Already deep into preparation for a bounce-back 2018 season, Cornell men’s lacrosse has selected seniors Jake Pulver, Jordan Dowiak, Christian Knight and junior Clarke Petterson to serve as captains for the upcoming year.
Led by returning captains Pulver and Petterson, along with a new coach in Peter Milliman, these four will attempt to lead the team back to the NCAA tournament and to reclaim the Ivy League Championship for the first time since 2015.
A back-to-back All-Ivy second-team defensemen, Jake Pulver gets a chance to serve as captain for the second straight year. Playing a significant role since his freshman year, Pulver will continue to be one of the Ivy League’s best defenders, assigned with the task of locking down the opponent’s top scorer night in and night out.
Petterson, now a junior, will also serve as a captain for the second straight season after becoming the first sophomore in the history of Cornell men’s lacrosse to serve in the post. The midfielder raked up honorable mention All-Ivy last season after posting 32 points on 17 assists and 15 goals — all career highs.
Dowiak, a midfielder from New Jersey, was selected captain after a breakout junior season. Last year, he was third on the team in goals with 20 and fourth in points with 28 while appearing in all 13 games as an offensive midfielder. A consistent offensive threat, Dowiak had at least one point in all but two games last season, including a career-high five goals in a single game against Virginia.
Christian Knight will serve his first season as a captain after being granted a fifth-year of eligibility in August. The Ivy League Rookie of the Year in 2014, Knight will get a chance for his fourth season in the net after an injury forced him to miss all of 2016. Eighth in Cornell history in saves with 441 and wins with 22, Knight provides experience and, should his numbers remain consistent in 2018, is on pace for a record breaking career. Honorable mention All-Ivy in 2014, 2015 and 2017, Knight was 12th in the nation in saves per game last season with 11.92.
After a disappointing 2017 season, which secured the program’s first consecutive losing seasons in nearly two decades, these four men will do their best to lead Cornell back to a record above .500 and reclaim its tradition of excellence.