CORNELL WINS 2025 MENS LACROSSE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!

CU77
Re the 2022 championship game, and taking off the carnelian tinted glasses: yes, the final score was 9-7, but undefeated #1 seed Maryland led 9-2 late in the first half. It was a hot day, it was the 2nd game in 3 days, and the Terps realized they were in full control. So they let up a bit. Had Cornell made a serious threat to win (they did not), I have no doubt that the Terps would have come back up to full speed and dominated again. The Terps had lost the previous year's national championship game to UVa 18-17, and they were on an absolute mission in 2022, much like Cornell this year.

djk26
2009 was...I don't want to say heartbreaking because I was a fan; I'm sure it was heartbreaking for the players and sad for the rest of us. 2022 didn't feel that way because Cornell never led in that game (well, they did lead 1-0, but I mean they didn't surrender a late lead.) In both 2009 and 2022, I thought the team exceeded expectations so to even make the final both years (2022 even more so) was a huge accomplishment.

I say this all to point out that a lot of that disappointment has been erased because the team won in all in 2025! Yes, guys like Max Seibald and Gavin Adler and many (or all, in the case of Seibald) of their teammates never got to be national champions. 2025 doesn't take that away for the players. But it largely does for me as a fan.

ugarte
djk, you have my permission to have your heart broken as a fan.

Weder
There’s another site selling championship gear (for a limited time), and the proceeds apparently go to the team.

[bsnteamsports.com]

Al DeFlorio

Weder
There’s another site selling championship gear (for a limited time), and the proceeds apparently go to the team.

[bsnteamsports.com]

Is there an issue with putting all seven letters in the university's name on a shirt?

Jeff Hopkins '82
I bought one of the t-shirts from the Campus Store. As well as "National Champions", etc., it says "Cornell" in roughly 1-1/2" letters, "Big Red" in 3/4" letters, along with the huge block "C".

It arrived last week. I'm wearing it as we speak/write.

However, I just went on the webpage and it's no longer offered.

upprdeck
Other than the hat there is nothing in that list that I would ever buy and actually wear in public

mike1960

upprdeck
Other than the hat there is nothing in that list that I would ever buy and actually wear in public

Those are very busy pieces of clothing.

mike1960

upprdeck
Other than the hat there is nothing in that list that I would ever buy and actually wear in public

Those are very busy pieces of clothing.

The Rancor
Bring back the leaning bear logo!

Jeff Hopkins '82

The Rancor
Bring back the leaning bear logo!

+100

underskill
[www.streakersports.com]*

Weder

underskill
[www.streakersports.com]*

I've been hoping that Homefield will make Cornell stuff one day, but this is pretty close to what I'd want!

pfibiger
Email the campus store — if a handful of people ask I imagine they’d explore licensing. I shot them a message.

mike1960
[www.instagram.com]

Can't get enough!

BearLover
It is impossible to know what Cornell athletics would have achieved if the pandemic had never happened. Maybe men’s hockey, women’s hockey, or men’s lacrosse wins a national title that year or soon after. Perhaps men’s lacrosse wins in 2022 if the pandemic doesn’t lead to Donville transferring to the team that then beat us in the finals.

At the time, the way things were proceeding, the mass exodus of players from the #1 hockey team in the country, the coach of our #1/#2 lacrosse team leaving for Johns Hopkins, losing Morgan Barron and Jeff Teat to the pros after just two postseasons each, it felt like all of Cornell athletics was crashing down and would have to start again from square one.

But this crazy sequence of events led to Buzcek becoming our next head coach, a number of players on the 2020/2021 teams preserving eligibility and giving Cornell numerous fifth and sixth year players, something that would not otherwise be afforded to an Ivy program. Just a few years after the canceled seasons we had maybe the best coach and certainly the best senior class in the entire country. The result: a national championship. Given it’s been almost 50 years since the last one in lacrosse OR hockey (men’s or women’s), in my view yesterday closed the loop on “what could have been” in 2020. I will not again complain about these lost seasons because the winding road of the past few years led Cornell to its first title since 1977.

RichH

mike1960
[www.instagram.com]

Can't get enough!

It’s Beautiful.

How does one save an Instagram thing locally?

Chris H82
This is a different sort of angry Bear on the shirts...

Jeff Hopkins '82

Chris H82
This is a different sort of angry Bear on the shirts...

Hmmm. I like the angry bear. The dead turtle and lion not so much.

jtwcornell91

Jeff Hopkins '82

Chris H82
This is a different sort of angry Bear on the shirts...

Hmmm. I like the angry bear. The dead turtle and lion not so much.

Looks pretty silly for a licensed product.

Scersk '97

jtwcornell91

Jeff Hopkins '82

Chris H82
This is a different sort of angry Bear on the shirts...

Hmmm. I like the angry bear. The dead turtle and lion not so much.

Looks pretty silly for a licensed product.

Silly bears get pretty wild when they vanquish their foes.

CU77
So was the jersey number of 51 a random choice, or a botched attempt at 15?

Chris H82
Came across another T-shirt design. Dodges the NC$$ by not referring to them. Yet another Bear, and the Terrapin (it's just a turtle here) looks too happy.
[competitive-edge.co]

PaulHoop
Coach Buczek just promoted Ciferri to replace Stevens and Griffin from Operations to Assistant Coach. Promoting from within - the Big Red way per Inside Lacrosse

BearLover
I don’t have the numbers, so please correct me if I’m wrong, but I feel like Cornell never had very good statistical defenses under Stevens. Even last year, our defense was pedestrian while the rest of our team was great.

chimpfood

BearLover
I don’t have the numbers, so please correct me if I’m wrong, but I feel like Cornell never had very good statistical defenses under Stevens. Even last year, our defense was pedestrian while the rest of our team was great.

I think part of this could be the effect of having an amazing offense. An offense that scores so much and so quickly gives the opponent a lot of chances that they might not have against a slower, less dynamic offense.

BearLover
I don’t have the numbers, so please correct me if I’m wrong, but I feel like Cornell never had very good statistical defenses under Stevens. Even last year, our defense was pedestrian while the rest of our team was great.

CU77
Massey computes offensive and defensive ratings based on his own proprietary methodology which does take into account opponent strength.

He has Cornell 2025 at #11 defense, #1 offense.

[masseyratings.com]

Defensive ranking in prior years: 2024 #27; 2023 #14; 2022 #4

[masseyratings.com]

Change the year in the URL to see other years.

Al DeFlorio

CU77
Massey computes offensive and defensive ratings based on his own proprietary methodology which does take into account opponent strength.

He has Cornell 2025 at #11 defense, #1 offense.

[masseyratings.com]

Defensive ranking in prior years: 2024 #27; 2023 #14; 2022 #4

[masseyratings.com]

Change the year in the URL to see other years.

Don't do this to him. He'll have nothing to whine about.

Al DeFlorio

CU77
Massey computes offensive and defensive ratings based on his own proprietary methodology which does take into account opponent strength.

He has Cornell 2025 at #11 defense, #1 offense.

[masseyratings.com]

Defensive ranking in prior years: 2024 #27; 2023 #14; 2022 #4

[masseyratings.com]

Change the year in the URL to see other years.

Don't do this to him. He'll have nothing to whine about.

mike1960

BearLover
I don’t have the numbers, so please correct me if I’m wrong, but I feel like Cornell never had very good statistical defenses under Stevens. Even last year, our defense was pedestrian while the rest of our team was great.

Could be. But the team played great defense when it really counted. That's what we need if we want to make it back to the big games in May.

In the meantime, last I checked, Cornell remains the national champions of college lacrosse!

BearLover
Jack Cascadden (previously class of ‘26) is listed on his LinkedIn as graduating in 2027. Presumably he has taken/will take off two semesters to preserve eligibility after he tore his ACL. I wonder if AJ Nikolic will do the same after missing last season.

With Cascadden having two more years of eligibility I am bullish on the next two seasons. We’ll be winning faceoffs and getting the ball to Goldstein/Firth/Nurry (incoming freshman), which should be one of the best attacks in the country. Our D and midfield were so deep last year that we should still be solid there despite all the graduations.

I would not be surprised at all if we’re seeded in next year’s NCAAs despite losing more talent to graduation than any other team in the country. In two years I predict we will be competitive for another national title.

Al DeFlorio

BearLover
Jack Cascadden (previously class of ‘26) is listed on his LinkedIn as graduating in 2027. Presumably he has taken/will take off two semesters to preserve eligibility after he tore his ACL. I wonder if AJ Nikolic will do the same after missing last season.

With Cascadden having two more years of eligibility I am bullish on the next two seasons. We’ll be winning faceoffs and getting the ball to Goldstein/Firth/Nurry (incoming freshman), which should be one of the best attacks in the country. Our D and midfield were so deep last year that we should still be solid there despite all the graduations.

I would not be surprised at all if we’re seeded in next year’s NCAAs despite losing more talent to graduation than any other team in the country. In two years I predict we will be competitive for another national title.

Swampy

Al DeFlorio

BearLover
Jack Cascadden (previously class of ‘26) is listed on his LinkedIn as graduating in 2027. Presumably he has taken/will take off two semesters to preserve eligibility after he tore his ACL. I wonder if AJ Nikolic will do the same after missing last season.

With Cascadden having two more years of eligibility I am bullish on the next two seasons. We’ll be winning faceoffs and getting the ball to Goldstein/Firth/Nurry (incoming freshman), which should be one of the best attacks in the country. Our D and midfield were so deep last year that we should still be solid there despite all the graduations.

I would not be surprised at all if we’re seeded in next year’s NCAAs despite losing more talent to graduation than any other team in the country. In two years I predict we will be competitive for another national title.

Some "experts" are even more optimistic: Brown: My Top 10 NCAA Men's DI Contenders For 2026

Swampy

Al DeFlorio

BearLover
Jack Cascadden (previously class of ‘26) is listed on his LinkedIn as graduating in 2027. Presumably he has taken/will take off two semesters to preserve eligibility after he tore his ACL. I wonder if AJ Nikolic will do the same after missing last season.

With Cascadden having two more years of eligibility I am bullish on the next two seasons. We’ll be winning faceoffs and getting the ball to Goldstein/Firth/Nurry (incoming freshman), which should be one of the best attacks in the country. Our D and midfield were so deep last year that we should still be solid there despite all the graduations.

I would not be surprised at all if we’re seeded in next year’s NCAAs despite losing more talent to graduation than any other team in the country. In two years I predict we will be competitive for another national title.

Some "experts" are even more optimistic: Brown: My Top 10 NCAA Men's DI Contenders For 2026

mike1960

Swampy

Al DeFlorio

BearLover
Jack Cascadden (previously class of ‘26) is listed on his LinkedIn as graduating in 2027. Presumably he has taken/will take off two semesters to preserve eligibility after he tore his ACL. I wonder if AJ Nikolic will do the same after missing last season.

With Cascadden having two more years of eligibility I am bullish on the next two seasons. We’ll be winning faceoffs and getting the ball to Goldstein/Firth/Nurry (incoming freshman), which should be one of the best attacks in the country. Our D and midfield were so deep last year that we should still be solid there despite all the graduations.

I would not be surprised at all if we’re seeded in next year’s NCAAs despite losing more talent to graduation than any other team in the country. In two years I predict we will be competitive for another national title.

Some "experts" are even more optimistic: Brown: My Top 10 NCAA Men's DI Contenders For 2026

I don't see how it is possible to know where teams truly rank until around the middle of the season.

scoop85
Right after we beat Maryland someone posted here that they were happy to trade the success of their professional teams for a Cornell championship, and I wholeheartedly agreed with them. Well, with the Mets in freefall and the Giants looking miserable after one game, God is putting me to the test (but I still stand by my prior assertion).

Swampy

scoop85
Right after we beat Maryland someone posted here that they were happy to trade the success of their professional teams for a Cornell championship, and I wholeheartedly agreed with them. Well, with the Mets in freefall and the Giants looking miserable after one game, God is putting me to the test (but I still stand by my prior assertion).

I think God is making it easy for you. She's taking you up on your word.