Four All-Americans will be joining Cornell men’s lacrosse as part of the class of 2021 – a class that totals six midfielders, three attackmen, three defensemen and one goalie – the program announced Wednesday.
This is the first freshman class under interim head coach Peter Milliman, who assumed the role in May after the departure of Matt Kerwick. As an associate coach under Kerwick, Milliman headed recruiting efforts, and now has a brand new group of 13 athletes to employ in his interim term.
“As a class, this group is going to provide us with depth and competition at all positions,” Milliman said to Cornell Big Red. “A few of these young men are expected to compete for some time immediately but all of them are expected to contribute to the overall success of the Big Red over the next four years. They represent some of the very best high school lacrosse programs in the country and that experience at such a high level is something that we are very excited to add to our program.”
After the program’s first consecutive losing seasons in 20 years, the group will hope to reclaim Cornell lacrosse’s prominence on the national stage. Milliman said in an interview with The Sun in May that the time for Cornell to take the next step is now. Along with an already talented young core, the class of 2021 will look to make the leap.
(Click on each name or position to jump directly to the respective bio)
* – U.S. Lacrosse All-American
^ – Under Armour Senior All-American
Attackmen
Adrian Boteanu / Sun Staff Photographer
Jeff Teat (pictured) had a stellar freshman campaign, and will be aided by three attackmen as newcomers in 2018.
6’1”, 195 lbs – Setauket, N.Y. – Ward Melville High School
Lockhart committed to Cornell after returning from an unofficial visit to campus back in October 2014. He will be one of three Cornellians from Ward Melville HS to play for the Red next season, including rising juniors Jake McCullough and Tom Reilly. Lockhart told LaxLessons that he visited Cornell and Brown, and was also considering Boston University and Georgetown, among others.
Lockhart was a four-year varsity letterer in high school and was a team captain his senior year. In 2017, he amassed 52 points and led his team to back-to-back League, County, Long Island and Downstate Class A Championships, and a NY State Class A Championship. He was also a four-time New York State Scholar Athlete.
“Andrew is a highly skilled attackman that has scored a lot of goals during his career at Ward Melville,” Milliman said. “He’s a crease attackman that has great hands and we’re excited to see what he can do with some of the great feeders we have on the roster.”
6’0”, 180 lbs – Wrentham, Mass. – King Philip High School/St. Sebastian School
Piatelli began his high school career at King Philip, where he scored 74 goals his freshman season, setting the school record for most goals in a season. Piatelli then spent his junior and senior seasons at St. Sebastian in Needham, Mass. and was selected to play in the High School All-American game. He was also named an All-USA Today First Team selection and a 2017 Midseason All-USA Today Player of the Year candidate.
Piatelli helped St. Sebastian to an Independent School League Lacrosse Championship and was named the ISL and Bruch Lerch Player of the Year, an ISL All-American and two-time ISL All-League during his senior campaign. He also received varsity letters in hockey and squash.
“John is an excellent feeding attackman with an extremely high lacrosse IQ,” Milliman said of the All-American. “We expect him to compete for immediate playing time because of his ability to dodge and feed from behind the goal. We think he has the potential to be a special player for us by the time his career is over.”
6’2”, 185 lbs – Allentown, Pa. – Allentown Central Catholic High School
Wolf was the first of the 2021 class to commit to Cornell, announcing his decision back in August 2014. Before the decision, Wolf was also considering Princeton, Penn State and Lehigh, all of which were on the Red schedule in 2017.
Wolf earned a varsity letter in each of his high school years and was a team captain his junior and senior seasons. He led the state of Pennsylvania in points (153) as a senior and was selected as the 2017 Lehigh Valley Live, Morning Call and Easton Express Live Player of the Year awards and All-East Penn Conference Most Valuable Player. He was also a three-time first-team EPC and all-area selections and led his school to EPC and District XI Championships.
Wolf was also a two-year varsity letterer in football and named All-EPC and all-area as a senior on the gridiron.
“Joe comes from an incredibly athletic family — his father played in the NFL for 10 years and his mother was a swimmer at Notre Dame,” Millman said of Wolf. “That athleticism is something he brings to the field and we think he has a ton of potential. He is a very dynamic dodger with a great ability to get to the goal as well as distribute the ball when he draws the defense’s attention.”
Midfielders
Adrian Boteanu / Sun Staff Photographer
Midfielders make up the largest portion of the class of 2021, including two U.S. Lacrosse All-Americans.
6’1”, 170 lbs – DeWitt, N.Y. – Jamesville-DeWitt High School
Hailing from just under 60 miles from Ithaca, Barclay enters Cornell with a winning background. In his four years at Jamesville-DeWitt, he helped lead his team to four straight state championship appearances, winning in 2016.
In that championship year, he was a first-team midfielder and an all-league midfielder the other three seasons. He lettered four years in both lacrosse and soccer.
“Andrew is a very versatile lacrosse player who has had a tremendous career helping lead the Jamesville-Dewitt team to a state championship and three runner-up finishes,” Milliman said. “We believe that his athleticism and competitive style of play will be a key addition to the midfield over the next four years.”
6’0”, 175 lbs – Wilton, Conn. – Wilton High School/Lawrenceville
Bardwell is a three-time first-team all-state selection in Connecticut in high school who played at Wilton before finishing his prep time at Lawrenceville. He served as team captain for both schools and won the state championship with Wilton in 2013.
Milliman said he hopes Bardwell, a defensive-minded midfielder, will make an immediate impact on the field.
“Harrison is a do-it-all midfielder that we expect to contribute early in his career, specifically on the defensive end of the field,” Milliman said. “Harrison’s speed and toughness will be key additions to a defensive midfield with three seniors leading the way.”
5’10”, 175 lbs – Miller Place, N.Y. – Miller Place High School
Bartolotto is another early commit for the Red – he made a verbal commitment back in November 2014. Before announcing the commitment, he was considering Maryland, Syracuse, Bryant and Rutgers.
Bartolotto was a U.S. Lacrosse All-American his senior year and is a four-year varsity letterwinner. He was a two-time captain and named the MVP of his team, and was a two-time all-county selection. In addition, he won the Suffolk County Coaches Association Rookie of the Year in 2014 and Specialist of the Year his senior year.
Bartolotto was also an avid wrestler, earning three varsity letters, a league championship and MVP his senior year, and two-time captain and all-county.
“Joe is a dynamic long stick midfielder with excellent skills,” Milliman said. “He’s great off the ground and in transition so we believe he could be a force with our face-off unit.”
6’0”, 190 lbs – Oakville, Ont. – St. Michael’s College School/Deerfield Academy
The only player from outside of the U.S. in this year’s class, Donville follows in his brother Brennan’s ’16 footsteps and heads to Ithaca.
Donville was a two-time team captain at St. Michael’s where he helped the team win back-to-back OFSAA Provincial Championships. Donville went on to win the St. Michael’s Marc Santi Award as the graduating athlete who displays leadership. He then went on to play for Deerfield Academy, where he was awarded with the Senior Award, “given for determination to demonstrate how a senior can lead the way.”
“We are so excited to have Jon follow in his brother Brennan’s path to Cornell,” Milliman said. “He is a special young man who we think will have a significant impact on our program over the course of his career. He is a great passer, has developed well as an initiator, and has always been an extremely hard worker. His experience on the field as well as in the box will be an asset to our program.”
5’7”, 160 lbs – Lloyd Harbor, N.Y. – Cold Spring Harbor High School
Licciardi is the smallest recruit in the incoming class, standing at just 5-foot-7 and weighing 160 pounds, but what Licciardi lacks in size he has been able to make up for in speed.
“Licciardi is dangerous as a one-man clear and can essentially dodge from every area of the offensive zone,” Recruiting Rundown wrote in 2014 after he announced his commitment to Cornell. “He’s able to stymie bigger defenders because of his quickness and physical style of play, getting into his defensemen and freeing up his hands. His vision — gained from his basketball prowess — is consistently apparent both in transition and settled situations.”
Despite his small stature, he led Nassau County with 65 assists his senior season. He chose Cornell among Brown, Bucknell and Denver.
Liccardi is one of three U.S. Lacrosse All-Americans in the class of 2021, and led Cold Spring Harbor to three straight state championships. The accolades continue from there: an All-USA Today Boys Lacrosse First Team selection; Under Armour Senior All-American; Nassau County Player of the Year; two-time All-Long Island selection; MSG Varsity Long Island Player of the Year and was named the Nassau County Championship MVP, among others.
Outside of lacrosse, he lettered four times in basketball and was an all-county selection twice.
Milliman foresees a large role for him as soon as he steps on campus.
“I think Matt has been one of the best midfielders in the country this past season,” Milliman said. “He’s undersized, but has exceptional speed and field awareness. He has the ability to face-off, is tenacious off the ground, and led Long Island in assists last season. We think he’ll see significant playing time as a rookie and should be a key guy for us in the coming seasons.”
5’11”, 175 lbs – Wyckoff, N.J. – Delbarton School
Tria was a stand-out multi-sport athlete, earning three varsity letters each in lacrosse and football, and serving as team captain for both teams. Tria helped Delbarton win back-to-back New Jersey Non-Public A State Championships and won the New Jersey Tournament of Championships in 2016.
Tria joins rising senior midfielder Jordan Dowiak and rising junior defenseman Chad Otterman as Delbarton alumni on the Red roster. Milliman will look to Tria’s overall athletic skill as an asset to the team.
“Luca is a well-rounded athlete that was also an outstanding football player in high school,” Milliman said. “We believe he can grow into his role as a defensive middie for us, or give us another option at face-offs.”
Defensemen
Michael Wenye Li / Sun Assistant Photography Editor
Rising senior Jake Pulver (pictured) will have three brand new defensemen to mentor in his last season on East Hill.
6’4”, 195 lbs – Massapequa Park, N.Y. – Chaminade High School
Doria earned two varsity letters in lacrosse, was named a two-time NSCHAA All-League and helped Chaminade win the NSCHSAA AAA League Championship his senior year. Doria was named on the Newsday All-Long Island second team, a Top-100 player his senior year and an Under Armour Long Island Highlight Team his junior year.
Doria also played football, where he earned two varsity letters and won the Catholic High School Football All-League Offense his junior year and was selected to play in the Senior Bowl Game. Milliman will look for Doria to bring that physicality to the team.
“Dom is a physical defenseman with excellent fundamentals,” he said. “He comes from an outstanding program at Chaminade, where he received great coaching. He’s going to be a great addition to our core of young defensemen.”
5’7”, 170 lbs – Ashburn, Va. – Landon School
Standing at only 5-foot-7, but weighing slightly more than Licciardi, Fowler comes to Cornell with a reputation of being a tough, physical player. He earned four varsity letters in lacrosse and one in football, led his team to an undefeated national championship campaign his senior year and was named an Under Armour Senior All-American. He was also named a three-time Under Armour Underclass DC Team, and was twice placed on the ll-state and all-conference teams. He was awarded with the Landon Lacrosse Khari Bhaten Award for “courage, dedication and enthusiasm.”
“Andrew is a tough, highly skilled defenseman coming to us from Landon,” Milliman said. “We’ve had tremendous success over the years with Landon defenders and we fully expect him to live up to those expectations.”
5’10”, 185 lbs – Mill Neck, N.Y. – Choate Rosemary Hall
Leonard was a three-sport athlete in high school, playing lacrosse, football and hockey. He earned four varsity lacrosse letters and served as team captain his senior year. He was named to the 2017 All-Founder’s League, and helped Choate secure back-to-back New England Championships in football.
“Selden is a tenacious defender with the skills and motor to be competitive over the course of his career,” Milliman said. “He understands the game well and has always shown to be a great team defender.”
Goalie
6’2”, 180 lbs – Gulph Mills, Pa. – The Haverford School
As a 4.0 student and Academic All-American in 2017, Henderer looked exclusively at Ivy League schools to continue his lacrosse career: Cornell, Harvard, Princeton and Brown. For him, Cornell was the choice because of what the school can offer him both on and off the field, he told LaxLessons in 2014.
Henderer’s accolades on the field are just as impressive. Along with lettering four times in hockey at Haverford — winning the Independence Hockey League Championship as a goalie in 2017 — he was a part of Haverford’s 2015 national high school championship, and earned Inter Ac Championships from 2014-17.
Milliman touts Henderer’s skills, and said he expects him to compete for playing time his entire tenure at Cornell.
“Parker brings good size and athleticism, as well as very sound fundamentals,” Milliman said. “He is another player from a top program and we feel very good about his experience and development as a young man. We have a strong group of goalies and we expect Parker to be pushing our starters and competing for playing time throughout his career.”