From national championships to Cornellians going to the Olympics, a lot happens in 10 years in the world of Cornell sports. Here are a few headlines from the field, court and rink during the 2010s:
2010: Men’s Basketball Makes Sweet 16 Run
In head coach Steve Donahue’s 10th season, the Red went 13-1 in conference play to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament. There, Cornell upset the No. 5 seed and No. 4 seed in the East Region, Temple and Wisconsin, respectively, before bowing out to No. 1 Kentucky. Since this run, the Red has yet to make it back to the “Big Dance.”
2010: Women’s Hockey Makes 1st Frozen Four
In Doug Derraugh’s ’91 fifth year as head coach, Cornell reached the NCAA Tournament and Frozen Four for the first time in program history, beating Harvard in the NCAA Quarterfinals and Mercyhurst in the national semifinals before losing to Minnesota-Duluth in triple overtime in the national championship game.
2013: Kyle Dake Wins 4th Straight National Championship, Becomes 1st to Win 4 Titles in 4 Different Weight Classes
Kyle Dake ’13 was the third wrestler in history to win four consecutive NCAA titles. Since graduating in 2013, Dake has continued his wrestling career, most recently winning a gold medal at the 2019 World Wrestling Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, in September.
2013: Green Bay Packers Select J.C. Tretter in NFL Draft
Currently the center for the Cleveland Browns, J.C. Tretter ’13, who recently signed a three-year, $32.5 million contract extension, was the left tackle responsible for protecting the blind side of Jeff Mathews. Tretter was a unanimous first team All-Ivy League selection, becoming the first Cornell offensive lineman to earn All-Ivy first team honors since Kevin Boothe ’05 in 2005.
Xiayou Guo / Sun File Photo
Jeff Mathews ’13 shattered Cornell program records at quarterback.
2013: Quarterback Jeff Mathews ’14 Finishes Impressive Collegiate Career
Jeff Mathews finished his Cornell career as not only one of the best quarterbacks in Ivy League history, but he also made a name for himself on the national stage. The Camarillo, California, native passed for over 11,000 yards and 72 touchdowns throughout his acclaimed career. Mathews, who set 47 school records and 18 Ivy League records, bounced around several NFL squads in 2014 before playing four seasons in the Canadian Football League, where he is currently a free agent.
2013: Rachel Sorna ’14 Becomes 1st Cornellian Since 1992 to Finish in the Top 15 at the NCAA Women’s Cross Country Championships
In the last time the Red made an appearance at the national championships before this past season, Rachel Sorna finished 14th in a field of 253 competitors. With a time of 20:26.5, Sorna led Cornell to a 23rd-place finish out of 31 after the Red received an at-large bid to the championship meet. Sorna earned her second consecutive cross country All-American award with the effort.
2016: Gabe Dean ’17 Repeats as Wrestling National Champion
In 2015, Gabe Dean started his year with two losses in one day — but after that, he never looked back and won every single remaining match to ultimately go 43-2 en route to his first national title. In 2016, he lost only one match and again took home the title in the 184 category. As a senior in 2017, Dean came in second place and was named an NCAA All-American for the fourth time. He finished his collegiate career with a 152-7 record and now works with the team as an assistant coach.
Adrian Boteanu / Sun File Photo
Nia Marshall ’17 is Cornell women’s basketball’s all-time leading scorer.
2017: Nia Marshall Graduates as Women’s Basketball’s All-Time Leading Scorer
After averaging double-digit scoring in all four years, Nia Marshall finished her collegiate career with the 1,685 career points, the most in program history. In addition to earning All-Ivy first-team selections twice, Marshall guided the Red to a fourth-place finish in the conference during her senior year.
2017: Krysten Mayers ’18 Becomes All-Time Leading Scorer for Field Hockey
With a game-winning overtime goal against Brown, Krysten Mayers took sole possession of first place in all-time goals and points scored by a Cornell player. She finished her career with 99 points and 42 goals. With a second-team All-Ivy selection in her senior year, Mayers became the eighth field hockey player in history to earn All-Ivy honors each year of her time with the Red.
2017: Trudy Vande Berg Named Ivy League Volleyball Coach of the Year
After the Red finished with a 12-12 overall record in 2016, Trudy Vande Berg guided the team to its best single-season turnaround since 2003. In 2017, Cornell added six more victories and posted a third-place finish in the Ivy League, its highest finish since 2006. Since then, the Red has maintained its standing in the upper echelon of the Ancient Eight, finishing in third in both 2018 and 2019.
2018: Men’s Lacrosse Beats Yale in Ivy Championship Game, Reaches NCAA Quarterfinals
As interim head coach, Peter Milliman led Cornell men’s lacrosse to an Ivy League championship game victory over Yale and an appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals in 2018. After the season, Milliman shed his interim tag and became the team’s permanent coach. Then-sophomore Jeff Teat posted his second straight 70-point season, was a unanimous All-Ivy selection and was a Tewaaraton Trophy nominee.
2018: Decorated Polo Coach David Eldredge ’81 Steps Down
After serving as Cornell’s polo coach for 33 years — winning 988 games and 15 national championships — David Eldredge ’81 retired in the fall of 2018 as the university reviewed allegations of “potential past misconduct.”
2019: Women’s Hockey Reaches Frozen Four for 4th Time This Decade
In a season that saw a thrilling double-overtime victory in the ECAC semifinals followed by a championship game loss to Cornell’s nemesis, Clarkson, the Red used an overtime breakaway goal by then-freshman Gillis Frechette to beat Northeastern in the NCAA Tournament. Cornell lost to Minnesota in the national semifinals.