2026 Men's Lacrosse

[BearLover]

The bigger competitive disadvantage by far is that all of our opponents can now have fifth year players. Imagine Notre Dame/Duke/Maryland/etc keeping their best players five years and plucking other teams' best players as graduate transfers. It will be very hard for us to compete.

[Al DeFlorio]

The bigger competitive disadvantage by far is that all of our opponents can now have fifth year players. Imagine Notre Dame/Duke/Maryland/etc keeping their best players five years and plucking other teams' best players as graduate transfers. It will be very hard for us to compete.

I believe you've you already told us this at least 100 times.  That's more than enough.  Time for a new whine.

[mike1960]

I think Chemotti is much bigger reason for their success than their facilities.

[CU2007]

Coach Tennant left the program

[Ken711]

Cornell adds new men's lacrosse assistant coach.

https://cornellbigred.com/news/2026/6/29/danny-murphy-named-assistant-coach-for-cornell-mens-lacrosse.aspx

[BearLover]

Now that players have five years of eligibility, Goldstein and Firth may be able to skip fall semester in 2026 and 2027 and use all five years of eligibility at Cornell before graduating. Hopefully the coaching staff is talking to them about this option.

I was wrong - this is currently impossible. According to Cornell athletics rules, athletes may only compete for four seasons unless they get a waiver (typically for injury). So you can expect to see Goldstein and Firth on UVA or Duke in a couple of seasons.

[jjanow99]

Maybe they'll change their rules to be in line with the current state of things.
If they don't, it will be so depressing to see our best players on other teams, and in some cases competing against us.

[ugarte]

Now that players have five years of eligibility, Goldstein and Firth may be able to skip fall semester in 2026 and 2027 and use all five years of eligibility at Cornell before graduating. Hopefully the coaching staff is talking to them about this option.

I was wrong - this is currently impossible. According to Cornell athletics rules, athletes may only compete for four seasons unless they get a waiver (typically for injury). So you can expect to see Goldstein and Firth on UVA or Duke in a couple of seasons.

Is this a new rule in the wake of the NCAA changes? If it isn't, then I assume the same permission that wrestlers and football players have used in the past will continue to apply.

[BearLover]

Now that players have five years of eligibility, Goldstein and Firth may be able to skip fall semester in 2026 and 2027 and use all five years of eligibility at Cornell before graduating. Hopefully the coaching staff is talking to them about this option.

I was wrong - this is currently impossible. According to Cornell athletics rules, athletes may only compete for four seasons unless they get a waiver (typically for injury). So you can expect to see Goldstein and Firth on UVA or Duke in a couple of seasons.

Is this a new rule in the wake of the NCAA changes? If it isn't, then I assume the same permission that wrestlers and football players have used in the past will continue to apply.

Not a new rule. But in the past the fifth year waiver was (at least in lacrosse) only used if a player missed a season to injury. So that doesn't help us retain players for a fifth year under the new eligibility rules (unless they missed a year to injury).

[ugarte]

Now that players have five years of eligibility, Goldstein and Firth may be able to skip fall semester in 2026 and 2027 and use all five years of eligibility at Cornell before graduating. Hopefully the coaching staff is talking to them about this option.

I was wrong - this is currently impossible. According to Cornell athletics rules, athletes may only compete for four seasons unless they get a waiver (typically for injury). So you can expect to see Goldstein and Firth on UVA or Duke in a couple of seasons.

Is this a new rule in the wake of the NCAA changes? If it isn't, then I assume the same permission that wrestlers and football players have used in the past will continue to apply.

Not a new rule. But in the past the fifth year waiver was (at least in lacrosse) only used if a player missed a season to injury. So that doesn't help us retain players for a fifth year under the new eligibility rules (unless they missed a year to injury).

i wonder if that's tradition or rule. football* (like lacrosse) is a single semester sport, so you can get away with having someone sit out a semester and retain eligibility. i don't know when we last did it for football, though. wrestling (like hockey) spans the semesters but wrestling (unlike hockey) doesn't have as much riding on early season success and its effect on computer rankings.

could be a way cornell adjusts to the new rules to stay competitive.

* i guess if we made a run to the FCS final it wouldn't be but if the cost of getting to the championship is playing short a player or two in the title game, so be it.

[rss77]

I know that CJ Kirst was granted a 9th semester in order to be eligible for 2025 but might received due to COVID.  Under Cornell regs an athlete can receive additional eligibilty (Imagine that they still get only 4 playing seasons?) if they start work on an additional Bachelor's program but they get no financial aid. How did Rob Panell do it?

[Ken711]

The football team has had 5th year players as result of covid, and missing a season due to injury (can't play more than 3 games in a season I believe), then they apply for the 5th year.

[ugarte]

The football team has had 5th year players as result of covid, and missing a season due to injury (can't play more than 3 games in a season I believe), then they apply for the 5th year.

I know I'm going back a long way and my memory can be faulty but I'm pretty sure mcniff and oliaro both got an extra year by taking spring semester off. 

[Ken711]

oliaro

The football team has had 5th year players as result of covid, and missing a season due to injury (can't play more than 3 games in a season I believe), then they apply for the 5th year.

I know I'm going back a long way and my memory can be faulty but I'm pretty sure mcniff and oliaro both got an extra year by taking spring semester off. 

You could be right about those players.  Today with the transfer portal, players are more likely to leave after their junior year, than stick around for a 5th year.

[dag14]

I know that CJ Kirst was granted a 9th semester in order to be eligible for 2025 but might received due to COVID.  Under Cornell regs an athlete can receive additional eligibilty (Imagine that they still get only 4 playing seasons?) if they start work on an additional Bachelor's program but they get no financial aid. How did Rob Panell do it?

Pannell did not have at least one course required for graduation from CALS so he had an academic justification to return for another semester.