ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cornell University men's lacrosse program concluded a fantastic alumni weekend with its annual awards banquet, held Sunday morning at the Statler Hotel on the Cornell campus. Friends and family gathered to honor the members of the 2011 Big Red squad while saying goodbye to the Class of 2011, a group of seven young men that won four Ivy League championships, played in two NCAA Final Fours and made one trip to the national championship game.

At the banquet, head coach Ben DeLuca announced that Rob Pannell will repeat as team captain for the 2012 season. He also announced the award winners for the 2011 season, including Pannell, who was named both the team's most valuable offensive player, as well as the team MVP.

Pannell, a senior attackman from Smithtown, N.Y., is coming off a season in which he was named the USILA Player of the Year and repeated as the Jack Turnbull Award winner as the Division I national attackman of the year. He is a three-time All-American and is the reigning two-time Ivy League Player of the Year. He led the nation in points per game (5.24), while ranking second overall in assists per game (2.76), and 10th overall in goals per game (2.47). He was also the first Big Red player since 2001 to lead Cornell in points, goals and assists in the same season. Pannell owns the longest point-scoring streak in the nation, having registered at least one point in each of his 52 career games, and he has the most career assists (140) and career points (236) of any active player in Division I men's lacrosse.

At the annual team banquet, Pannell was named the Dr. Ray Van Orman Memorial Award winner as the team's most valuable player for the second straight season, becoming the first two-time winner since Justin Cynar took home the award in 2000 and 2002. The award was renamed the Dr. Ray Van Orman Memorial Award in 1984 to honor the memory of Dr. Van Orman, an outstanding lacrosse coach at Cornell from 1940-49.

He also earned the Joe Phillip Memorial Award, which goes to the team's offensive MVP, for the third straight year. Pannell is the first-ever three-time winner of the award, which is given annually to the person who contributed to the overall team effort, in grateful memory of Phillip, whose humor, inspiration and service to Cornell lacrosse will never be forgotten.

For the second consecutive year, Max Feely earned the Lawrence Van Buren Woodworth Memorial Award, given annually to the player who most exemplifies competitive spirit and fair play, as the team's outstanding defensive player.

Jack Dudley earned the J.E.B. Sportsmanship Award for combining the qualities of lacrosse ability, leadership, fairness, courteous relations and graceful acceptance of results on and off the playing field.
He also earned the Al "Junior" Kelz - Mike Herriott Award as the team's outstanding senior player. The award was established by the late R.L. Cullen in memory of Junior Kelz and Mike Herriott, who were tragically killed while on a lacrosse scouting trip in 1965.

The C.F. Morse Lacrosse Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, given annually to the player who combines the physical attributes of a Spartan and the scholar achievements of an Athenian, was awarded to Tom Trasolini.

The LaFrance award, given to the senior who combines mental and physical toughness, along with humor and bravery, despite injury, was awarded to Jesse Gamble.

Jason Noble took home the Charlie Hustle Award, given in memory of Charles W. Cayten to the player who has displayed outstanding hustle on the practice and game fields, a leader in the pursuit of ground balls in relation to playing time.

The Cornell Lacrosse Club Most Improved Player Award, which in recent years has been given to the rookie player that has had the greatest impact on the team, was awarded to Mike O'Neil.

Former graduate assistant athletic trainer Cody Herbert was named the recipient of the Dave Friedleb Memorial Award, given by the Cornell lacrosse community to the person or persons whose enthusiasm, assistance, interest and compassion for the Cornell lacrosse team are greatly appreciated.

The Big Red finished the season with a 14-3 record after falling to Virginia in the 2011 NCAA quarterfinals. Cornell won its ninth straight Ivy League title, the longest stretch since Cornell won 10-straight championships between 1974 and 1983, and became the first school to go unbeaten in the regular season followed by winning the conference tournament title. The Big Red's nine consecutive regular-season Ivy titles is the longest current stretch by any men's lacrosse team in any conference.