* First Day of Practice Video Preview
*  2010 Cornell Men's Lacrosse Information Center
* USILA Coaches Preseason Poll
* Inside Lacrosse Preseason Media Poll
* Faceoff Yearbook/Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-Americans
*  Faceoff Yearbook Conference Outlooks

ITHACA, N.Y. – The No. 6/6 Cornell men's lacrosse team opens preparations for the 2010 season with its first day of practice today, Monday, Feb 1. The team plays its first game in three weeks, as the Big Red will travels to Hobart on Saturday, Feb. 27, to take on the Statesmen at 1 p.m.

“We're incredibly excited to get started,” said Jeff Tambroni, the Richard M. Moran Head Coach of Cornell Lacrosse. “With so many new faces and the new challenges that come with that, our whole staff is looking forward to hitting the field.” 




Here is a look at how the team will stack up.

THE SEASON
Entering his 10th season at the helm of the Cornell men's lacrosse program, Tambroni has orchestrated the rebirth of one of the premier men's lacrosse teams in the nation. The Big Red, which has won at least a share of the past seven Ivy League titles, finished the 2009 season with an 13-4 record overall and made its sixth straight trip to the NCAA tournament, where it reached the national championship game before falling in overtime. This season, Cornell will have to replace key players from nearly every position on the field, but as the staff has proven time and time again, it is a challenge that they will be ready to undertake.

Cornell lost 16 letter winners and six starters from last season's squad, including the 2009 Tewaaraton Trophy winner, Max Seibald, along with fellow All-Americans John Glynn and Matt Moyer, but will look to a pair of returning All-American attackmen – Rob Pannell (third team) and Ryan Hurley (honorable mention) – to lead the way.

The Big Red enters the 2010 season ranked No. 6 in both the Inside Lacrosse Preseason Media Poll and the USILA Coaches Preseason Poll. Inside Lacrosse has also tabbed Cornell to finish first in the Ivy League.

ATTACK
The Big Red attack will be the strength of the team, thanks to the return of Hurley and Pannell, as well junior David Lau and sophomore Scott Austin.

Hurley was named honorable mention All-American following his junior season, as well as second-team All-Ivy after leading the Cornell offense with 45 goals, becoming just the fifth player in Cornell history to register 40 goals in back-to-back seasons. He has registered at least one point in his last 32 games and enters the 2010 season with the longest point-scoring streak on the team and the third longest streak in the nation. He finished the year ranked third in the Ivy League and ninth in the country in goals per game (2.59) and third in the conference and 20th in the country in points per game (3.18 ppg).

The 2009 Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Pannell had one of the most successful freshman seasons in the history of Cornell lacrosse, earning third-team All-American honors for his efforts. He finished the season ranked second in the nation in assists per game (2.47 apg) and fifth in the country in points per game (3.94 pgp). Pannell surpassed the Cornell rookie record for points in a season, finishing with a team-high 67 points. His 42 assists placed him seventh all-time in Big Red history for assists in a single season. Just five games into the season, he set the Cornell freshman record for assists in a single season, a mark previously held by Seibald (14 in 2006). In his very first collegiate game against Binghamton, he scored three goals and registered four assists for seven total points. With that performance, he set a Cornell record for assists by a freshman in a single-game, surpassing Pat Dutton (three assists vs. Delaware in 1996) and Seibald (three assists vs. Binghamton in 2006). He also matched the school mark for points by a rookie in a single-game, tying Michael Egan. Pannell then surpassed his own record with five assists vs. Harvard on April 4.

Lau, who could potentially see time on the midfield line as well, saw a significant increase in playing time during his sophomore season, hitting the field in 10 games, including all four games during the NCAA tournament. He tallied four goals and one assist on the season, while picking up six ground balls and causing one turnover.

Austin saw action in just three games during his rookie season, playing against Binghamton, Canisius and Penn, but will look to run with the first line offense this year.

MIDFIELD
The midfield will see the greatest overhaul from last season after losing four of its top six players. Looking to pick up the mantle, in addition to Lau, will be senior Chris Ritchie, sophomore Roy Lang and freshman Ross Gillum.

Ritchie, who may also see some time with the attack, continued to be an important part of the Big Red offense last year, playing in 16 games, mostly on the second midfield line. He registered three goals and three assists on the year and picked up two ground balls. Four of his six points game during Ivy League action as he posted a goal vs. Penn, a man-up goal at Dartmouth and an assist against both Yale and Princeton.

Lang saw significant playing time during his rookie season, seeing action in all 17 games as a member of the Big Red short stick midfield defense. He picked up 35 ground balls, thanks to his role on the team's face-off unit, and ranked third on the team with 10 caused turnovers. Lang was also a dangerous threat in Cornell's transition game, scoring nine goals and adding two assists for 11 points, numbers he will look to improve upon as he shifts to the offensive unit.

A two-time high school All-American, Gillum was a four-year letter winner at Plano Senior high school. He served as team captain during his junior and senior seasons, earning all-state honors during both of those seasons. Gillum had his jersey number retired and was named his school's Player of the Year following the 2009 season. He was named his team's Offensive MVP in 2006, 2008, and 2009 and earned the team's Pinnacle Award in 2007 and Rookie of the Year honors in 2006.

Looking to run in the midfield as well will be juniors Jon Thomson and Shane O'Neill, as well as sophomores Chris Langton and Mitch McMichael.

Thompson took a big leap in his sophomore season, moving onto the second midfield line. He played in 12 games and registered five goals and two assists for seven points on the year. Thompson also picked up three ground balls and caused one turnover. He tallied a career-best two points vs. Princeton in the NCAA quarterfinals with a goal and an assist.

O'Neill played in nine games during his sophomore season. He registered three goals, two assists, two ground balls and three caused turnovers. O'Neill posted a season-high two points in the first game of the season with a goal and an assist at Binghamton.

Langton saw a great deal of playing time during his freshman season, playing in 11 games. He picked up four ground balls on the season, including a season-high two at Dartmouth. This year, he will look to provide an offensive spark.

McMichael saw significant playing time during his freshman season, playing in 11 games. He started the season running on the second-line midfield and contributed three goals and five assists. McMichael also picked up eight ground balls and caused two turnovers. He tallied his first collegiate goal in his first-ever game at Binghamton, and tallied a career-best three assists vs. Canisius. His goal vs. Penn was considered the game-winner and he converted a man-up goal vs. Yale.

SHORT STICK MIDFIELD
While the Big Red runs an up-tempo, transition game that relies heavily on two-way midfielders, Cornell will have several players that will contribute mostly in defensive situations, and will benefit from the return of senior Austin Boykin, junior Chris Livadas, junior Jack Dudley and sophomore Chip Daugherty.

Boykin took on an increased role with the Big Red defense during his junior season, playing in all 17 games. He collected 19 ground balls on the season and ranked fifth on the team with nine caused turnovers. Boykin was also a big part of the Cornell transition game with four assists and one goal.

Livadas doubled his playing time as a sophomore, seeing action in 15 games and making four starts on the Big Red defensive unit. He picked up eight ground balls and caused three turnovers.

Dudley saw an increase in playing time during his sophomore season, seeing action in nine games. He picked up seven ground balls on the season and caused one turnover.

Daugherty saw action in just two games during his rookie season, playing against Penn and Harvard.

LONG STICK
The Big Red returns just one long stick midfielder that saw action last season – senior Pierce Derkac – but will expect to add depth with freshman Jason Noble.

Derkac became an integral part of the Big Red defense during his junior season, seeing action in all 17 games. He picked up 52 ground balls on the year and caused a team-high 13 turnovers. He was also one of the top scoring long poles in the country with five goals on the season. Derkac averaged 3.1 ground balls per game, thanks in large part to his role on the team's face-off unit. He had at least four ground balls in six games, including a season-high seven vs. Hobart.

A two-year letter winner at The Hill Academy, Noble was team captain in his final two seasons and earned the school's Lacrosse Award in 2008 and 2009. He has also played box lacrosse for seven seasons, most recently with the Orangeville Jr. A Northmen. He helped the Northmen to the Canadian National Minto Cup in 2008 and 2009, and led the Orangeville Northmen Midget box team to the Ontario provincial gold medal in 2007 as the team captain. Noble also won a gold medal in the Canadian National U-16 field lacrosse championship in 2007 and was selected as the tournament MVP.

FACE-OFF UNIT
The Big Red lost one of the best face off men in the nation, as Glynn finished the year ranked eighth in the nation with a winning percentage of 57.4. Looking to replace the All-American will be Boykin, McMichael, Tom Trasolini and Gillum.

DEFENSE
The Cornell defense will suffer from the loss of Moyer, but will look to returning letter winners Mike Howe, Max Feely and Andrew MacDonald, as well as a pair of very talented rookies, Thomas Keith and Mike Bronzino, to pick up the slack.

Howe played a significant role on the Big Red defense during his junior season, playing in 15 games and starting the final five contests of the year. He picked up 15 ground balls on the season and caused six turnovers. He registered a career-high five ground balls vs. Hobart and caused two turnovers vs. Princeton (May 16).

Feely moved into a starting role during his sophomore season, playing in 15 games and making 13 starts on the Big Red's defensive line. He picked up 20 ground balls ranking first on the team with 13 caused turnovers. Feely had a career-high four ground balls vs. Harvard and caused two turnovers vs. Canisius, Harvard, Hofstra and Princeton (May 16).

MacDonald continued his prominent role on the Big Red defense, seeing action in all 17 games and making 13 starts. He picked up 20 ground balls on the season and ranked fifth on the team with nine caused turnovers. MacDonald registered at least one ground ball in 14 games and picked up a career-high three vs. Hobart.

A high school All-American at Syosset high school, Keith lettered twice, earning all-county honors both seasons. He served as team captain as a senior and earned MSG all-region first-team honors following the season. Keith helped the Braves to two Nassau County championships.

A high school All-American, Bronzino lettered three times at Conestoga high school. As a senior captain, he led his team to a 23-2 record and finished as Central League Champions and as the PIAA runner-up. His team also won the Central League in 2007. A three-time All-Central League selection, Bronzino was the league MVP and the Main Line Times Player of the Year as a senior. He was also named both All-Eastern Pennsylvania and All-Main Line Times as a junior and senior. He was named his team's MVP as a senior, after being named the team's Defensive MVP as a junior.

GOALIE
The Big Red features a pair of young and talented goalies, with junior Mat Martinez and freshman AJ Fiore battling for the starting position.

Martinez saw action in three games during his sophomore season, playing against Binghamton, Penn and Dartmouth. He saw 21:44 of action, saved 63.6 percent of shots faced and posted an 11.04 goals-against average. He served as the Big Red's back-up goalie during his rookie season, seeing action in 106 minutes over nine games. He made 12 saves on the year, stopping .480 percent of the shots he faced, while posting a 7.33 goals-against average.

A high school All-American, Fiore was also selected to participate in the Under Armour All-American game. A four-year letter winner at Ithaca high school, he was his team's MVP for his final three seasons. Fiore led the Little Red to the 2009 New York State semifinals, earning Ithaca's first victory in the state tournament since 1978.
He was a first-team all-Section 4 selection as a senior, following a second-team nod as a junior. As a freshman, he was named his team's Defensive MVP and made the Section 4 all-tournament team. Fiore also lettered five times in hockey, helping the Little Red to the 2007 New York State championship title.

THE SCHEDULE
The 2010 slate is an exciting one, featuring the appearance of four 2009 NCAA tournament participants, including two final four participants, the ever-competitive Ivy League conference, several games with traditional rivals and the implementation of an Ivy League Tournament.

“Our program is thrilled about the opportunity to play such a competitive schedule this spring,” said Tambroni. “The combination of our Ivy League schedule, our upstate rivals and the opportunity to host two of last year's Final Four participants on Schoellkopf Field will make for an extremely challenging, but exciting year.”

For the first time since the 2001 season, the contest with Hobart will not be the final regular season game, as the Big Red will kick off the 2010 season with the 132nd meeting with the Statesmen on Feb. 27. The Big Red holds an 80-47-4 advantage in the all-time series, which began in 1896. After the Big Red dropped five consecutive meetings with Hobart from 1996-2000, Tambroni, a Hobart graduate, took over the Big Red men's lacrosse program and has led Cornell to an 9-1 record against his alma mater. In his first season at the helm of the Statesmen's program, Coach T.W. Johnson led Hobart to a 7-7 record overall and 2-5 mark in the ECAC in 2009.

Cornell will travel to Buffalo for the first time in series history to take on Canisius on Tuesday, March 9, at the Demske Sports Complex. After advancing to their first-ever NCAA tournament in 2008, the Griffs struggled to a 4-9 overall record and a conference record of 3-5 in 2009. The Big Red is a perfect 6-0 in the series with Canisius.

Cornell opens the home portion of its schedule as it welcomes Army to Schoellkopf Field on Saturday, March 6. The Black Knights struggled in the 2009 season to finish with a 6-10 overall record and a mark of 2-4 mark in the Patriot League. Still, Army was extremely competitive in all its contests with seven of its 10 losses coming by two or fewer goals, including three in overtime.

Less than a week later, the Big Red will play host to Binghamton on Tuesday, March 9. The Bearcats, who finished the 2009 season with a 3-12 record, have not beaten the Big Red in six tries.

A rematch of the 2009 national semifinal will be played in Ithaca as Cornell welcomes Virginia to Schoellkopf Field for the first time since the 1974 NCAA tournament. The game, slated for March 13, will be the third meeting between the two squads since the start of last season. The Cavaliers finished the 2009 season with a 15-3 record and advanced to the national semifinals before falling to the Big Red, 15-6. After splitting the two games last season, Virginia improved to 5-3 in the all-time series.

The Ivy League portion of the schedule begins the following weekend as Yale travels to Ithaca on Saturday, March 20. The Bulldogs are looking to improve on their 5-8 record from a season ago in which they went 1-5 in the Ivy League. Yale returns four of its top five scorers for 2009, as well as both goalies that saw action a season ago. In the all-time series, Cornell has doubled up the Bulldogs, 44-22-1.

The Big Red travels to Stony Brook for a midweek matchup with the Seawolves on Tuesday, March 23 at 7 p.m. The game will be the first between the two squads since 2004, when Cornell improved to 3-0 in the all-time series with a 9-5 victory.

Cornell stays on the road for a pair of Ivy League contests as it faces Penn on March 27 and Dartmouth on April 3. The Big Red holds the lead in both all-time series with a record of 59-22-3 against the Quakers and 45-14 against the Big Green. First-year head coach Mike Murphy will look to have Penn improve on their 5-8 record (2-4 Ivy League) from a season ago, while Dartmouth went 4-11 overall and 1-4 in the conference last year.

Three straight home games close out the month of April, as the Big Red welcomes Harvard, in-state rival Syracuse and Brown.

Because of changes to the Ivy League schedule, the Crimson come to Ithaca for the second straight year on Saturday, April 10. After a slim, 13-12, victory over Harvard last season, Cornell improved to 59-23 in the all-time series. Still, the Crimson finished the 2009 season with an 8-5 record overall and a mark of 4-2 in the Ivy League.

The annual showdown with Syracuse returns to Ithaca this season as Cornell and the Orange face off on Tuesday, April 13. The game, which will be televised locally on Time Warner Sports, should prove to be another epic battle as Cornell will look to erase the memories of a heartbreaking 10-9 overtime loss to the Orange in the 2009 national championship game.

In its final home game of the regular season, Brown comes to Ithaca on Saturday, April 24. Last season, the Bears were the only blemish on the Big Red's Ivy League record, as they defeated Cornell, 11-9, to close the gap in the all-time series to 32-16. Brown, who lost to Johns Hopkins, 12-11, in overtime in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, finished the year with a 12-4 record overall and a mark of 4-2 in the conference.

The marquee matchup in Ivy League lacrosse, the Cornell and Princeton rivalry, travels to New Jersey on Saturday, May 1. The two squads have combined for 47 conference titles, sharing the crown in four of the past seven seasons. After Cornell had a four-game winning streak against the Tigers snapped during the 2008 season, the Big Red responded by defeating Princeton last year during the regular season, 10-6, at Schoellkopf Field, and again during the NCAA tournament with a 6-4 victory at Hofstra. With the two wins, Cornell closed the gap in the all-time series to 36-32-2. Princeton returns three All-Americans from last year's 13-3 (5-1 Ivy League) squad, but for the first time in 22 years will have a new head coach after Bill Tierney departed for Denver.

For the first time in the history of the Ivy League, the conference will sponsor a post-season tournament on the weekend of May 7-9. The tournament will include the top four teams in the Ivy League regular season round-robin competition and will be hosted by the round-robin winner.