The History of Cornell Athletics

EQUESTRIAN
As a relatively new addition to the Athletic Department at Cornell, the equestrian team has shown it can compete with the best teams in the region since the first Red women rode into the ring for the 1995-96 season 10 years ago. The women have made quite an impression, sending riders to the regional and national competitions annually. Under the watchful eyes of head coach Chris Mitchell, who has been with the Red for the past five seasons, Cornell riders have developed into tough national competitors.
Mitchell was recently given the National Horse Show Coaches Sportsmanship Award at the National Show in Columbus, Ohio, as voted on by riders, coaches and volunteers alike at the show. In addition to this, three riders placed in the top-5 in the show, putting in the best showing for the Red in recent history. Gillian Pech ’05 was fifth in the intermediate fences while juniors Laura Acker and Rita Mizrahi were fourth in the novice fences and third in the walk-trot, respectively.
The Red will continue to build their experience as they ride into their 11th season this fall.
— Erin Garry

POLO
Cornell University has boasted a polo team for nearly a century — one of the few schools in the country to do so. The history of the men’s squad reaches back to the 1920s, featuring mostly cavalry officers and ROTC students. The Cornell Polo Club, which features over 30 horses, was founded in the fall of 1936. Women were allowed to join the club in 1972, and its team brought success almost immediately. The women’s polo team took home its first of 12 national championships in 1976. This past spring, the women fell to Connecticut in the national championship, ending a five-year run of national titles.
The men have a comparable history of success and head coach David Eldredge ’81 led his team to a national title this past season — the 11th in the program’s history.
The teams train and play at the Oxley Equestrian Center, and the continued success of the program is a tribute to alumni support and great leadership by Eldredge. The head coach — entering his 21st year this fall — has maintained a standard of excellence that has been passed down in both his men’s and women’s squads from year to year. Eldredge played at Cornell until he graduated in 1981. After graduation, Eldredge became the assistant coach for the next four years. He became the head coach in 1985, and has been at the helm since then. The program has grown in the last decades and the strength of both the men’s and women’s teams at Cornell provides hope that success will only continue. Eldredge has said goodbye to some reliable and winning seniors this past spring, including All-East and All-American starters Senter Johnson ’05 and Jeff Markle ’05. The future is in the hands of sophomore Brian Fairclough, juniors Dustin Dennis and Stan Feldman. The women recently lost Hariet Antczak, Molly Buck, Lindsay Crowley, and Lindsey Scheer — all members of the Class of 2005. Looking ahead for the Red, Eldredge hopes to count on returning members juniors Monica Ganley, Nancy Glober, and Ariel Katz, and seniors Katie Moran and Morgan O’Brien, who should provide leadership and stability for the women’s program for a long time.
— Josh Fox

SOFTBALL
The story of Cornell softball begins 11 years ago in 1994 when the Red ended the season with a 10-31 overall record that included a loss to Ithaca College and not a single win in the Ivy League. Since then, the Red has compiled three Ivy titles and had won at least 30 games each year until this past season. While much has changed since the early days of Cornell softball, one fixture remains from the inaugural team, present assistant coach and former second baseman Julie Platt ’97. In her time in uniform, Platt was a two-time All-Ivy selection, as well as the first Red player to bat over .400 in a season.
Despite turning in losing records in its first three seasons, the Red turned things around in 1997, when it also won the ECAC championship. Soon thereafter the Red won its first Ivy League title and only had to wait two years to get its second in 2001. That year, the Red hit 54 home runs which was only less than the NCAA Champions, Arizona.
Continuing with its winning ways, the Red turned in a banner year in 2004, as it again finished first in the Ivy League. The team won a record 42 games, including its first-ever victory in the NCAA tournament. That same year, the Red also put a team record four players on the All-Ivy first team, including The Sun’s 2004 Senior Athlete of the Year, Kate Varde ’04, and Ivy League Player of the Year, Lauren May ’05.
In addition to being the only Cornell player to win the honor, May holds team records in career home runs (58), RBIs (190), and batting average (.496).
This past season, the Red finished second in the Ivy League — its third straight year finishing in the top-2 in the standings.
— Matt Gorman

TRACK
The Red track and field program has been one of the most prosperous in the school’s history. Be it a coach molding an individual into an All-American or a relay team sprinting to a national championship, both the men and women’s squads have enjoyed success since their inception. As part of the Ivy League, the teams compete in the last event the conference holds each winter and spring, the Indoor and Outdoor Heptagonal Championships.
The men’s team won three of the first 10 indoor championships, emerging victorious in 1953, ’55 and ’58. The Red then took a step backwards until the late ’70s when it took home the title in ’77 and ’78. From there, the school would have to wait another 25 years until 2003 when it was once again crowned champions of the indoor event. The men have continued to put forth a strong showing in recent years, and won the championship again this past year. The Red has performed well in the outdoor version of the championship as well, as the men took home top honors in 1939, ’51, ’55, ’58, ’78 and ’85. Although these accomplishments are impressive, they pale in comparison to the dominance the team has demonstrated of late, winning the championship each of the past three seasons.
The women have also had a very successful history. Although the indoor competition only began in 1983, the team has been fortunate enough to gather a number of championships since then. The Red won its first indoor championship in 1991, followed by another victory in 1995. After a number of third-place finishes, the team returned to the top in 2002, and has not looked back since.
The Red, after winning this past season’s competition, is riding a four-year winning streak (the longest in the history of the indoor competition), and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. The women mirrored this success in the outdoor version of the championship as well. The Red took home the 1991 crown, its first ever in the event, and followed that up with wins in ’95 and ’97, making it three titles in seven seasons. Over the past few years, the women have enjoyed a good run, winning every year since 2002, including a championship this past season.
— Ben Kopelman

WOMEN’S LACROSSE
In 2002, the women’s lacrosse team went to the NCAA Final Four for the first time in program history. It was a historic moment for the team, and for head coach Jenny Graap ’86. After 30 years of varsity play, Cornell had become a national power.
It was a long road to success for Cornell. The women’s lacrosse team began play in 1972, but the Red did not have a winning Ivy League season until 2000.
The team had three different head coaches during its first four years. Cheryl Wolf became head coach for the 1977 season, and she stayed with Cornell for 20 years. Although the Red struggled for much of her tenure, the team did have a number of solid seasons under her lead. Cornell recorded an 11-3 overall record in 1987, as well as an 11-5 record in 1992. The Red was also ranked No. 10 in the country that year. Wolf left Cornell having earned a 132-145-4 record with the team.
But, it was under Graap’s tenure that the program would emerge as a national contender. Graap, who played lacrosse for Cornell as an undergrad, took over for the 1998 season. The team went 3-4 in the Ivy League that year, and seemed ready to improve.
In 2000, Cornell went 13-4 overall, and finished third in the league, with a 5-2 record. In 2001, the team earned its first-ever NCAA tournament berth, losing to Princeton in the first round.
However, 2002 would be the breakout year. Led by All-American Jaimee Reynolds ’02, Cornell went 14-1 in the regular season, finishing second in the league with a 6-1 record. The team’s only regular season loss was against Princeton. The team then earned a bid to the NCAA tournament, where it defeated both Syracuse and perennial power Maryland. The Red then headed to the Final Four in Baltimore, where it narrowly lost to Georgetown in overtime. After the season, Graap was named IWLCA National Coach of the Year.
The next season, Cornell went 11-5 overall, while earning a 4-3 Ivy League record. In 2004, the team struggled, and went 3-4 in the conference. But last year, the team rebounded, finishing third in the Ancient Eight, while ending the year ranked 17th in the country.
— Ted Nyman