In 2003, Nate Haswell ’03 recorded two goals and six assists for the men’s lacrosse team, playing in 12 of the Red’s 13 games. Haswell, who walked onto the team his freshman year, capped his career with a goal and assist against Hobart on Senior Day wearing a No. 6 Cornell jersey.
That same day, a freshman walk-on — who played in just one game for the Red in 2003 — roamed Cornell’s sideline wearing No. 41. That player was Nate’s brother, Derek, who, after two seasons of serving as a role player, has emerged as one of the team’s consistent scoring threats this season.
“Derek’s one of those guys who bought into the system of Cornell lacrosse,” said head coach Jeff Tambroni.
Haswell bought into the system because he respects those in the program that have come before him — including his brother, and also his grandfather, Peter Haswell ’54, who lettered in lacrosse in the 1951 and 1952 seasons. Haswell even switched jerseys last season so that he could wear the same No. 6 jersey that Nate wore during his time at Cornell.
“Being able to watch my brother play when he was a senior was just awesome,” Haswell said.
Despite the fact that he played sparingly in his first two seasons, Haswell has come on strong this season, filling the role of the third starting attacker that was a question mark at the beginning of this year’s campaign.
“I played attack when I was in high school,” Haswell said. “So when coach [Tambroni] realized I had played there, he made the switch.”
Tambroni did not know what to expect out of Haswell at the start of the season, but what he has gotten is a player that, after coming into the season with just two career points, has not disappointed in a starting role.
Haswell has tallied at least one goal in the three games he has started this year, including a career-high three goals in the Red’s 15-6 win at Yale this past Saturday. Tambroni believes that having another solid goal scorer helps the Red immensely, as it draws attention and pressure off the team’s main scorers — junior Joe Boulukos, and seniors Sean Greenhalgh and Kevin Nee, the Red’s three leading goal scorers, respectively.
“It’s been a relief to have a guy like him,” Tambroni said. “The better he plays, the less attention on those other guys.”
Haswell went on to say that he is willing to do whatever it takes to help the Red succeed, whether it be scoring or dishing out assists from the behind the net, a place that he finds he is most comfortable playing from.
Though some players might be discontented with taking a backseat, Haswell buys into Tambroni’s team-first philosophy.
“We are definitely geared toward the team,” Haswell said. “I’m just excited to be a part of this team’s offensive success.”
This attitude that Haswell brings every day to practice is something that Tambroni hopes will be noticed by some younger players who haven’t yet gotten their chance.
“I hope there are some guys that look at Derek to see how hard he has worked to get to where he is,” Tambroni said. “His perseverance has gotten him to where he is today — he’s a trooper. He’s a guy that’s been very resilient since the moment he got here.”
Next year on Senior Day another No. 6 will play for the Red after walking onto the team. Yet, this time, No. 6 will be starting at attack.
Archived article by hris Mascaro
Sun Sports Editor