ITHACA, N.Y. -- Connor Buczek, the Richard M. Moran Head Coach of Cornell Men's Lacrosse,  has announced the promotion of Paolo Ciferri and Griffin Buczek to Mario St. George Boiardi '04 Assistant Coach of Lacrosse and Assistant Coach, respectively.
 
"We are excited to maintain consistency within our program by elevating Paolo and Griffin. They have both done an outstanding job leading us to achieve the success that we've earned over the past few seasons," said Buczek. "They have a great understanding of Cornell Lacrosse, our culture and how we want to recruit and develop young men. The future is bright with these men, along with Max Tennant, as we build the next chapter of Cornell Lacrosse together."
 
Since being elevated to Assistant Coach in 2020, Ciferri has worked with the faceoff unit while also organizing the teams' clearing and riding efforts. Most notably, Ciferri has mentored rising senior Jack Cascadden into one of the best faceoff specialists in the country. This past season, Cascadden ranked eighth nationally in faceoff win percentage (.619) and received All-American honors from Inside Lacrosse while earning unanimous First Team All-Ivy selection.
 
"I am incredibly grateful to the Cornell Lacrosse family for entrusting me with this responsibility," commented Ciferri. "Cornell Lacrosse has delivered so many impactful moments in my life, and lives of my family members, so it is a special honor to help lead this program forward. I look forward to serving our student-athletes, my coworkers and the rest of the Cornell Lacrosse community."
 
In the four full seasons since taking over clearing and riding responsibilities, Ciferri has established Cornell among the best in the Ivy League in both categories, including first in clear percentage in both the 2023 and 2025 seasons, when the team ranked 14th and fifth nationally, respectively.
 
Cornell has demonstrated a relentless ride under Ciferri's guidance, ranking among the top four in the league in opponent clear percentage, including second this past season. During the 2022 season, the Big Red ranked fifth nationally with an opponent clear percentage of .781.
 
After returning to his alma mater in 2023 to serve as Director of Operations, Griffin Buczek will now move into an assistant coaching role within the Big Red program. In his role as director of operations, Buczek executed all operational tasks, including team travel, team meals, and film operations.
 
"It is a tremendous honor to begin my new role with Cornell Lacrosse," noted Buczek. "As both an alumnus and a member of the staff for the past two years, I take great pride in continuing to contribute to a program that has given me so much. I am eager to work with our talented student-athletes and dedicated staff to uphold and advance the proud tradition of Big Red Lacrosse."
 
Buczek returned to Cornell following his graduate assistantship at John Carroll University, where he was a member of the Blue Streaks men's lacrosse coaching staff. During that stint, he helped the team to a combined 33-6 record. The team captured two Ohio Athletic Conference Championships under Buczek and tallied two NCAA Tournament wins across both seasons. Buczek coached 12 All-OAC honorees and two IMLCA All-Region honorees, including one All-American. In both seasons, Buczek's units posted the No. 2 scoring defense average in Division III.