By wpengine
The men’s lacrosse team kicked off its fall season at the fifth annual Price Modern Lacrosse for Leukemia Tournament on Oct. 5th. The tournament, started by current University of Maryland head coach Dave Cottle, is held every year at the McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Md. to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Since the tournament’s inception, it has raised over 500,000 dollars from sponsorships and donations. During the day each school was assigned an honorary team member, a young child that has been diagnosed with leukemia. Cornell’s newest member was a young boy, Tyler, who followed the players around and joined the team in its huddles. Although Tyler may have received a signed helmet and jersey from the Cornell players, the players received so much more from Tyler. Senior tri-captain Ryan McClay explained, “I think it’s the best thing we do all year. When you see little kids that realistically aren’t going to have the opportunities that we have, it really makes you thankful.” With Tyler cheering the players on, the Red scrimmaged powerhouses Towson, Loyola and Johns Hopkins. Despite a strong effort, the team did not play as a cohesive unit, something both head coach Jeff Tambroni and McClay attribute to a lack of team playing time. Tambroni compared Cornell to its opponents, stating, “In terms of our athletes I think we match up with every one of them. In terms of our lacrosse players I believe we match up with every one of them. In terms of our progress and development in the fall, that was probably where those teams were a little farther ahead and it showed. “Anytime you graduate 10 guys and you bring in seven new ones, there is a completely new chemistry on the team, and it’s going to take a while to develop and certainly down there it showed that we are not nearly where we want to be but certainly much further along this year than we were last year.” Overall the team was “average” on both ends of the field. It did not capitalize on some possible key transitions and made some mental mistakes. McClay was not worried, however. “You have to put it in perspective,” he explained. “You want to go down there and play well because that is what you worked all fall for, but when you look back on it, it doesn’t mean anything. I think that we understand that
By wpengine
On Tuesday night, Michael Bioncospino ’04 came home from Fall Break to discover his roommate in bed, no longer breathing. His roommate, Scott J. Paavola ’05 was a student in the College of Engineering, a member of the men’s swim team, a brother in Phi Kappa Psi and a friend to many. Paavola had last been seen at 3 a.m. on Tuesday morning. Lt. Kathy Zoner of Cornell University Police said that Paavola had been dead for several hours before Biancospino discovered him. The police received the call for someone, “not breathing” shortly before 8 p.m. The Ithaca Police Department identified the cause of death to be a, “medical condition associated with an enlarged heart.” According to the Journal of the American Heart Association, an enlarged heart is the most common cause of sudden death among the young. It is estimated to affect one in 500 adults each year. Heart enlargement is usually related to either significant heart disease, vigorous exercise or can have no known cause. The exact cause of Paavola’s enlarged heart is still in question. Joe Lucia, coach of the men’s swim team, called the death, “totally unexpected” and said that he did not know if Paavola had any prior medical or heart problems. This is not the first time a Cornell student has suffered from an enlarged heart condition. According to Andy Noel, director of athletics, student Graham Morin ’04, who died two years ago, suffered from a similar but slightly different heart condition. Morin was a four time state champion wrestler for Cornell and a bright hope for the wrestling team. Of both Morin and Paavola, Noel said these deaths were “particularly tragic because both of these young men were hardworking, popular and just great people. That’s often what hurts so badly.” He describes Paavola as “part of the fabric of that team,” and a “dominant personality.” Teammates knew him as “Shaq,” and a person who got along with everyone and was always making others laugh. Lucia, who has coached at Cornell for 15 years, called Paavola “one of the nicest, kindest guys on our team, along with being one of the toughest.” He cited Paavola’s outstanding performance on the team last year. “He was probably one of the best swimmers of any freshman I’ve coached in my time here.” Paavola, from Gross Pointe Woods, Mich., was named swimmer of the year in his senior year in high school. During his time on the team at Cornell he made an equally impressive contribution. “The team was important to him and he was important to the team,” said Paul Teta ’03, Paavola’s teammate and also a brother in the fraternity. “The Cornell community mourns the loss of Scott Paavola. During his time with us, he touched many people on campus and made a real impact, especially through his swim team and his fraternity. In this sad time, we will come together to support one another and especially his family, friends and the many students who were touched by this tragedy,” said Susan H. Murphy ’73, vice president for student and academic services. The fraternity house where Paavola lived is currently a place where people who knew him and even those who didn’t, can come together to remember him. Yesterday evening at 7:30 p.m. the brothers of Phi Kappa Psi held a sit-down dinner in his honor. Fraternity brother Brett Davidson ’04 said the members of the house are in “pretty rough shape. It’s hard to walk around the house and run into people. it’s hard on campus, too.” Teta said his initial feeling was one of disbelief. “He’s only 19,” he said. But as to how everyone is coping with their friend’s death, he said, “these things are a part of life and everybody realizes that.” Any students in need of support can go to Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at Gannett: Cornell University Health Services, or call (607) 255-5208 during the day and (607) 255-5155 during evenings and weekends. If students mention that they are calling in response to the death, counselors may be able to help them more quickly. Cornell United Religious Work is currently planning a memorial service for Paavola. Any students or faculty members who would like to participate in planning the service should contact Reverend Janet Shortall in Anabel Taylor Hall. Archived article by Stacey Delikat