ITHACA, N.Y. – Cornell sophomore
Jeff Teat has been named a first-team USILA All-American, as one of four Big Red men's lacrosse players honored when the teams were announced this morning. Senior goalie
Christian Knight was named to the second-team, while classmates
Jake Pulver and
Jordan Dowiak were named third-team and honorable mention, respectively.
Cornell's four All-Americans are the most since the 2015 season, and second most this year by any Ivy League team, behind only Yale's six selections.
Teat earns the second All-America accolade of his career after an honorable mention selection as a freshman. A unanimous first-team All-Ivy honoree, the sophomore attackman is currently ranked fourth in the nation in assists (3.44) and fifth overall in points (5.50) per game. Teat finished the season with 62 assists, the third most assists in a single-season in Cornell history, behind only Tim Goldstein (73 in 1987) and Eamon McEneaney (65 in 1975). He also finished the year with 99 points, the fourth most in program history. He was named an Inside Lacrosse Media first-team All-American and a Tewaaraton Trophy nominee. Teat is one of just three players in Cornell history to post consecutive 30-goal, 30-assist seasons, and one of just four to amass 70 points in back-to-back campaigns. Earlier this season he reached 100 career points faster than any other player in NCAA history (18 games), matching the mark established by Tim Nelson (NC State/SU).
Knight, Pulver and Dowiak are all first-time All-Americans.
Knight saved his best campaign for his last, posting the highest save percentage (.558) and lowest goals-against average (9.75) of his career. His save percentage was the highest by any Cornell goalie in more than a decade (Matt McMonagle – .616 in 2017), and despite seeing a large chunk of his senior season wiped out due to injury, he was named honorable mention All-Ivy. Knight is one of just four goalies in Cornell history to amass 600 saves and he averaged 10.71 saves per game for his career, a mark good for ninth overall in program history. An Inside Lacrosse Media second-team All-American, Knight posted double-digits saves in 8-of-13 games this season, registering a career-high 19 saves on three occasions. He racked up a tournament record 35 saves over two games to lead the Big Red to the Ivy League Men's Lacrosse Tournament title, earning tournament MVP honors as a result. He enters the weekend ranked 10th in the nation in save percentage and 14th overall in saves per game (11.36).
A three-time All-Ivy defender, including a unanimous first-team selection in 2018, Pulver has been the cornerstone of the Big Red defense since stepping on campus. A four-year starter, he has been the anchor of one of the best defenses in the conference during his four seasons. The two-time captain helped Cornell to the 2018 Ivy League Tournament championship and a spot in the NCAA Men's Lacrosse quarterfinals, as well as an Ivy League title and NCAA appearance in 2015. For his efforts both on and off the field, Pulver has been named a finalist for both the Senior CLASS Award and the YRL Unsung Hero Award.
Dowiak was named first-team All-Ivy as a senior captain. He had a stellar 2018 season, ranking third on the team in both goals (40) and points (47). With his four-goal performance vs. Maryland in the NCAA quarterfinals, he became just the third midfielder in Cornell history, and just the ninth in the history of the Ivy League, to register 40 goals in a single season. A force out of the midfield, Dowiak finished the 2018 season as the sixth highest scoring midfield in the nation, and his 23-game goal scoring streak was good for fifth in the nation.
Cornell finished the year with an overall record of 13-5, posting eight more wins than it did a season ago (5), matching the best single-season turnaround in program history.
