New recruits, schedule announcements and additions to coaching staffs highlight the Cornell sports news of the past few months.
Men’s Hockey’s Green Selected in 4th Round of NHL Entry Draft
Cameron Pollack / Sun File Photo
Sophomore Alex Green was drafted in the fourth round by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Sophomore defenseman Alex Green became the latest Cornellian to join an NHL organization as a fourth-round selection of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Green recorded 10 points in his freshman season, quickly becoming a key player on the nation’s best defensive unit.
Men’s Basketball’s Morgan to Return for Senior Season
Michael Wenye Li / Sun Photography Editor
Senior Matt Morgan withdrew from the NBA Draft and will look to defend his Ivy League scoring title.
Matt Morgan announced he would withdraw from the NBA Draft for the second straight year and return to Cornell for his senior year. Morgan scored 22.4 points per game and led the Ivy League in scoring last season, when he led the Red to its first conference tournament appearance.
Women’s Hockey, Men’s Hockey Release 2018-19 Schedules
Cameron Pollack / Sun File Photo
Women’s hockey released its 2018-19 schedule and announced its Class of 2022 over the summer.
After last season’s heartbreaking last-second loss to Colgate in the ECAC semifinals, women’s hockey will start its 2018-19 campaign against Syracuse, Harvard and Dartmouth in October. The Red will face Colgate in a home-and-home series Jan. 25 and 26. The full schedule can be viewed here. Women’s hockey also introduced a new freshman class, which includes three forwards, two defensemen and a goaltender.
Looking to improve upon its second consecutive season that ended with a first-round NCAA Tournament exit, men’s hockey announced its schedule over the summer. The date circled on fans’ calendars is the Red’s Nov. 24 meeting with Harvard at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Red also announced its Class of 2022 over the summer, which features the team’s first ever Russian player and Chinese NHL draft pick.
Basketball and Lacrosse Teams Announce New Recruiting Classes
Four new players — two guards and two forwards — will join women’s basketball, the team announced over the summer. Men’s basketball welcomes a six-player class made up of four freshmen and two junior college transfers.
Fresh off an Ivy League title and NCAA quarterfinal appearance, men’s lacrosse announced its new class for the 2019 season. The class — the first set of freshmen under now-head coach Peter Milliman — is made up of six defenders, five offensive players, one goaltender and one faceoff specialist. Women’s lacrosse announced its eight-member class, which features three players listed as playing multiple positions.
Women’s Rowing Hires New Head Coach
With 10 years of Ivy League coaching experience, and most recently serving as head coach at George Washington, Eric Carcich comes to East Hill as the new women’s rowing head coach. Carcich rowed at UMass and coached there briefly before working for seven years as the assistant lightweight coach at Yale and three seasons as assistant heavyweight coach at Penn. He has spent the last 10 seasons at GW.
Women’s Track, Field Hockey, Women’s Tennis Name New Assistant Coaches
Justin Byron and Alesha Widdall were recently added to the coaching staffs of women’s track and field, and field hockey, respectively, and Kieran Burke joins women’s tennis as an assistant coach after two years at the University of Colorado. Byron will work with the women’s sprinters and hurdlers, while also assisting with the men’s hurdlers, according to Cornell Athletics’ release. Widdall, who played on the U.S. Women’s Field Hockey Senior National Team for seven years and was a member of the 2016 U.S. Olympic training team, brings her playing and coaching experience — including two All-American nods as a player at UMass — to the Red’s staff. Burke also has coaching experience at Vanderbilt and Boston College.
3 Cornell Alumni to Compete at World Rowing Championships in Bulgaria
Three Cornellians will compete as members of the United States’ 72-athlete roster at the 2018 World Rowing Championships Sept. 9-16 in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Michael Colella ’16 will make his second consecutive appearance as a member of the men’s pair, teaming up with Anders Weiss of Brown University.
Tracy Eisser ’12 and Alex Karwoski ’12 will compete for the women’s eight and men’s eight, respectively. Seven of the eight rowers on Karwoski’s team hail from Ivy League schools.
Racker Rivals Big Red Game Features Hockey Alumni, NHLers
A charity hockey game over the summer featured the likes of head coach Mike Schafer ’86 and NHL hall of famer Joe Nieuwendyk ’88. The Racker Rivals Big Red Game supports Racker, an organization that helps people with disabilities “by offering opportunities to learn and be connected with others and fostering an environment of inclusion, where all people know they belong,” according to Cornell’s press release. Brad Chartrand ’96, who played for five seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, and Joakim Ryan ’15, who played 62 games as a rookie with the San Jose Sharks this year also participated in the game.