto (157), and sophomore Gabe Dean (184). • In addition to the above, senior Chris Villalonga (149), sophomore Dylan Palacio (165), and senior Jace Bennett (197) are pre-season AllAmericans.
N O T E S : Eight wrestlers are picked to finish in the top eight nationally within their respective weight class…The team has won eight consecutive EIWA team titles, the longest streak in the 107-year-old conference…Cornell has been the Ivy champion every year since 2003, the longest Ivy title winning streak by any school in any sport within the Ancient Eight.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
MEN’S WRESTLING
• Realbuto, Palacio and Dean are also Academic All-America. • There are seven great home events, including Oklahoma on Nov. 22 and Missouri on Jan. 10. • Cornell is one of 20 teams from last year’s NCAA championships who will compete at the 2014 Grapple at the Garden at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Dec. 21.
5
APPAREL. VISIT SHOP.CORNELLBIGRED.COM
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
MEN’S
B A S K E T B A L L REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D :
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
• Fourteen lettermen return, including the senior tandem of 6-7 forward Shonn Miller and 6-2 guard Galal Cancer, neither of whom suited up last year. Co-captain Miller (11.5 ppg., 6.8 rpg., 1.9 blpg.) was All-Ivy first team as a sophomore, but was injured the entire 201314 campaign. He is one of the nation’s top defenders. Cancer was the team’s starting guard two years ago.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
• Six seniors are back together for the first time in two years. • In an extremely competitive Ivy League, every game will be exciting. • A tough non-league schedule includes Syracuse, South Carolina, Penn State, Miami and others.
N O T E S : All-Ivy candidate, co-captain Devin Cherry (12.3 ppg., 4.3 rpg., 3.5 apg.), returns at guard, along with sophomores Robert Hatter (9.0 ppg., 2/1 apg.) and Darryl Smith (5.0 ppg. 2.3 rpg.)…6-9 sophomore center David Onuorah (3.1 ppg., 3.8 rpg.) showed the potential to be an impact player as a rookie, and senior big men 6-9 Deion Giddens (3.8 ppg., 3.1 rpg.), 6-9 Dave LaMore (1.7 ppg., 1.6 rpg.) and 6-7 Ned Tomic (3.5 ppg., 1.9 rpg.) will provide leadership on and off the court…Freshmen forwards 6-3 Wil Bathurst and 6-7 Jordan Abdur-Ra’oof, along with guards 6-2 Kyle Brown and 6-5 Pat Smith are all expected to see action…Men’s basketball was one of eight Cornell teams that received a perfect score of 1,000 in the APR this past year in NCAA Division I. The APR measures semester-by-semester records for each team member’s continuing eligibility, retention and progress toward graduation.
6
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
SHOP NOW FOR YOUR CORNELL ATHLETICS
B A S K E T B A L L
WO M E N ’ S
REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D : • With just six letter winners returning, the team will have a different look than last year’s veteran group. The 2014-15 cagers will have a youthful new appearance and rotation. • Sophomore forward Nia Marshall, last year’s second-leading scorer (12.6 ppg.) and rebounder (5.6 rpg.), returns after being named Ivy League Rookie of the Week five times last season. • Expect to see two familiar faces as mainstays in the lineup, with sophomore point guard Kerri Moran (6.4 ppg., 3.5 apg.) joining Marshall to form this year’s core of players. Both garnered significant experience during their successful freshman seasons. • The schedule features a number of first-time opponents, including Hartford, Marshall, and Youngstown State, all on the home floor at Newman Arena.
N O T E S : The 2014 team posted its best overall record since its Ivy League championship campaign, going 14-14 overall and finishing fifth in the Ivy League at 6-8. The Big Red was highly competitive in conference play, with half of its losses coming by eight or fewer points…Cornell, with a cumulative grade point average of 3.420, led all Ivy League teams and ranked 20th nationally in the WBCA Academic Top 25 for the 2013-14 season.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
7
APPAREL. VISIT SHOP.CORNELLBIGRED.COM
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
MEN’S
I N D O O R
T R A C K
&
F I E L D
REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D : • Cornell is the defending Heps and IC4A champion. • Last year’s team finished 14th at the NCAA championships out of 303 Division I schools. • Returning are Heps MVPs and All-Americans senior Stephen Mozia (shot put) and junior Max Hairston (hurdles), along with 37 other IC4A qualifiers. • Other returning Heps champions or school recordholders include: junior Bryan Rhodes (35# weight), sophomore Grant Sisserson (pole vault), sophomore Larry Gibson (400), and senior Cisco Olloqui (4x400).
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
MEN’S TRACK & FIELD
WO M E N ’ S
N O T E S : The Big Red has finished either first or second at the Heps every year since 2002…Sisserson tied the school record (17-4 ½) in the pole vault at the USATF Junior Championships, and that ties him for No. 6 all-time in Ivy League history… Sophomore Jordan Sherwood placed second (53.30) in the 400 intermediate hurdles at the Canadian Junior Championships…In 2014, the men’s team placed an Ivy League-high five student-athletes on the USTFCCCA All-Academic squad, and the Big Red was named an All-Academic team with its cumulative 3.03 GPA.
I N D O O R
T R A C K
REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D : • Returners include three NCAA All-Americans, eight NCAA Regional qualifiers, and four athletes who have previously won Heps titles. • The sprint-hurdles return three Heps champions in seniors Zena Kolliesuah and Katie Woodford, and junior DeeDee Akpaete, while sophomore Adrian Jones scored in both the 100 and 200 meters.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD
WO M E N ’ S
&
F I E L D
• The burgeoning throwing group continues to improve with junior Camryn Goodman, sophomore Kali Belonga and freshmen Taylor Baker and Taylor Drayton.
N O T E S : Key dates on the indoor schedule are a triangular meet in Boston with Harvard and Brown on Jan. 17, the Sykes-Sabock Challenge at Penn State on Feb. 7, and the Heps in Boston beginning Feb. 28.
• NCAA regional qualifiers, including senior All-American Elyse Wilkinson, tops at 800 meters, and junior distance stars Caroline Kellner, Maggie Szpak and Claire DeVoe, lead middle distance/distance events. • The jumps are deep, led by junior Hillary Holmes in the long jump, triple jump and pentathlon; seniors Jennifer Markin and Eve Bishop in the pole vault; and junior high jumper Liz Crissy.
8
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
SHOP NOW FOR YOUR CORNELL ATHLETICS
S Q U A S H
MEN’S
REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D : • Tri-captain Aditya Jagtap will lead the team from the No. 1 position. • Jagtap holds the leadership responsibility with juniors Gustav Runersjo and Graham Dietz, and they are expected to unite a very young team. • The preseason rankings have the Big Red in eighth place nationally, and the goal is to jump up to at least No. 6, where it finished last spring. • Five freshmen will add depth to the lineup and look to play in the top nine.
N O T E S : Jagtap, playing at No. 2 last season,
made both the All-Ivy and the Academic All-Ivy teams…Six players who competed at last year’s national team championships are back in action.
S Q U A S H
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
MEN’S SQUASH
WO M E N ’ S
REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D : • Twelve dedicated players are committed to the overall success of the team. • Team is ranked No. 6 nationally, setting the goal of being in the top five by the end of the season. • A challenging regular-season match schedule will prepare the team for the end-of-the-year championships. • The co-captains, Danielle Letourneau and Reut Odinak, have the experience and ability to draw out the best in the rest of the team.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
WOMEN’S SQUASH
APPAREL. VISIT SHOP.CORNELLBIGRED.COM
• Five solid freshmen will add additional strength and depth to the lineup.
N O T E S : Letourneau, an All-American and AllIvy player at No. 1, will represent Team Canada at the Women’s World Team Squash Championships in December. She is a three-time CSA All-America first-team member.
9
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
MEN’S
S W I M M I N G
&
D I V I N G
REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D : • Strong leadership from the seniors, plus a talented group of freshmen, should make the Big Red a formidable foe this season. • Sophomore Dylan Sali is the team’s top returning scorer, and is the school record holder in the 100 backstroke (47.61) and 200 IM (1:47.20). • Senior captains Eric May (breast), Tim Satterthwaite (free) and Tommy Hallowell (dive) are looking to lead the team through the dual meet season and into the Ivy championship meet.
N O T E S : Big years are expected from juniors Victor Luo (breast, IM) and Taylor Adams (free) who have made significant gains over the summer, and are on track for strong performances this winter…The freshman class was already impressive during the preseason training, and has the potential to make an immediate impact towards the team’s success… Only three out of 10 dual meets are at home.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING
WO M E N ’ S
S W I M M I N G
REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D : • The team has a lot of momentum and excitement coming out of last season, breaking 11 records at the Ivy championships. It is working very hard to build success that can be sustained for many years to come.
&
D I V I N G
N O T E S : Sophomore Billy Murch Elliott finished ninth in the 400 individual medley at the Ivy meet last spring after setting a school record in the 200 IM (2:03.35). Her sister, Currie, established new school marks in the 500 (4:52.79) and 1,000 freestyle (10:07.09) events in 2014…In diving, senior Bianca Herlitz-Ferguson will be counted upon for dual meet points, and make her mark on both diving boards at the Ivy championships.
• The highlights of the season are always the Ivy League meets. With four meets in November, the team had opportunities to swim fast early. • Junior Jenna Immormino excelled at the Ivies last spring, finishing in the top 5 in three events and scoring 78 individual points. She was a member of four school record-breaking relay teams. She hopes to build on these achievements this season.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING
10
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
SHOP NOW FOR YOUR CORNELL ATHLETICS
P O L O
MEN’S
REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D :
• The men are the favorites to repeat as champions in the Northeast Region and earn a bid to the National Championships in April.
• The team began the season with a 4-1 record, losing only a 10-9 shootout at Virginia.
• The Regionals and Nationals will be held at UConn, and the Big Red will benefit from being able to bring their own horses to these events.
• Two of the three starters from last year return in senior captain Nick Stieg and sophomore Ignacio Masias. Senior Hakan Karabey is looking to claim the third spot, but is being challenged by senior Alex Langlois and freshman Kamran Pirasteh.
N O T E S : Cornell has won the Regional championship 12 out of the last 14 years… Coach Dave Eldredge ’81, in his 30th season, has a 409-171-8 record with the men.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
MEN’S POLO
P O L O REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D : • The Big Red riders have started strong this season, losing only to the University of Virginia thus far. • Junior captain Anna Winslow and senior Devin Cox are the returning starters from 2013-14, and are joined at the third spot by sophomore Emma Eldredge. Junior Elena Wicker also figures for playing time. • Tough Regional competition is expected from UConn, one of the top three teams in the country, but the Big Red is looking to repeat as champion.
WO M E N ’ S
• An appearance at the Nationals would be the seventh straight for the women’s team. • Playing on their own horses at Regionals and hopefully at the Nationals will be a plus for the team.
N O T E S : Coach David Eldredge ’81 is coaching the Cornell riders in his 30th season. His record with the women is 457-125-17.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
WOMEN’S POLO
11
APPAREL. VISIT SHOP.CORNELLBIGRED.COM
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
WO M E N ’ S
F E N C I N G REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D : • The team is coming off great preseason training activities and working hard with the addition of a large and talented freshman class. • Team and individual goals were achieved last season, and everyone is looking to build on these previous achievements. • Some great individual performances are expected on the national level. • Foil continues to be the cornerstone of the team, but look for the saber squad to become a force this year as well.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
WOMEN’S FENCING
• Overall the team is a young, but talented one.
N O T E S : At the 2014 NCAA Fencing Championships last spring, current sophomore Victoria Wines placed 14th overall, and current junior Angelica Gangemi took 16th place. Last July, Wines was eighth overall to medal at the USA Fencing National Championships…Wines (epee) and Gangemi (foil) earned gold, and Olivia Weller (epee) took silver at the Temple Open this season.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO
WO M E N ’ S
WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS
G Y M N A S T I C S REASONS TO B E E XC I T E D :
• The schedule is a challenging one with the usual Ivy competition, and additional meets vs. Penn State, UNH, Rutgers, Temple, Maryland, UNC, William & Mary and West Virginia.
• The team is looking to win its fifth Ivy Classic • Facility upgrades include new bleachers title in the last 10 years, more crowns than any that free up more space for meets while other Ancient Eight school. seating 300, and a new scoring system and scoreboard. • Last year, the Big Red had its second-highest team scoring average in program history, and this year’s group is looking to move into No. 1. N O T E S : Top returnees on vault are junior All-American Alicia Bair, classmate • This year’s freshman class has added great Sara Schupp, sophomores Alex Bourgeois depth to the roster, with eight new athletes. and Krystin Chiellini, and senior Sammy VanderPutten…Sophomore Elana Molotsky and junior captain Hannah Clark are the top returnees on bars…Leading the beam lineup are senior captain Maia Vernacchia, juniors Kaylie Cronin, Clark and senior Christie Wong… Floor is the deepest event with Chiellini, Cronin, Molotsky, VanderPutten and junior Julohn Teixeira leading the way…Don’t overlook the excellent freshmen who will infuse additional talent into the lineup.
12
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
SHOP NOW FOR YOUR CORNELL ATHLETICS
BIG RED FOR LIFE: MARY JOHN MILLER ’77 Q: Why did you choose Cornell? For you, what
Q: What motivated you to leave the job you had
I grew up in Ithaca and knew the campus and many people who worked at the University, including my father who taught history for almost 40 years. The size and diversity of what Cornell offered were compelling.
I had the opportunity to join the U.S. Treasury in the wake of the financial crisis and work on recovery and reform initiatives that were enormously challenging and interesting. The chance to work in the public sector and on a national level was a way to put my experience to work for our country and at a particularly important moment.
set it apart from other schools?
Q: As a gymnast here, what events did you do?
Mary John Miller ‘77 served as the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Under Secretary for Domestic Finance from 2012 through September 2014, in which she was responsible for developing and coordinating Treasury’s policies and guidance in the areas of financial institutions, federal debt financing, financial regulation, and capital markets. Previously, Miller served as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Markets, where she advised the Secretary on broad matters of domestic finance, financial markets, federal, state and local finance, and federal government lending policies. Prior to joining Treasury, Miller spent 26 years working for T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., where she was the director of the Fixed Income Division and a member of the firm’s Management Committee. A government major at Cornell, Miller, who grew up in Ithaca, was a member letter winner on the Big Red women’s gymnastics team and helped get the program off the ground. Mary was interviewed by Maia Vernacchia, a captain on the 2014-15 women’s gymnastics team.
My events were floor exercise and vaulting. I guess I liked flinging myself in the air! I need to say that I think I was on the first women’s gymnastics team at Cornell in 1973. None of us were recruited for gymnastics. It was a pretty bare bones operation; I recall doing my floor exercise routine on the bare wood floor of Barton Hall.
Q: What’s your favorite Big Red sports memory?
for 26 years at T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.?
Q: How did you feel about being on The New Republic’s list of Washington’s most powerful, least famous people?
The one thing you should never want to be in Washington is famous!
I would have to say competing in the East Coast Athletic Conference. I believe I actually won a medal in floor exercise, which was pretty exciting considering where I had started.
Q: How did your athletic experience influence
your career success?
Participating in sports made me more disciplined and organized. I think the skills I developed in managing my time and juggling competing demands in college helped me later in life. Perhaps even more important is learning the value of teamwork. Learning how to build and manage teams is a key ingredient to career success. Nothing I have accomplished has been without the help of others.
Q: Was it hard to give up gymnastics when you
graduated, or were you ready to move on?
I may have stopped doing gymnastics, but I will always be a fan. I was lucky enough to go to one Olympics and watch world class gymnastics competition. It made me appreciate how far the sport has advanced since my day.
Q: Did you pick up any other sport or athletic event after gymnastics? By my senior year I was also involved in starting up a squash club for women that was a lot of fun. Today I play tennis, run (slowly!) and even did a short triathlon with friends a year ago. I will keep going in athletic endeavors as long as I can.
Q: Since leaving the Department of the Treasury,
what are you doing/planning on doing?
I’m taking some time off to get my bearings and think about next steps. There are so many interesting things to do and consider. Right now I’m enjoying the holidays without worrying about conference calls, briefing books and meetings!
Q: What do you miss most about Cornell? The physical beauty of the campus (no matter how cold), the fun of watching a great athletic event, the anticipation of a new semester or school year.
Q: Do you have any final advice for current student-athletes?
Take advantage of everything Cornell offers in terms of training, coaching and competing. You may never find that level of support again. And don’t miss the opportunity to coach young athletes yourself if you can – very satisfying.
13
APPAREL. VISIT SHOP.CORNELLBIGRED.COM
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
E A R LY W I N T E R S E A S O N H I G H L I G H T S
Men’s Hockey
Men’s Squash
After going winless in its first four games, Cornell won three of four to enter the winter break with a 4-4 record. Cornell never trailed in a 4-1 victory over nationally ranked Denver to kick off a big non-league weekend series at Lynah Rink. Junior forward Christian Hilbrich scored twice and added an assist, and sophomore goaltender Mitch Gillam made 32 saves to earn ECAC Goalie of the Week for the second time in the last three weeks.
The men’s squash team, ranked eighth in the country is 3-1, having defeated 15th-ranked Western Ontario (6-3), 14thranked Williams (9-0) and No. 17 George Washington (8-1).
The Big Red faced Penn State in the second edition of The Frozen Apple at famed Madison Square Garden. Cornell withstood an early barrage from the Nittany Lions and got stronger as the game went on to post a 3-1 victory. Junior forward John Knisley scored twice to lead the team. The Big Red is ranked third nationally in team defense (1.56 goals against per game) despite leaning heavily on three defensemen and two goalies with a combined three games of college hockey experience heading into the season. Watch highlights of the win over Denver
Women’s Hockey The Big Red closed out the 2014 portion of its schedule with its best week of the season. The team kicked off the week with a 1-1 tie against No. 7 Mercyhurst, before winning its final three games against Syracuse, No. 6 Clarkson and St. Lawrence— outscoring these opponents by an18-7 margin. With the huge four-point weekend on the road against Clarkson and St. Lawrence, Cornell heads into the break sitting just four points out of first place in a crowded top half of the conference. Senior Brianne Jenner exploded for 11 points to more than double her point total for the year. The huge week pushed the senior captain near the top of the scoring charts in ECAC Hockey, as she is tied for first in points per game (2.20) and sits fourth overall in scoring (18 points) despite playing in only 11 contests this season. Watch highlights of the win over Syracuse
Women’s Squash: The women’s squash team continued emphatic defense of its national ranking on Dec. 7, posting its fourth consecutive 9-0 victory to start the season when it topped Columbia in the teams’ Ivy League opener. The Big Red, which is ranked sixth by the College Squash Association, has not lost a single match yet against No. 7 Stanford, No. 8 George Washington, No. 9 Columbia and No. 12 Williams.
Men’s & Women’s Track The Big Red men’s track and field team started their indoor season with the Greg Page Relays on Friday and Saturday in Barton Hall. Cornell produced six event wins, 10 IC4A qualifiers and nearly 20 top-five event finishes. Junior co-captain Max Hairston and sophomore Grant Sisserson won meet MVP honors for the men’s track and field categories, respectively. The women’s team won three events; Katie Woodford placed first in the 300, an all-freshman relay team won the distance medley; and the 4x400 relay unit won its event. Freshman Kate Gulbrandsen tied the school freshman record (and reached a tie for ninth best all-time in school history) with an ECACqualifying clearance of 5-7 in the high jump to place second.
Men’s Polo: The Big Red entered the semester break with a 6-3 record after topping Yale 36-2 on Dec. 5. Cornell also owns three victories over Skidmore College and two over the University of Connecticut.
Women’s Polo: Cornell closed out the fall semester with a pair of wins to move to 9-2 on the season, topping Yale 27-1 on Saturday and rallying for a 20-19 shootout win at Connecticut. The Red has two victories over UMass and Skidmore.
14
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
SHOP NOW FOR YOUR CORNELL ATHLETICS
E A R LY W I N T E R S E A S O N H I G H L I G H T S
Men’s Basketball
Wrestling
The Big Red finished the first semester’s portion of its schedule by winning three in a row to climb climbed over the .500 mark (5-4)— the latest in a season Cornell has posted a winning record since the 2012-13 campaign. The Red has been competitive all season; three of its four losses have come by a total of eight points. The team is 3-0 at home for the first time since 2008-09. The Big Red is limiting opponents to 37 percent shooting over its first eight games.
Cornell moved to 4-0 on the season with three wins at the Journeymen/ASICS Northeast Duals. The Big Red topped Division II power Kutztown 43-4, No. 23 North Carolina State 20-13 and West Virginia 26-9. Stalwarts Nahshon Garrett (125), Chris Villalonga (149) and Gabe Dean (184) each went 3-0 at the Duals and combined for six bonus point wins, including three by Garrett. Despite missing four starters, the Cornell wrestling team was able to win four straight matches in the second half of the dual to knock off No. 21 Oklahoma 21-13 on Nov. 22.
The biggest difference from last year is the return of firstteam All-Ivy selection Shonn Miller, who missed the 2013-14 season with a shoulder injury. The 6-7 forward returned with a bang, recording 21 points and 13 rebounds in the upset of George Mason and collecting 20 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals at Loyola (MD). His season averages of 13.3 ppg., 7.6 rpg., 1.8 bpg. and 1.0 spg. make him an early contender for All-Ivy honors. Watch highlights of the win over UMass-Lowell
At the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 5-6, Villalonga captured his first title at the prestigious meet and Garrett earned his second straight crown. Cornell finished fifth as a team in the tournament. Watch highlights of the win over Oklahoma
Men’s Swimming Women’s Basketball: The young Big Red squad is gaining experience and showing improvement during the non-league portion of it schedule. Cornell topped Bryant 66-64 on Dec. 6 to improve to 4-4. Of the team’s 14 players, 11 are underclassmen with just two seniors and one junior. No other team in the Ivy League has fewer upperclassmen. Watch highlights of the win over Bryant
Cornell continued its resurgence, knocking off Penn (168-132) and falling just short against Princeton (160-140) to end the semester with a 3-2 record. The Red also defeated Dartmouth (213-87) and Binghamton University (171.25-125.5).
Women’s Swimming The Big Red (3-2 overall, 2-2 Ivy League) won six events, including a school-record swim from sophomore Currie Murch Elliot in the 1000 free, as the team topped Penn 180118 and dropped a 167-133 decision to Princeton. In the meet with Penn and Princeton, Murch Elliot won the 1000 and lowered her own school record in the event by nearly five full seconds.
15
APPAREL. VISIT SHOP.CORNELLBIGRED.COM
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
F A L L
R E C A P S
Varsity Football
Men’s Soccer
Freshman safety Nick Gesualdi was named the conference’s top rookie, joining three other Big Red players garnering League honors this season. Sophomore punter Chris Fraser, last season’s conference Rookie of the Year, was one of seven unanimous first-team All-Ivy League picks and one of two non-seniors on each of the coaches’ ballots. Junior running back Luke Hagy captured second team honors and junior offensive lineman Zach Wilk joined Gesualdi as an honorable mention all-league pick.
The Big Red recorded at least 10 wins in the season for the second time in the last three years, and posted its fourth consecutive winning season. The team tied last year’s mark with 11 goals allowed, while it set a new program single-season record with 11 shutouts on the year.
The Big Red showed a tremendous fighting spirit all season long. Cornell finished second in the conference in the turnover/takeaway margin. That’s the highest finish for a Big Red team in this category in the league since at least 2007. The defense finished atop the league in number of takeaways and ranked fifth in total defense, the program’s best since 2007. The offense got better and better as the season progressed, posting three consecutive 100-yard rushing performances for the first time since 2005. The Cornell offense finished third in the league in the fewest number of giveaways, an impressive stat given the number of newcomers who directed the offense at quarterback. Click to watch’s Coach Archer’s comments after the season finale with Penn.
Field Hockey Cornell finished the season with an 11-5 record overall and secured a second-place finish in the Ivy League with a mark of 5-2. The 11 total wins tied a school record for victories in a single season, previously set in 2008 and 2010. The squad also set a school record for points, points per game, goals, and assists in single-season. Junior Marisa Siergiej was named a first-team All-Mideast Region All-American, and was a unanimous first-team All-Ivy selection.
The four captains of the 2014 Big Red earned All-Ivy recognition. Right back Peter Chodas took home FirstTeam All-Ivy honors, while midfielder Conor Goepel, center back Devin Morgan and keeper Zach Zagorski took home Second Team recognition. Senior midfielder Tyler Conway was named to the Capital One Academic All-America Third Team. The Class of 2015 secured the second most wins (41) of any senior class in the 107-year history of the program.
Women’s Soccer The Big Red won eight games overall, and two in the Ivy League for the first time since 2002. The 1-0 victory over Dartmouth was the team’s first triumph over the Big Green since 1995. In addition, for the first time since 2002, four Cornell players earned All-Ivy recognition. Senior midfielder Claire MacManus was named to the All-Ivy Second Team for a third consecutive season. Click to watch highlights of the victory over Penn in October.
Men’s Cross Country Cornell enjoyed its best showing at the Ivy League Heptagonal Chamapionships since 2007 with a secondplace finish, and made an appearance in the national poll (37th) for the first time in over a decade. Freshman Dominic DeLuca finished fourth overall, marking the highest finish by a Big Red freshman male at the Heps in several years. The top-five finish netted DeLuca first team All-Ivy honors. Junior Brian Eimstad moved from 32nd at the 3-mile mark all the way up to ninth place overall
16
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
SHOP NOW FOR YOUR CORNELL ATHLETICS
F A L L
R E C A P S
(24:44.8) to earn second Team All-Ivy honors. Senior David Melly also earned Second Team All-Ivy honors with a 13th-place finish (24:49.3).
Fall All-Ivy Honors
The Big Red finished in fifth place at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships. Freshman Dominic DeLuca capped his excellent rookie season with a 19th-place finish, posting an overall time of 30:52.24 for the third-best time by a freshman at the event. Junior Brian Eimstad finished right on DeLuca’s heels in 22nd place. Senior David Melly concluded his cross country career with another All-Region performance. He finished in 24th place with a final time of 31:00.61.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY FIRST TEAM Dominic DeLuca, Fr.
Click to watch highlights of the team’s second-place finish at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships
Women’s Cross Country Cornell finished ninth out of 40 schools at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships. The Big Red ran well at the hallowed Van Cortlandt Park course, posting two All-Region runners in junior tri-captain Caroline Kellner and sophomore standout Taylor Spillane. It was the sixth straight year in which Cornell recorded multiple All-Region honorees. The Red finished fourth (108 points) at the Ivy League Heptagonals Championships. Sophomore standout Taylor Spillane flew through the West Windsor Fields in 20:56.9 for a sixth-place finish and First-Team All-Ivy Honors. Junior Caroline Kellner finished 10th on the day in 21:09.6 to garner her first career Second Team All-Ivy recognition. Click to watch highlights of the team’s performance at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships
Sprint Football Cornell concluded the season on a strong positive note, handling Mansfield 38-21 at Schoellkopf Field. On October 10, the Red rolled past Princeton, 55-0 on the heels of a 48-point first half for the highest scoring total in a half in the 75-year history of the program. Click to watch highlights of the team’s season-ending victory over Mansfield
Volleyball Senior Natasha Rowland was the Ivy League Defensive Player Of The Year, the first-ever Big Red player to receive this award.
WON BY THE BIG RED
SECOND TEAM Brian Eimstad, Jr. David Melly, Sr. WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY FIRST TEAM Taylor Spillane, So. SECOND TEAM Caroline Kellner, Jr. FIELD HOCKEY FIRST TEAM Marisa Siergiej, Jr. D SECOND TEAM Sam McILwrick, Fr. D Katy Weeks, So. M HONORABLE MENTION Ann DiPastina, Sr. M Krysten Mayers, Fr. F FOOTBALL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Nick Gesualdi, Fr. S FIRST TEAM Chris Frazer, So. P SECOND TEAM Luke Hagy, Jr. RB HONORABLE MENTION Nick Gesualdi, Fr. S Zach Wilk, Jr. OL MEN’S SOCCER FIRST TEAM Peter Chodas, Sr. B SECOND TEAM Conor Goepel, Sr. M Devin Morgan, Sr. CB Zach Zagorski, Sr. GK WOMEN’S SOCCER SECOND TEAM Claire MacManus, Sr. M HONORABLE MENTION Elizabeth Crowell, So. M Caroline Growney, Jr. F Charlotte Tate, J. D VOLLEYBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Natasha Rowland, Sr. L SECOND TEAM Natasha Rowland, Sr. L
17
APPAREL. VISIT SHOP.CORNELLBIGRED.COM
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
ALU M NI ATH L E TE AC CO M PL I S H ME N TS KING ADDS ANOTHER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE
Max King ’02, one of America’s best and most versatile distance runners for the past several years, won the IAAF-sanctioned IAU 100K World Championship on Nov. 21 in Doha, Qatar. King ran the 20-lap, 62.1-mile course in 6 hours, 27 minutes, and 43 seconds for a new USA record. It was his second world championship title, following a victory at the 2011 World Mountain Running Championships. King’s efforts, combined with two other runners, gave the United States the team 100K World title.
ARENA-SARACHAN LEAD WINNING MLS CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
Head Coach Bruce Arena ’73 and Associate Head Coach Dave Sarachan ’76 led the Los Angeles Galaxy to a 2-1 extra time victory over the New England Revolution to win the MLS Championship. For Arena, it was his fifth MLS title, while it was the fourth for Sarachan. Both have been with the Galaxy for seven seasons. Both coaches are in the Cornell Athletic Hall of Fame for their outstanding exploits on campus.
CO M P L I A NC E
ALUMNI ROWERS IN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Tracy Eisser ’12 led a trio of Cornellians participating in the World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam. Eisser, rowing in the No. 2 seat, helped the USA team win a bronze medal in the women’s quad with a time of 6:12.030. Kyle Traub ’11 rowed bow for the USA lightweight men’s eight that finished fifth in 5:41.640. Alex Karwoski ’12 was the bow for the men’s double sculls that was second in the Final:FD with a time of 6:25.560.
CORNELL REPRESENTED WELL IN CWHL ALL-STAR GAME
Big Red Hall of Famer Digit Murphy ’83 coached the Red team to a 3-2 victory in the first Canadian Women’s Hockey League All-Star Game held in Toronto on Dec. 13. Also on the Red squad were Rebecca Johnston ’12 and Alyssa Gagliardi ’14. Cornellians on the White team were captain Jess Campbell ’14, Lauriane Rougeau ’13 and Laura Fortino ’13. The Red team scored all three of its goals in the third period with Johnston recording the game-winner.
FO O D FOR TH O U G H T. . . A ND PE R FORM ANC E
AMY FOSTER Associate AD for Compliance and Student Services
With the adoption of proposal 2013-31-B, institutions can now provide student-athletes with meals and snacks as a benefit incidental to overall participation in intercollegiate athletics. Prior to this proposal’s enactment, schools were generally limited to providing student-athletes with meals associated with competition plus fruit, nuts and bagels (but not cream cheese or spreads prior to March 2013) at any time. When asked about the rules change on ESPN radio, NCAA President Mark Emmert kept it simple and said “the NCAA has historically had all kinds of … dumb rules about food.” With this as the framework, 2013-31-B was voted on last January and became effective this past August.
Under the new rule, institutions have discretion to determine how to best meet the nutritional needs of their student-athletes. If schools so choose, they may provide their athletes with meals or snacks at any time during the academic year and during vacation periods when students are required to remain on-campus. Under Ivy rules, the provision of ongoing meals or subsidizing meals on a regular basis is considered impermissible athletically-related financial aid, but the new legislation has opened the door for Ivy institutions to provide occasional meals and snacks on a more liberal basis.
S O W H AT IS HAP P E NING AT CO RN ELL? We strive to provide our student-athletes with everything they need to perform their best and reach their potential. As a new, simple, researchbased, cost-efficient first step to help with refueling needs, student-athletes receive chocolate milk after their strength workouts. Extensive research has shown chocolate milk to be a naturally ideal recovery beverage. Its macronutrients support recovery and repair while also delivering a desirable mineral content for rehydration. The Cornell Dairy is currently developing a specialized product that is fortified with double the protein content of typical chocolate milk. This product will provide even more post-workout benefit to our student-athletes. Beyond the chocolate milk program, our Coordinator of Sports Nutrition, Clint Wattenberg, is developing a more comprehensive, calculated plan to maximize performance through targeted fueling. Empirical evidence has shown that student-athletes across the country tend not to meet their daily caloric needs. Further, those who snack regularly are better able to meet their metabolic and training demands, thus improving health and overall performance. Clint is envisioning an accessible fueling station with supplemental snacks to help fulfill student-athlete caloric requirements, with a particular focus on pre- and post- workout nutritional needs. The fueling station, in combination with Clint’s education, will also provide an opportunity for studentathletes to learn how to independently support their own nutritional needs. As is often the case, new rules open up new ways to explore gaining a competitive edge. In this case, it is particularly exciting given the potential to truly help our student-athletes optimize their athletic and academic focus and performance, while simultaneously supporting their overall health and well-being, now and for the future. Compliance Corner articles in Spirit Magazine are meant to be educational, but cannot cover all scenarios or be all-inclusive. Articles should be used as a reminder of the extensive NCAA rules that bind intercollegiate athletics and those involved. It is important that you always contact Amy Foster, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Compliance and Student Services, at 607-255-8874, or via email at [email protected], with specific questions or concerns.
18
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
SHOP NOW FOR YOUR CORNELL ATHLETICS
Photo from the Cornell All-Athlete Extravaganza, an orientation event held in Newman Arena in late August and one of the rare occasions when all Big Red athletes are in the same place at the same time!
A
Dear Friends of the Big Red, s the holiday season unfolds, I remember with appreciation the many loyal and generous alumni, parents and other benefactors who provide us with the moral and financial support that supplements our University subvention. Without
question, this assistance is the difference between operating a substandard NCAA Division I program and one in which our participants are afforded the opportunity to enjoy a positive experience, and for many, a championship one. On behalf of the nearly 1200 athletes and thousands of students who participate in our Outdoor Education (COE), intramural and recreational services programs, I extend heartfelt thanks and wish you a safe and enjoyable holiday with family and friends. Sincerely,
Andy
19
APPAREL. VISIT SHOP.CORNELLBIGRED.COM
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
N EWS & NOTE S WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY DAY
Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick ’09 declared Nov. 15 “Cornell Women’s Ice Hockey Day”. The team has a long-standing relationship with the United Way, and has participated in service projects around the community. The team has played an integral role in raising donations totaling more than $230,000. It also has a successful mentoring program called “Cub Club,” launched in 2010 in partnership with the Tompkins Girls Hockey Association. At the Yale game, the team celebrated a ceremonial puck drop with members of the Cub Club. Senior team captain Brianne Jenner said, “Being involved in service for the Ithaca community has always been very important to our team identity. We were thrilled to see so many fans (over 1,000) turn out for the Yale game to support both our team and the United Way.”
MEN’S TENNIS DOES WELL AT USTA/ITA NORTHEAST REGIONALS
The sophomore doubles team of Bernardo Casares Rosa and Chris Vrabel knocked off the No. 2 seed to advance to the semifinals at the USTA/ITA Northeast Regionals. Casares Rosa and Vrabel lost to a Harvard duo in the championship match, 6-4, 6-3. The Big Red had six entries in the singles main draw, and Casares Rosa advanced to the round of 32, as did junior Stefan Vinti.
SPRINT FOOTBALL PLACES 16 ON CSFL ALL-LEAGUE TEAM
Sixteen Big Red sprint football players were listed on the Collegiate Sprint Football League’s first three teams at the end of the season. Named to the first team on offense were junior running back Benjamin Herrera and senior lineman Gregory Zalevsky. On defense, first team honorees were defensive back Ryan Jackson and sophomore linebacker Christopher D’Ambrosio. Jackson also earned first team accolades as a punter, making him the only player to receive recognition on both defense and special teams. Named to the league’s second team were senior wide receiver Jonathan Roth and freshman kick returner Karriem Royster. Ten other players received league honorable mention.
EQUESTRIAN CONCLUDES SUCCESSFUL FALL SCHEDULE
The equestrian team concluded its extremely successful run through the fall portion of the schedule with a victory at the second show held at Alfred University. The win further solidified the Big Red’s lead in the regional standings. Junior Meridith Meyer completed excellent runs in both open fences and open flat to capture her third consecutive high point rider merit. Senior captain Georgiana de Rham finished first in open fences and second in open flat to capture reserve high point honors. Both riders have qualified for the regionals.
CROSS COUNTRY TEAMS NAME MOST VALUABLE RUNNERS At the completion of the fall season, sophomore Taylor Spillane and freshman Dominic DeLuca were named the outstanding runners on the women’s and men’s cross country teams, respectively. Spillane and DeLuca both earned first team AllIvy and All-Region honors.
ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT ADOPTS 50 FAMILIES
Andrea Dutcher, Senior Associate Director of Athletics and Physical Education, coordinated the Salvation Army Adopt-AFamily program once again for the Athletics Department. Twentythree varsity teams participated in adopting 50 families for the holidays, with football sponsoring 12. Each child in the family was given three toys and two articles of clothing, while the entire family was provided with food for one main meal. In addition, the families were given big boxes of generic food staples. Dutcher said, “We had an unbelievable response from the teams and staff. The 50 families included 69 adults and 123 children.”
MEN’S LACROSSE SELECTED EIGHTH IN PRESEASON POLL
Freshman Lizzie Stewart finished in second place in A Flight singles at the Harvard Invitational to finish out the fall season. Stewart was defeated by a Harvard player, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, in the finals. In doubles, Stewart teamed up with classmate Priyanka Shah for the Big Red’s only win before losing in the quarterfinals.
“Inside Lacrosse” has ranked the Big Red men’s lacrosse team No. 8 in its yearbook preseason poll. Denver is listed as No. 1. Senior Connor Buczek, last year’s Ivy League Player of the Year and a first team pre-season All-American, was again accorded pre-season All-America first team honors. Senior defenseman Jordan Stevens, All-Ivy first team in 2014, was named to the pre-season All-America second team, and senior attackman Matt Donovan, All-Ivy first team last spring, was named to the pre-season All-America third unit.
MCILWRICK NAMED TO CANADIAN JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT SQUAD
ZAGORSKI AND GOEPEL NAMED TO NSCAA ALL-EAST THIRD TEAM
STEWART LEADS WOMAN’S TENNIS TEAM AT HARVARD
After having an outstanding fall with the Big Red field hockey team, freshman Sam McILwrick, has been named one of 39 selections to the 2014 Canadian National Junior Team. A native of Coquitlam, B.C., McILwick will have the opportunity to compete for Canada throughout 2015 and into 2016, when the Junior World Cup will be held. A second-team All-Ivy honoree, McILwrick was part of the Cornell defensive unit that set a school record, allowing a mere 3.9 penalty corners. The defense also allowed just eight shots per game the lowest total since 1983.
The NSCAA All-Region teams were released recently, and named to the All-East third team were Big Red men’s soccer players Zach Zagorski and Conor Goepel. Zagorski, a senior, compiled the best goaltender statistical record in the league while earning All-Ivy second team honors. He had 10 shutouts this past season. Goepel, also a senior, was the “go-to” guy for scoring, leading the team with new career highs in goals (7) and points (17). He led the Ivy League with five game-winning goals, and received All-Ivy second team honors.
PHOTO CREDITS: Darl Zehr, Dave Burbank, Patrick Shanahan, and photos provided by the Cornell Athletic Communications Office.
20
SPIRIT! MAGAZINE
SHOP NOW FOR YOUR CORNELL ATHLETICS APPAREL. VISIT SHOP.CORNELLBIGRED.COM
