* First Day of Practice Video Preview (coming soon)
* 2012 Cornell Men's Lacrosse Quick Facts
* Faceoff Yearbook Coaches' Preseason Poll
* Faceoff Yearbook Preseason Media Poll
* Faceoff Yearbook/Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-Americans  
* Faceoff Yearbook Conference Outlooks

ITHACA, N.Y. – The No. 5/3 Cornell men's lacrosse team opened preparations for the 2012 season with its first day of practice today, Wednesday, Feb 1. The team plays its first game in just over three weeks, as the Big Red takes on its oldest rival, Hobart, on Saturday, Feb. 25 at Boswell Field in Geneva, N.Y. Face-off is slated for 1 p.m.

“We're ready to get started,” said Ben DeLuca, the Richard M. Moran Head Coach of Cornell Lacrosse. “This has been a long time coming and my staff and I am excited to get together with the entire team for the first time and focus on lacrosse. With so many returning players, we feel like we're young, but experienced, and we're excited because we feel like we can hit the ground running today.”

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

THE SEASON
After a very successful debut as head coach for the Big Red, Ben DeLuca enters his second season at the helm of the Cornell men's lacrosse program and will be looking for bigger and better things from the 2012 season. The Big Red, which has won at least a share of the past nine Ivy League titles, finished the 2011 campaign with a 14-3 record overall and a perfect 6-0 record in Ivy League, winning the Ivy League tournament along the way. Cornell also made its eighth straight trip to the NCAA tournament, where it advanced to the quarterfinals before falling to eventual national champion, Virginia. As the bulk of the 2011 team returns to East Hill, the Big Red enters the 2012 campaign with great expectations from its fans, alumni and the national media.

Cornell lost just seven letter winners and three starters from last season's squad and will look to the reigning USILA National Player of the Year, Rob Pannell to lead the offense, while preseason All-Americans Roy Lang and Jason Noble will anchor the midfield and defense, respectively.

The Big Red enters the 2012 season ranked No. 5 in the Faceoff Yearbook Preseason Coaches Poll, but was tabbed third by the Faceoff Yearbook Preseason Media Poll.

ATTACK
There is little doubt that the Big Red returns the preeminent player in Division I men's lacrosse in Pannell, who will once again lead the Cornell attack. Joining Pannell could be returning letter winner Steve Mock, freshmen Connor Buczek and Matt Donovan, transfer Connor English, or a trio of sophomores in Cody Bremner, Connor Entenmann and Dan Lintner.

Pannell continues to exceed expectations each and every season and last year was no different as he took home the USILA's Lt. Raymond Enners Award as the Division I national player of the year and repeated as the Jack Turnbull Award winner as the Division I national attackman of the year. He is just the 11th repeat winner in the 65-year history of the Turnbull Award and is the first-ever Cornellian to win the award twice in his career. A 2011 Tewaaraton Trophy finalist and a nominee for a 2011 ESPY in the category of Best Male Collegiate Athlete, Pannell earned his second consecutive first-team All-America honor and his second straight Ivy League Player of the Year award. He led the nation in points per game (5.24), while ranking second overall in assists per game (2.76), and ninth overall in goals per game (2.47). He became the first Big Red player since 2001 to lead Cornell in points, goals and assists in the same season and ended the season with the longest point-scoring streak in the nation, having registered at least one point in each of his 52 career games. Pannell enters his senior year with the most career assists (140) and career points (236) of any active player in Division I men's lacrosse.

Mock had an outstanding sophomore season, starting 15 games on the Big Red attack. An early-season injury slowed him at first, but he finished the year ranked second on the team in goals (40) and was seventh in the nation in goals per game (2.5). He also proved to be one of the best shooters in the nation, finishing the season ranked 17th in the country in shooting percentage (.426).

Two rookies that highly impressed the coaching staff in the fall, are Buczek and Donovan. Buczek, a 6-2 member of the U.S. Under-19 team brigs great size and skill and can score at the crease. A two-time high school All-American, he is the all-time leading scorer at St. Xavier in Cincinnati. Donovan is viewed as a player in the mold of Pannell, in that he is a quarterback behind the cage with the ability to score and feed. Prior to Cornell, he earned two varsity letters at Seton Hall Prep before attending The Lawrenceville School last season. After helping Seton Hall to the Essex County tournament in 2010, he led Lawrenceville to the NJISAA championship and MAPL championship in 2011.

Depending on how quickly he gets up to speed, English could see time at the attack, or even at the midfield, as he looks to help the Big Red offense. A highly-ranked recruit out of Manhasset high school, he finished his career with 189 goals and 67 assists and was ranked the No. 7 recruit overall in the country and was ranked as the No. 3 attackman in the nation by Inside Lacrosse. The 2009 Long Island Player of the Year and a two-time high school All-American, English went on to play two seasons as a member of the Virginia men's lacrosse team where he saw action in 28 games, making five starts last season. He tallied 15 goals and two assists in two years with UVA and helped the Cavaliers to the 2011 national championship.

Bremner has some of the best experience of the sophomore class of attackmen after seeing significant playing time during his rookie year and he should continue to be an integral part of the Big Red's man-up offense. He finished last season with nine goals and two assists, with nearly half of his scores (4) coming on extra-man opportunities.

Both Entenmann and Lintner saw limited action last season, but both have made tremendous strides in the off season and will push to see quality playing time as the year progresses.

MIDFIELD
The midfield will have great depth as it returns four seniors –– Roy Lang, Chris Langton, JJ Gilbane and Scott Austin –– to its top two lines. Looking to fill additional spots could be several players, including English, sophomore Mike O'Neil, junior Max Van Bourgondien or sophomore Matt Taylor.

Lang, a first-team All-American last season, will be the cornerstone of the Cornell midfield. A tremendous athlete that brings great strength and speed to the Big Red unit, he was a unanimous first-team All-Ivy selection last season after starting all 17 games and finishing the year ranked fourth on the team with 27 goals and 36 points overall. A solid two-way player and a crucial part of the Big Red's face-off unit, Lang also picked up 38 ground balls and caused eight turnovers.

O'Neil should return to the first offensive midfield for his sophomore season after seeing significant playing time a year ago and getting named to the 2011 Inside Lacrosse All-Freshman first team. He finished the year with 15 goals and 13 assists and proved to be very consistent, registering at least one point in 12-of-17 contests.

Gilbane ran with the first midfield line during the fall and is looking to build on a successful junior season in which he played in all 17 games and finished the year with 12 goals and two assists for 14 points. Gilbane also picked up 12 ground balls and caused two turnovers.

For the second straight season, Langton will anchor the second offensive midfield, using his strength and speed to provide a significant dodging threat. Last year, he saw action in all 17 games and finished the year with eight goals and seven assists to go along with seven ground balls and one caused turnover.

Austin started last season as a member of the attack unit, but moved to the second offensive midfield and seemed to have found his stride. He will look to continue his success there this season after finishing the 2011 campaign with five goals and three assists for eight points on the year to go along with eight ground balls and two caused turnovers.

Both Van Bourgondien and Taylor have seen limited time over the past two seasons, playing sporadically, and mostly on the attack, but both have worked hard and improved tremendously during the offseason to earn an opportunity to play in the midfield for the Big Red this season.

SHORT STICK DEFENSIVE MIDFIELD
While the Big Red runs an up-tempo, transition game that relies heavily on two-way midfielders, the coaching staff hopes to run two lines of short stick defensive midfielders, which will keep fresh legs on the field at all times. Coming out of the fall, the unit featured five potential returning letter winners, as well as one talented rookie vying for four spots.

Leading the way will be incumbent Tom Trasolini, who saw action in all 17 games last season and finished the year with 15 ground balls and five caused turnovers.

Sophomore Ross Rudow saw limited playing time last year as a back-up long pole defenseman, but is looking to return to his natural position as a SSDM and find a regular spot in the lineup.

Senior Chip Daugherty and junior Cody Levine will vie for additional playing time after seeing action in four and 10 games, respectively, a season ago, and sophomore Joe Paoletta hopes to return to form after seeing his progress cut short last season due to a leg injury.

Newcomer Mike Huttner impressed the coaching staff during the fall with his tenacious defensive style and his hard hits. A high school All-American in lacrosse and a stand-out football player at Rumson Fair Haven high school, he was named the 2011 Shore Conference Player of the Year after helping his team to the Shore Conference championship.

LONG STICK DEFENSIVE MIDFIELD
The Big Red returns junior Thomas Keith to the long pole and he will be ably backed by a pair of seasoned veterans in senior Matt Restaino and sophomore Tom Freshour.

Keith saw action in all 17 games last year, picking up 37 ground balls and causing 20 turnovers. A solid part of the transition game, Keith also scored two goals on the year with one tally against Yale and one against Hartford in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Restaino saw an increase in playing time during his junior season, especially towards the end of the year with seven of the nine games he played in coming in the final two months of the season.

Freshour played at close defense during the fall, filling in due to injuries, but will return to the defensive midfield where he had a solid rookie campaign, playing in 15 games a year ago. He finished the season with six ground balls and three caused turnovers.

FACE-OFF UNIT
Every single player that took a face-off for the Big Red a season ago returns to the squad for the 2012 campaign. Leading the way will be sophomore Doug Tesoriero and senior Mitch McMichael, while Cole McCormack, Chip Daugherty and Jason Noble will also be in the mix at the face-off circle.

Tesoriero was the Big Red's most effective option in the face-off circle over the second half of the 2011 season. Overall, he saw action in all 17 games, converting .562 of his restarts (90-of-160), but was most impressive over the final 10 games of the year, winning 78-of-134 (.582) face-offs. Tesoriero won 10 or more face-offs on four occasions, including the final three games of the season, and finished the year with 43 ground balls and two caused turnovers.

McMichael opened the 2011 campaign as Cornell's main option in the circle and was a significant contributor throughout the year, finishing the season with a .444 face-off winning percentage (80-of-180).

McCormack, Daugherty and Noble all have some experience in the face-off circle and bring different styles that can be utilized as the coaches see fit. Last season, the trio combined to win 21-of-53 restarts (.396).

DEFENSE
Once again, the Cornell defense should be a strength of the team with two of its top defensemen from a season ago – preseason All-Americans Jason Noble (first-team) and Mike Bronzino (honorable mention) – returning to action.

Noble and Bronzino, both entering their junior seasons, provide an effective one-two punch that helped the Big Red to rank 16th in the nation in scoring defense and 11th overall in caused turnovers per game last year.

Following the 2011 campaign, Noble earned the first All-America selection of his career with an honorable mention nod and was also named honorable mention All-Ivy after being selected to the 2011 Ivy League All-Tournament team. He finished the season ranked 21st in the country with 1.76 caused turnovers per game and was 41st overall in ground balls per game (4.18).

Bronzino earned the first All-Ivy accolade of his career last season, as he was named honorable mention after starting all 17 games for the Big Red. He was also named to the 2011 Ivy League All-Tournament team. Like his line mate Noble, Bronzino cracked the national rankings in both caused turnovers (34th – 1.53 p/g) and ground balls (70th – 3.35 p/g). Bronzino also scored two goals and registered two assists on the season.

Looking to fill the third spot will be junior Kyle Ewanouski and a trio of rookies – Jordan Stevens, Connor Hunt and Russell Scott. 

Ewanouski saw significant playing time during his sophomore season, playing in 13 games and making two early-season spot-starts for an injured Max Feely. Playing predominately during Cornell's man-down situations he helped the Big Red stop nearly 70 percent of opponent's man-up chances.

Stevens impressed the coaches during the fall with his skill and footwork. He was a four-year starter at Smithtown High School West and was also a member of the Long Island Empire State team.

A player with tremendous size, Hunt was a high school All-American in 2011 and was a two-time first-team all-league selection as he helped De La Salle high school to back-to-back section championships in 2009 and 2010.

Scott also brings a big, physical presence to the defensive unit and the coaches hope that he will adjust quickly to the college game. A high school All-American at the Memphis University School, he led his team to a Tennessee State championship in 2011. He was twice nominated for the Best of Preps Lacrosse and was a two-time first-team all-state selection in 2010 and 2011.

GOALIE
The Big Red features four talented goalies, with incumbent AJ Fiore looking to keep his starting position over senior walk-on Brian O'Donnell, sophomore Andrew West and freshman William Joyce.

Fiore started all 17 games in goal for the Big Red, posting a 12-3 record. He finished the season ranked 18th in the county with an 8.31 goals-against average and registered a save percentage of .504.

Fiore was ably backed by West, who had a solid rookie season, seeing action in nine games and posting a 2-0 record. West finished the year with a 7.16 goals-against average and a .591 save percentage. He posted a season-high six saves in 15 minutes against Yale and was crucial in a pair of wins against Harvard and Princeton, coming on in relief and leading Cornell to the victories.

O'Donnell impressed the coaches during the fall season and along with Joyce, will push Fiore and West for playing time.  Last season, O'Donnell saw action in one game, playing against Binghamton in the season opener.

Joyce brings great skills and a great lacrosse pedigree to East Hill. He was a high school All-American in 2010, as well as a High School All-Tewaaraton Team selection. He led Landon to three IAC championships and was named All-IAC, first-team All-Metropolitan Area and the Washington Post Montgomery County Player of the Year.

THE SCHEDULE
The 2012 slate is an exciting one, featuring seven home games and contests against four 2011 NCAA tournament teams, including national champion Virginia at the Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Classic in Baltimore, Md. As always, the Big Red schedule will also feature the ever-competitive Ivy League conference, several games with traditional rivals and the third season of the Ivy League Tournament.

“We are very excited about our schedule for the 2012 season,” said DeLuca. “It's great to have seven home games scheduled in front of our fans at Schoellkopf Field and we are proud to be included for the second straight season in one of Inside Lacrosse's marquee events at the Face-Off Classic.”

For the third straight season, the contest with Hobart will kick off the men's lacrosse campaign, as the Big Red will travel to Geneva for the 133rd meeting with the Statesmen on Saturday, Feb. 25. The Big Red holds an 82-47-4 advantage in the all-time series, which began in 1896. After the Big Red dropped five consecutive meetings with Hobart from 1996-2000, the Big Red has won 11 of the last 12 meetings. In his third season at the helm of the Statesmen's program, Coach T.W. Johnson led Hobart to an improved 5-9 record overall and a mark of 2-4 in the ECAC conference in 2011.

The Big Red will open the home portion of its schedule in a midweek game against instate rival Binghamton on Tuesday, Feb. 28. The Bearcats, which finished a turbulent 2011 season with a 7-8 record, has not beaten the Big Red in eight tries.

Cornell will extend its home-stand to three games as it takes on Army on Saturday, March 3 before welcoming Canisius for a midweek matchup on Tuesday, March 6. The Big Red, which fell to the Black Knights 11-9 last season, has won six of the last seven outings against Army, but still trails in the all-time series, 24-14. The Black Knights finished the 2011 season with a 9-5 record overall and a mark of 4-2 in the Patriot League. After facing Army, Cornell will look to extend its record against the Griffs to a perfect 8-0 in the series. Last season, Canisius struggled to a 3-9 record overall, including a 14-7 loss to the Big Red.

On Saturday, March 10, Cornell will participate in one of the premier lacrosse events of the regular season, as it faces Virginia in the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md. The game will be the sixth meeting between the two squads since the start of the 2009 season. The Cavaliers are the reigning national champions and finished the 2011 campaign with a 13-5 record. After defeating the Big Red twice last season, Virginia improved to 8-3 in the all-time series.

The Ivy League portion of the schedule begins the following weekend as the Big Red welcomes Yale to Schoellkopf Field on Saturday, March 17. The Bulldogs had a solid 2011 season, posting a 10-4 record overall and a mark of 3-3 in the conference. Yale earned a trip to the Ivy League tournament for the second consecutive season but saw its campaign end in the opening round with an 11-7 loss to the Big Red. Cornell has won 13 consecutive meetings to improve to 47-22-1 in the all-time series.

Cornell will then travel down to Long Island for a neutral site contest against Denver, taking on the Pioneers on Tuesday, March 20 at Hofstra's James M. Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, N.Y.  The Big Red won the first and only meeting between the two teams, a 20-7 decision in 2008 in a game played in Dallas, Texas. Still, there is familiarity at the top, as current Denver head coach Bill Tierney posted a 13-10 record against the Big Red during his time as head coach at Princeton. Additionally, the game will be a reunion for twin brothers Jason and Jeremy Noble. Jason is an All-American defender for the Big Red, while Jeremy is one of the top midfielders for Denver and it will be the first time in their collegiate careers that the natives of Orangeville, Ontario will play each other.

Cornell stays on the road for a pair of Ivy League contests as it faces Penn on March 24 and Dartmouth on March 31. The Big Red holds the lead in both all-time series with a record of 61-22-3 against the Quakers and 46-15 against the Big Green. In his second season at the helm, Mike Murphy led Penn to an 8-7 record (4-2 Ivy League) and a trip to the NCAA tournament. Dartmouth struggled last season and will look to rebound from a 5-9 record overall and a last place finish in the Ivy League (1-5).

Three straight home games make up the bulk of the month of April, as the Big Red welcomes Harvard, in-state rival Syracuse and Brown to Schoellkopf Field.

Cornell will open the home stand against the Crimson on Saturday, April 7. The Big Red defeated Harvard twice last season, with the regular season contest being won in the final moments on a goal by David Lau before Cornell dominated the Crimson in the Ivy League tournament championship game, 15-6. With those victories, the Big Red extended its winning-streak against Harvard to 14 straight wins and improved to 62-23 in the all-time series. In addition to a trip to the Ivy League tournament championship game, first-year head coach Chris Wojcik led his alma mater to a record of 10-6 (3-3 Ivy League).

The annual showdown with Syracuse heads back to Schoellkopf Field this season as Cornell and the Orange face off on Tuesday, April 10. The series began in 1920 and since that time, there have been only four seasons (1944, 1945, 1977, 1978) that the two squads have not faced each other in varsity competition. The game, which will be televised locally on Time Warner Sports, should prove to be another epic battle in what has become a fierce rivalry with seven of the 13 games played since the 2000 season being decided by less than two goals. Syracuse finished the 2011 season with a 15-2 record but will be anxious to erase the memories of its 11-6 loss to the Big Red in the Carrier Dome.

In its final home game of the regular season, the Big Red welcomes the Bears on Saturday, April 21. Cornell has won the last two outings against Brown to improve to 34-17 in the all-time series. The Bears finished last year with a 6-8 record overall and a record of 2-4 in the conference.

The marquee matchup in Ivy League lacrosse, the Cornell and Princeton rivalry, returns to Princeton on Saturday, April 28. The two squads have combined for 49 conference titles, sharing the crown in five of the past nine seasons. The Big Red won last season's meeting, and eight of the last 10 contests, but the Tigers still own a slim lead in the all-time series, 37-34-2. Princeton will be eager to improve on last year's 4-8 record (2-4 Ivy League).

For the third year, the Ivy League will sponsor a post-season tournament on the weekend of May 4-6. 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. Last season, Cornell won the outright Ivy League title and was joined by Penn, Yale and Harvard in the tournament. After defeating the Bulldogs in the opening round, the Big Red dominated the Crimson to earn its first Ivy League tournament title.