ITHACA, N.Y. – Connor Buczek, the Richard M. Moran Head Coach of Men's Lacrosse, who guided Cornell to the program's first NCAA Championship in 48 years, has been named the 2025 USILA Division I Coach of the Year, and former Mario St. George Boiardi '04 Associate Head Coach of Men's Lacrosse, Jordan Stevens '15, was named IMLCA Division I Outstanding Assistant, the organizations announced earlier this week.
 
Buczek and Stevens led the Big Red to an 18-1 record and the No. 1 ranking in the nation for eight consecutive weeks en route to Cornell's fourth national title all-time with a 13-10 victory over No. 2 Maryland in the 2025 NCAA Championship game. The Big Red captured an outright Ivy League title and earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, defeating UAlbany, Richmond, and Penn State before claiming the crown.
 
Under Buczek's leadership, Cornell fielded the nation's most explosive offense, averaging a nation-best 15.74 goals per game. The Big Red posted five victories over top 20 opponents during the regular season and avenged their lone loss to Penn State with an 11-9 victory in the NCAA semifinals.
 
Buczek coached Tewaaraton Award winner CJ Kirst to a historic season that saw the attackman finish his career as the NCAA's all-time leader in goals scored with 247, breaking the previous record of 224. Kirst also earned USILA's Lt. Raymond J. Enners Outstanding Player of the Year, ECAC Offensive Player of the Year, and Ivy League Attackman of the Year honors while leading the nation in goals per game.
 
A total of 11 Big Red players earned postseason Ivy League honors under Buczek's guidance, including major award winners Hugh Kelleher (Midfielder of the Year) and Jayson Singer (Defensive Player of the Year). Eight players earned USILA All-America recognition.
 
The USILA Coach of the Year honor is the latest accolade for Buczek, who previously earned Ivy League Coach of the Year honors in 2022 and 2023 and was named the 2023 ECAC Coach of the Year. In four seasons as head coach, he has led Cornell to four Ivy League Championships, an Ivy League Tournament title, three NCAA Tournament appearances, one national runner-up finish (2022) and the 2025 national championship.
 
Under Stevens, the Big Red defense ranked first in the Ivy League in scoring defense allowing 10.26 goals per game, while ranking fifth in caused turnovers. Stevens mentored Singer to Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, and All-Americans Walker Wallace and Christopher Davis, as well as All-Ivy honorable mentions Wyatt Knust and Brendan Staub, who was tied for 13th in the league with one caused turnover per game. Knust ranked fourth in the conference and 26th in the nation in both save percentage (.535) and saves per game (11.63).