Campus & Beyond Lacrosse Wins the NCAA Title—and Big Red Fans Rejoice Stories You May Like After Leading Her Team to Galloping Success, Alum Coach Steps Down As Head Coach, Former Big Red Player Is a Slam-Dunk After Three Decades, Big Red Men’s Ice Hockey Passes the Torch A celebration of some of the people, and history, behind Cornell’s first national championship in nearly half a century Editor’s note: This feature includes content from recent stories in the Cornell Chronicle on the 2025 lacrosse season and the championship game, as well as a previous Cornellians profile of head coach Connor Buczek ’15, MBA ’17. By Cornellians Staff Just three days after berobed faculty and grads marched at Commencement, East Hill hosted another procession—this one celebrating achievements on the athletic field. To mark the Big Red’s historic victory in the 2025 NCAA lacrosse championship, the team was fêted on Schoellkopf Hall’s Tanner Terrace. The players, coaches, and supporters then walked down Campus Road to the Crescent Lot, amid the cheers of ecstatic Cornellians. ryan young / cornell universityThe new grads—and their trophy—take a victory lap. And prior to the mini-parade, President Mike Kotlikoff and other University leaders honored the team's seniors with a special graduation ceremony—since, of course, they'd missed Commencement to play in the tournament. The 13-10 win over the University of Maryland’s Terrapins marked Cornell’s first national championship in nearly a half-century—the previous one being when Big Red lacrosse took the title over Johns Hopkins in 1977. Fans took to the road to show their Big Red spirit at the tournament. “For these guys to achieve this goal and bring a title back to Cornell for the first time in 48 years—I simply don’t have the words for it,” says head coach Connor Buczek ’15, MBA ’17. “I’m so proud as an alum, and as a guy that gets to work with them every single day. They have earned everything they have gotten, and I’m glad we can enjoy this moment together.” For these guys to achieve this goal and bring a title back to Cornell for the first time in 48 years—I simply don’t have the words for it. Head coach Connor Buczek ’15, MBA ’17 The championship game—held in Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA, home to the New England Patriots—was a match-up between the two top-ranked teams. Not only was Cornell first in the nation coming into the tournament, but it was riding a 10-game winning streak. A post-game victory charge! And the outcome helped assuage the bitter memory of the last time the Big Red faced the Terps in an NCAA final. The championship game—held in Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA, home to the New England Patriots—was a match-up between the two top-ranked teams. That was just three years ago, in 2022—when Cornell came achingly close to taking the title, only to have Maryland win 9-7. J.K. Kelly ’26 (left) and Hugh Kelleher ’24, BA ’25. “The biggest takeaway from the 2022 final is having a blueprint for how to build a team that contends,” co-captain Michael Long ’25 reflected in the lead-up to the tournament. “The seniors on that team left us something to emulate, and now we’re in a great spot.” Earlier in May, the team had clinched the Ivy championship—taking the title for the first time since 2018. “The beautiful thing about this program is it’s player-agnostic,” says Long, whose dad, Steve Long ’87, was also on the team. “Guys come and go, but the culture is always set in stone, and carried down to the new players.” ‘One of the Greatest Ever’ Another co-captain, C.J. Kirst ’24, BA ’25, scored six of the championship game’s goals—adding the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player honor to his long and growing list of kudos. Widely considered the frontrunner for the Tewaaraton Trophy (given to the nation’s finest collegiate lacrosse player), Kirst has been named Ivy League Player of the Year and a First-Team All-American, among other awards. Kirst taking a shot, and speaking to the press after the win. In early May, the Arts & Sciences alum was the first pick in the Premier League Lacrosse (PLL) draft; chosen by the Philadelphia Waterdogs, he’ll join his three older brothers in playing the sport professionally. “Simply put, Kirst is one of the greatest players ever,” Jeremy Schaap ’91 wrote in a co-authored ESPN story. “But it’s his selflessness that endears him to his teammates and coaches. He clearly feels most comfortable not as a man apart, but as part of a team.” An Alum at the Helm In the position since 2020—when he was just 26—Buczek is himself a former Big Red lacrosse standout. Previously named coach of the year by both the Ivies and the ECAC, he can now add an NCAA title to his résumé. Coach Buczek in Gillette Stadium. “He is both a coach and a friend,” Kirst says. “Sometimes there can be a disconnect with a coach if they don’t understand the players. But he builds relationships—and knowing what he was able to do in the Cornell jersey, you inherently respect him.” As an undergrad, Buczek was a three-time All-American; set the record as top-scoring midfielder in Cornell history (at 155 points); and was named Ivy League Player of the Year. Stories You May Like After Leading Her Team to Galloping Success, Alum Coach Steps Down As Head Coach, Former Big Red Player Is a Slam-Dunk Celebrating with fiancée Madeline Kiep ’16. He also won the Ronald P. Lynch Senior Spirit Award, given to student athletes “whose leadership on and off the field models the ideals of the Big Red athletics department.” He played professionally in the PLL and was named a league all-star in 2019; that year, he helped the U.S. win bronze in the World Indoor Lacrosse Championships. After graduating from CALS, he served as a volunteer assistant coach while earning his MBA. He accepted a job on Wall Street—but changed his mind when he was offered a full-time assistant coaching position for the Big Red. “It was a big leap of faith at the time,” recalls Buczek. “But now in hindsight, I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else.” Honoring a Lost Teammate For many in the Big Red lacrosse world, the timing of the championship win had special significance and weighty symbolism—coming 21 years after the tragic death of star player Mario St. George Boiardi ’04, who wore Number 21. Known as George, Boiardi was a four-year starter and team co-captain majoring in history in Arts & Sciences. He died in March 2004, after a ball struck him in the chest during a home game against Binghamton. His number was later retired and his locker maintained as a memorial; he was inducted into the Big Red Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014. cornell athleticsGeorge Boiardi '04. (The team's only other retired number: 10, in memory of Eamon McEneaney ’77. An All-American inducted into both the Big Red and National Lacrosse halls of fame, McEneaney perished in the World Trade Center on 9/11 after helping dozens of his colleagues escape.) The championship came 21 years after the tragic death of star player George Boiardi ’04, who wore Number 21. A foundation established in Boiardi's memory is dedicated to helping elementary and high school students with the costs of extracurriculars. Its fundraisers include Ithaca’s annual “21 Run.” One of the game's commemorations to Boiardi. During the championship game, Buczek wore Boiardi's number on his ballcap, and a "21" helmet was displayed on the Cornell sidelines. Origins in 19th-Century Glory Cornell’s first-ever lacrosse game was informal: in 1887, a group of students recruited classmates and friends to play, and later that year formed a lacrosse association. The first intercollegiate game was held on the Hill five years later. (Sadly, the Big Red lost to the University of Toronto, 10–3.) Its was the season’s only official game, though Cornell played four the following year and picked up its first victory. Courtesy of Joe Kirschner ’93The 1893 team. The Big Red’s first winning season came in 1894—and the year after that, it defeated Harvard for the first time. Cornell lacrosse would go on to win its first intercollegiate (pre-NCAA) championship in 1902—a feat it would repeat four times by 1916. The Last Time Cornell Took the Title The official name of Buczek’s position—Richard M. Moran Head Coach—harkens back to an earlier era of Big Red lacrosse greatness. The legendary Moran led the team for nearly three decades (1969–97)—presiding over a golden age, including all three of its previous national championships (in 1971, 1976, and 1977). cornell athleticsPlaying before a packed Schoellkopf crowd in the mid-1970s. “People just gravitated to Richie,” Andy Phillips ’84, MBA ’86, president of the Cornell Lacrosse Association and a former Big Red midfielder, said in Moran's 2022 obituary in the Cornell Chronicle. “In the larger lacrosse community, people often remark about the outstanding culture of the Cornell program. And the reason for that is Coach Moran. Plain and simple—Richie was the difference-maker.” Richie Moran led the team for nearly three decades—presiding over a golden age, including all three of its previous national championships. Moran’s teams competed in the NCAA tournament 14 times (including three times as runner-up), won 15 Ivy championships, and had 11 undefeated Ivy seasons. From 1976–78, Cornell won 42 consecutive games, a NCAA Division I lacrosse record. courtesy of Larry BaumMoran with his players. It was such a notable era, in fact, that it inspired a book. Cornell University Press published We Showed Baltimore: The Lacrosse Revolution of the 1970s and Richie Moran’s Big Red in April 2022, just weeks before Moran passed away at age 85. As Buczek observed after the Big Red's first NCAA championship since Moran's era: "I know he's looking down on us, smiling." Top: Hefting the trophy, amid cheers. (All photos provided, unless otherwise indicated.) Published May 28, 2025 Comments Richard Shapiro, Class of 1985 28 May, 2025 I’m still on cloud 9 after that exhilarating season capped by the national championship. What a team led by a phenomenal coach! Reply Randall Nixon, Class of 1978 28 May, 2025 I ran track and played football for the Big Red, and I had gone to prep school with some of the players on the ’76 and ’77 teams. They were phenomenal, not just for their play, but for their spirit and camaraderie. They cared about each other beyond the field. I see that same affection in this championship team. Winning isn’t easy for Ivy League teams. There are no athletic scholarships, and the workload is extremely demanding. To make it all the way to a national championship is a dream come true. Go Big Red! Reply Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Campus & Beyond With a ‘Last Lecture,’ Hockey Coach Offers Words of Wisdom Alumni Remembering Chuck Feeney ’56, Cornell’s ‘Third Founder’ Alumni Eight Decades After His Death in WWII, an MIA Alum Comes Home