Cornell's Student-Athlete
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SPRING FLING Softball to The Magazine of Defend Ivy Title Cornell Sports S p r i n g 2 0 1 0 TRACK Heps Champs Blaze Indoors and Out MEN’S HOOPS FIRST BASEBALL NATIONAL Gehrig Division Champs RANKING Hit the Diamond in 59 YEARS BATTLE TESTED see pg. 2 Championship Lacrosse Readies for Second Run top: Elizabeth Dalrymple ’11, Ivy League Pitcher of the Year. at NCAAs right: Ryan Wittman ’10 Highlights: Winter Wrestling straight Captures 8th Ivy Title The Big Red wrestling team won its eighth-straight Ivy League champion- ship the weekend of Feb. 19-20 with dual matches against Brown and Harvard. The wins helped Cornell earn its 31st conference crown in program history. Cornell has won 43-straight Ancient Eight matches. The Cornell men’s basketball team clinched at least a share of its third consecutive Ivy League title with a 68-48 victory Nationally over Penn on Feb. 27 at Newman Arena. The victory avenged Ranked the Big Red’s only league loss of the season, a 79-64 defeat in Philadelphia on Feb. 12. A sold-out Senior Day crowd watched Men’s Cornell improve to 25-4 (11-1 Ivy). For the first time in the history of the Cornell men’s basketball Basketball program, the Big Red sat among the nation’s top 25 teams in the c l i n c h e s ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll released on Feb. 1. The Big Red picked up 53 votes from the panel of 31 Division I head coaches to sit at No. 25 in the poll. The Big Red was also in the second spot of others receiving Share of votes in the Associated Press top 25 poll. It is the first time in 59 years Ivy Title Cornell has been ranked in a national poll in men’s basketball, as the 1950-51 team climbed as high as No. 14 in the Associated Press poll on Jan. 3, 1951. Cornell moved up to No.22 the following week. Women’s Ice Hockey w i n s1st- ever ECAC championship, plus the Ivy Title The Cornell women’s hockey team won its first-ever ECAC Hockey regular-season championship on Feb. 20 by winning over Union, 6-1, at Lynah Rink in Ithaca. The Big Red will be the top seed in the upcoming league tournament and will play at home for as long as it is alive in the tournament. Laura Fortino ’13 had four assists and Chelsea Karpenko ’12 picked up a pair of goals for the Big Red. The squad also claimed its first outright Ivy League title since 1996 with a 4-0 victory over Brown on Feb. 12. Karlee Overguard ’11 had a pair of goals while Catherine White ’12 and Fortino both added a pair of assists in the victory. Clockwise: Cam Simaz ’12 (wrestling) ✦ Jeff Foote ’10 (basketball) ✦ Chelsea Karpenko ’12 (hockey) ✦ Karlee Overguard ’11 and Liz Zorn ’10 (hockey) Good Sports Investing in the Soul of Our Programs By J. Andrew Noel, Jr. The Meakem ◆ Smith Director of Athletics and Physical Education he university’s draft strategic plan, shared by TPresident Skorton with the Cornell community in January, points to the faculty as “the soul” of Paul Beckwith | gymnastics Rob Koll | wrestling 2001, 2007, 2008 USA Gymnastics 2005 NWCA Div. I Coach of the Year our institution. This valid statement prompted Collegiate Coach of the Year • 2005 Dan Gable Coach of the Year me to reflect on the soul of the Department of Athletics and Physical Education (A&PE). Just as Cornell’s faculty has a stature and impact that defines the university, our coaches and program directors Steve Donahue | basketball (men) Todd Miner | director of Cornell bring unique talent and vitality 2007-08 NABC and USBWA District Outdoor Education (COE) Coach of the Year • 2007-08 Hugh 2005 Program of the Year by the to the rich program offered in A&PE. And, just as Durham National Mid-Major Coach Association for Outdoor Recreation & of the Year finalist • 2009-10 Education • 2008-10 International Cornell’s faculty plays a pivotal role in the lives of our CollegeInsider.com Hugh Durham Student Advisory Board — Mid-Season Award Winner University of Monterrey (Mexico) undergraduates, so too do our coaches and program directors help to develop many of the students whose experience is shaped by their leadership. The many recent regional and national accolades earned by our senior leadership provide an insight into the level of excellence and expertise that our student-athletes benefit from on a daily basis(please see sidebar). Cornell’s notable success in athletics over the past eight years may be attributed to two major factors. First is the expertise, determination, and Lou Duesing | track & field (women) Mike Schafer | ice hockey (men) Northeast Outdoor Coach of the 2002, 2003, 2005 ECACHL Coach will to succeed by our relentless coaching staff and program directors. Second Year 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007 of the Year • Spencer T. Penrose is the incomparable loyalty and generosity of generations of former Big • Northeast Indoor Coach of Award — national coach of the the Year 2004, 2005 year (finalist, three times) Red athletes, alumni, and friends who refuse to allow our programs to play second fiddle to our peers within the Ivy League and at the national level. I encourage former athletes to continue to invest in the program w i n s - ever that most influenced them and to also contribute to the Cornell Fund for 1st Athletics. This unrestricted fund allows me the opportunity to invest in ECAC championship, areas that will have the most significant impact on our overall program, plus the Ivy Title including the retention of our best coaches and leaders. The retention of coaches is paramount to our continued success and remains a top priority. Through disciplined spending, by exceeding fundraising targets Jenny Graap | lacrosse (women) Jeff Tambroni | lacrosse (men) and reaching out to our most generous benefactors, we will maximize our 2002 IWLCA National Coach of the Year 2009 Morris Touchstone–USILA • 2002, 2006 IWLCA Northeast Coach Coach of the Year • 2007, 2009 efforts to retain key staff. of the Year • 2006 Inside Lacrosse FieldTurf/NCAA Division I Thank you for supporting our programs. The involvement of alumni, Northeast Coach of the Year Coach of the Year parents and friends over the past decades continues to impact our students and the greater Cornell campus community. I look forward to working with you to make a difference in the lives of our athletes and students. Spirit! is published regularly by the Cornell University, Department of Athletics and Physical Education. | Publisher: J. Andrew Noel, Jr., Director of Athletics | Editor: Kathleen Bolton | Designer: Julie Manners | Contributing Writers: Amy Meldrim Foster ’95, Diane Lebo Wallace | Photographers: Tim McKinney; Patrick Shanahan, Athletic Communications; Maple Leaf Photo; University Archive; University Photo Service; Darl Zehr | Editorial Advisory Board: Jeremy Todd Kennett | crew (men) Nathan Taylor | track & field (men) Hartigan, Julie Greco, Dave Wohlhueter and Kevin Zeise | Address: Teagle Hall, Campus Road, 2006, 2008 EARC Lightweight Coach 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2009 Ithaca, NY 14853-6501 | Phone: 607 254-8706 | Fax: 607 255-9791 | E-mail: spirit-news@cornell. of the Year • 2006 Joy of Sculling NCAA Regional edu | Web: www.CornellBigRed.com Coaches Conference University Award Coach of the Year 3 LACROSSE Nationally Ranked Women’s Lacrosse Emphasizes Team Fundementals By Jenny Graap ’86 Head Coach of Women’s Lacrosse very year is an opportunity for a fresh start, and Cornell women’s Elacrosse will usher in the new decade with a new attitude. We couldn’t be more excited to show what we are all about in 2010. After spending the offseason revamping the essential players both on and off the field. Staying strong and elements of our program, we feel the excess has been unified on all levels is key to our program’s success. stripped away on many levels, allowing coaches and Leadership has been encouraged among all classes, players to see and feel what is essential. We needed and our 2010 captains Morgan Hale ’10, Tissy to get back to the basics and to redefine what it meant O’Connor ’10, and Libby Johnson ’11 have done an for every player to be a part of our team. We may outstanding job revamping the culture in the locker have known the ingredients for success in years past, room and improving communication among but times change, excuses mount and, sadly, traditions teammates and coaches. can get lost. We needed to shake things up in order to Our three captains rallied our team around the belief Success in the feel confident about how our program could be Classroom and that less could be more and that actions would speak successful on a more consistent basis in the future. the Community louder than words. Together they set the standard of hen you’ve coached Three core values emerged as our team’s defining excellence that teammates could admire and emulate. Wfor a dozen years at Cornell and seen so principles: Hard Work; Positive Attitude; and Team Our offseason training involved team building at the many talented women First. To embody our Team Hoffman Challenge Course and come and go in our First concept, a player must be team bonding during an “Amazing lacrosse program, you humble, be selfless, and be Race” around campus. Competing feel pride in all that these impressive scholar- willing to accept whatever role against five-time defending athletes accomplish. the team needs her to fulfill. national champions Northwestern Our team’s average Our work ethic demands that in October was incredibly humbling GPA was a 3.2 this fall, with Katilyn Giles ’10 we run through the line; we go and helpful.