For the past four years, these 25 athletes have sweat, bled, and won championships with “Cornell” written on their uniforms. Now, as their senior year ends, The Sun will showcase their accomplishments.
Julie Aceti, Women’s Crew
Crew is obviously a team sport, but Aceti, the squad’s captain, has been instrumental in the women’s crew earning wins over Penn, Rutgers, and Dartmouth. After tomorrow’s Opening Day Regatta in Seattle, Aceti will lead the crew into EAWRC Sprints on May 15, where she will try to help her team improve on its fourth-place finish from a year ago.
Tyler Baier, Wrestling
Coming into this season, Baier was a two-time All-Ivy first team selection and two-time NCAA qualifier. Then, he got even better. The Elmwood, Wis., native made it all the way to the finals of the 184-pound weight class before losing a hard-fought 5-3 match to West Virginia’s Greg Jones, who was riding a 50-match winning streak. On his way to the finals, Baier knocked off the No. 2 and 3 seeds in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. On the season, Baier went 34-3 with 11 falls.
Kevin Boothe, Football
At 6-5, 300 pounds, Boothe is tough to miss, yet sometimes, like all offensive linemen, he doesn’t get the credit he deserves. But as the anchor of an offensive line that allowed the Cornell backs to rush for just under 94 yards per game, Boothe has both the size and credentials to make it to the NFL one day. The Plantation, Fla., native earned his second straight All-Ivy first team selection this season, and was just one of eight unanimous selections.
Kate Boyles, Cross Country and Track
Some athletes excel in fall, some in the winter, some in the spring. Boyles excels all-year round. An All-East and All-Ivy runner, she has qualified for the NCAA cross country championships the past two seasons, finishing an outstanding 14th in her junior year. Boyles is also in top-10 in Cornell history in the 1,500-meter, mile, 3,000-meter, and 5,000-meter events.
Jessica Brown, Track
Through her junior year, Brown had earned seven school records, two Heps titles, and has been named to five All-Ivy teams. This indoor season, Brown was named to the All-Ivy second team for 800-meter and the 4×800-meter relay team consisting of Brown, sophomore Cameron Washington, junior Linda Trotter, and classmate Kari Steed earned All-Ivy first team honors. The same relay squad broke the Cornell record and currently has the fastest time in the event in the nation.
Charlie Cook, Men’s Hockey
The accolades just keep on coming for Cook, as he was named to the CCM All-America team less than a month after being named the Most Outstanding Player at the ECAC championships after he netted two goals in the Red’s 3-1 win over Harvard in the championship game. The defensemen was also one of the keys to the Red’s giving up just 1.59 goals per game over his four years — the lowest total by a college hockey team ever over that period. The Port Huron, Mich., native, who ended his Cornell career with 70 points, including 54 assists, is now a member of the Philadelphia Phantoms of the AHL.
Danielle Dunn, Field Hockey
Dunn, an All-Ivy first team and STX/NFCHA Mideast regional second team selection, led the Red with eight goals and 20 points on the season. The Villanova, Penn., native scored five of her eight goals in Ivy play, including two-goal performances against Yale and Dartmouth.
Colin Farrell, Men’s Lightweight Crew
Farrell, the lightweight captain, is the leader of a varsity-eight crew that has won its last four races, including wins over Princeton, Rutgers, Yale, MIT, Columbia, and Dartmouth, going into the EARC championships on May 15.
Kyle Georgalas, Men’s Lacrosse
Georgalas, one of two senior captains on the men’s lacrosse team, anchors a defense that has given up just 7.64 goals per game so far this season and held all its Ivy opponents to seven goals or less. The Mahopac, N.Y., native, who was an All-Ivy honorable mention pick last year and preseason All-America honorable mention selection this season, already has a career-high 32 ground balls on the season going into tonight’s game against Hobart.
Sean Greenhalgh, Men’s Lacrosse
Greenhalgh, the lacrosse team’s other senior captain, is second on the Red with 39 points and currently has 161 for his career. The St. Catharines, Ont., native leads all active Division I lacrosse players with 132 career goals, good for second in Cornell history, and has scored a goal in 30 straight goals. For his career, he has earned an Ivy Rookie of the Year award, All-Ivy first team and All-America honorable mention selections in his sophomore campaign, and an All-Ivy honorable mention honor last season.
Senter Johnson, Men’s Polo
He finally got it. After 10 goals in a 19-18 loss to Colorado State at the national championships in his sophomore campaign and a 21-19 loss to a Virginia team that the Red had beaten three times in the regular season last year, Johnson finally earned the title. His eight goals helped his team earn a 21-19 rematch with Virginia, after the Red dropped two to the Cavaliers during the regular season.
Brad Kitlowski, Football
One of the Red’s three captains, Kitlowski was a menace on defense this season, recording 64 tackles — good for second on the team — as well as two forced fumbles and a sack. The Pittsburgh native leaves Cornell with 252 total tackles and is a two-time All-Ivy honorable mention pick.
Travis Lee, Wrestling
Lee is The Sun’s Senior Athlete of the Year. See feature article on Lee in today’s newspaper.
Lauren May, Softball
May’s numbers are simply mind-blowing. Last season, she was the Ivy League Player of the Year after winning the league’s triple crown with a .415 batting average, 16 homers, and 56 RBIs. Her performance helped the team to an Ivy League title and a berth to the NCAA tournament. This season, the Commack, N.Y., native has picked up right where she left off, as she is currently batting an eye-popping .496 batting average, .930 slugging percentage, 15 homers, and 45 RBIs.
Joe Mazzurco, Wrestling
With two national finalists on his team, Mazzurco sometimes gets overlooked on his own team — but is never overlooked by any other 174-pounder in the country. After compiling a 37-2 record in the regular season, Mazzurco earned fifth place at the NCAA tournament and is currently in the top-20 in Cornell’s all-time wins list with 86.
Matt Miller, Baseball
The baseball team has not won an Ivy League championship since 1977. However, the Red will have a shot at a title this weekend — with the help of Miller, of course. Batting in the middle of the order, he was averaging a team-leading .376 with three homers and 19 RBIs heading into Wednesday’s doubleheader against LeMoyne. His best game at the plate this year came against Northwestern, when he collected five hits and an RBI.
Kevin Nee, Men’s Lacrosse
Nee leads the team with 32 goals and 42 points, and is a big reason why the Red averages over 12 goals per game. He has tallied two game-winners and three man-up goals this season, good for a second-place tie in each category. The Canton, N.Y., native’s best day in a Cornell uniform came two weekends ago against Princeton, when he tallied a career-high seven goals and eight points in the Red’s 17-4 rout of the Tigers. For his career, Nee has 84 career points.
Gillian Pech, Equestrian
After being named co-captain, Pech has lived up to the billing. She is in the midst of a terrific senior season, as she is currently one of only three Cornell riders competing at the National Horse Show. She qualified for nationals at the Zone II championship — winning the Intermediate Fences. At the Ivy Show this season, Pech finished fifth in the Open Fences, leading the team to fourth place overall.
Scott Palguta, Men’s Soccer
Palguta’s solid play at Cornell was rewarded, as he was selected in the second round of the USL First Division draft by t
he Rochester Rhinos. In his four years as a member of the Red, he was an All-Ivy selection twice — an honorable mention in his freshman season and a second-team pick after his senior campaign. As a junior, Palguta was tied for the team-lead in goals scored as a defenseman. This year, he scored one goal and added an assist.
Justin Redd, Men’s Lacrosse
Redd is one of the key reasons that four of his teammates have at least 15 goals on the year, as his 18 assists lead the Red. For his career, Redd currently has 102 points going into tonight’s contest with Hobart. Last season, the Towson, Mary., native earned All-Ivy first team honors after a pair of five-point performances and an overtime game-winner at Princeton to give the Red an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Kevin Scelfo, Golf
At the Ivy Championships on April, the golf team placed second — its highest league finish ever. Scelfo was a major contributor to the performance, capping a strong weekend by shooting 73 on the final day, to secure ninth place. Last year at the same tournament, he finished in second, earning him the title of Tompkins Trust Company / Cornell Athlete of the Week.
Kristen Smith, Women’s Lacrosse
Smith has capped off her outstanding Cornell career this season with 19 goals and three assists. However, her best year as a member of the Red came in her junior campaign, when she earned second-team IWLCA all-region and All-Ivy honors. She led the squad with 35 goals, while adding four assists, and her 39 points was good enough for 10th in the Ivy League. She also posted 12 draw controls and 24 ground balls.
Billy Snider, Sprint Football
The tri-captain led the Red with 48 total tackles this season to go along with his 4 1/2 tackles for a loss and 2 1/2 sacks. The Kamuela, Hawaii, native was a key component in the Red’s 34-27 win over Penn, as he led the team with eight tackles and a sack.
Eric Taylor, Men’s Basketball
A true leader on the court, Taylor captained the Red for the past three seasons, and was one of the keys in turning a last-place team his freshman year into a squad that finished second in the Ivies, including a sweep of Princeton in his senior season. This year’s team MVP led the league in shooting percentage, with a .608 mark and finished first in school history in the category, with a .572 mark for his career. This season, the All-Ivy honorable mention selection poured in 11 points per game and became one of just 20 Cornell players to tally over 1,000 career points.
Melissa Tu, Women’s Tennis
Playing primarily in the fifth or sixth singles positions, Tu has compiled a 16-4 season record, including perfect 6-0, 6-0 victories over both Binghamton and Colgate. She also competed in doubles — almost exclusively with junior Erika Takeuchi — finishing the year with a 10-9 overall record. However, in her last 12 doubles matches, Tu emerged victorious in nine of them.
Archived article by Chris Mascaro
Sun Sports Editor
and Bryan Pepper
Sun Assistant Sports Editor