ITHACA, N.Y. – Eight months removed from hoisting the program's fourth NCAA Championship trophy, the Cornell men's lacrosse team enters the 2026 season with a new identity, familiar expectations, and an unwavering commitment to the standard that has defined Big Red lacrosse for generations.

"New faces, new team realistically," said Richard M. Moran Head Coach of Men's Lacrosse Connor Buczek '15. "We graduated a great group and did some special things, and now we're rebuilding the foundation, making sure that our leadership is strong, trying to fit new faces into new roles, and really looking for returners to take that next step in both leadership and their ability to execute on the field."

The Big Red, ranked No. 4 nationally in both major preseason polls and picked second in the Ivy League Preseason Media Poll, open the season Saturday, Feb. 15, at UAlbany at 1 p.m.

THE FOUNDATION: VETERAN LEADERSHIP WHERE IT MATTERS

While the scoring load requires reinvention, Cornell returns stability at the game's most crucial position: the faceoff X.

Senior Jack Cascadden, a USA Lacrosse Third-Team Preseason All-American, returns after setting school records with 275 faceoff wins and 154 ground balls in 2025. He'll be backed by sophomore Michael Melkonian, giving the Big Red both experience and depth at a position that controls possession, and in turn, controls games.

"Possession is the game, and that can be a massive change in games," Buczek said. "To have that stability, have that experience, is really important for us. And hopefully will allow some time for those other areas to settle."

On defense, Cornell returns Brendan Staub and defenseman Matt Dooley. Staub recorded 57 ground balls and 19 caused turnovers in 2025, while Dooley started all 19 games and collected 28 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers, providing continuity heading into 2026.

Junior Ike Lohnes, senior JK Kelly, and sophomore Michael Marshall, will share time at the third defensive spot to start the season with Buczek noting that each brings different strengths to the table, and provided needed depth on the back end.

At LSM, seniors Eddie Rayhill and Walker Schwartz return with significant experience. Rayhill "has played in nearly every game that he's been here," while Schwartz "played a ton for us last year," according to Buczek. Sophomore Beck Mahoney and freshman Blake Cascadden, Jack's younger brother, have impressed in the preseason and could factor into the rotation.

The defensive midfield unit features depth and experience with senior Charlie Box, junior TJ Lamb, junior Luke Gilmartin, and sophomore Jimmy Troy, who returns for 2026 after injury kept him off the field as a freshman. Freshman Brian Box has also "filled in really nicely and made some nice steps in the fall and in the preseason," Buczek said.

Gilmartin, in particular, offers versatility that makes him a Swiss Army knife for the Big Red.

"He's as good as they got in between the lines," Buczek said. "A guy that does it on the defensive end, does it on the offensive end, picks up a lot of ground balls, does a great job off the wing. He gives us a lot of options to use him in different ways and make sure that he's creating advantageous situations for the Big Red."

THE OFFENSE: STARS RETURN, YOUTH MUST EMERGE

Cornell's offensive attack is anchored by two of the nation's premier players. Junior Ryan Goldstein returns after posting 93 points (43 goals, 50 assists) in 2025 and earning Tewaaraton Trophy Watch List honors. Junior Willem Firth added 49 points (32 goals, 17 assists) and also appears on the Tewaaraton Watch List.

Both are junior captains tasked with being "the voice of a younger group," Buczek said, while Firth will carry the Hard Hat, a honored tradition.

Senior Matt Perfetto and freshman Rowyn Nurry are competing for the third attack spot, with "a lot of guys in the depth behind them doing some good things," according to Buczek.

The offensive midfield features returners Brian Luzzi and Ryan Waldman, who "played a lot for us last year," along with junior AJ Nikolic, who returns healthy and "is going to be a big piece of that for us." Nikolic, an Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American (Honorable Mention).

Cornell will also lean on seniors Bowie Horsman and Anthony Bartolotto, along with freshman Seamus Riordan, who Buczek said "has been doing a really nice job."

"We have at least seven guys that we feel pretty good about heading into the spring as we wait to see how the depth kind of develops behind it," Buczek said. "We've got a lot of growing to do on the offensive end."

THE X-FACTOR: GOALKEEPER MATTHEW TULLY

Perhaps no position carries more intrigue than goalkeeper, where junior Matthew Tully steps into the starting role for the first time since 2024 after backing up Wyatt Knust '25 a season ago. The New England product has played in 13 games, making four starts, all of which came in 2024. He has a 15.71 goals against average, .450 save percentage, 63 saves, and a 2-1 record in the cage for his career.

"I think Matty Tully is ready to step up," Buczek said. "He's started games for us in the past and waited his turn. He's been great, he's competitive, he's athletic, he does a lot of really good things for us. That group top to bottom has been really influential, and I think we've got a lot of talent there and a lot of guys that are working really hard."

Tully earned the starting nod outright during the preseason and will be Cornell's last line of defense as the Big Red navigate a challenging schedule.

THE FRESHMAN CLASS: IMMEDIATE IMPACT EXPECTED

Cornell's 2025 recruiting class features several names that could see significant minutes early in their careers.

"It's a mature group," Buczek said. "They're finding their footing pretty quickly."

The freshmen making the strongest early impressions include Rowyn Nurry (attack), Seamus Riordan (offensive midfield), Grady Taylor (offensive midfield), Brian Box (defensive midfield), and Blake Cascadden (LSM) – all of whom are "in the mix for game day minutes pretty early in their career," according to Buczek.

"Hopefully that gives us a good opportunity to see those guys build and grow in the course of the year," Buczek added.

THE IDENTITY: GROWTH, NOT COMPLACENCY

When asked to describe this year's team in one word, Buczek didn't hesitate: "Growth."

"Starting with a group with less game experience regardless of age, I think a lot of it's going to come down to how we develop and our ability to continue to improve day in and day out," he said. "Take the good with the bad and continue to get guys more comfortable in situations across and more comfortable in the system and just compete like Cornell lacrosse competes on a daily basis."

The motivation, Buczek insists, hasn't changed despite the championship banner now hanging out at Schoellkopf Field.

"Within our program, there's kind of a blueprint. There's an understanding of what it is and how it looks, and the motivation has been the same for a very long time," Buczek said. "Now we have different problems – champagne problems, to say the least – but certainly different things that we're working through and trying to understand how to motivate, how to push, how to make sure that we are not looking backwards but we're looking toward the future and focused on the day-to-day."

After the summer celebrations faded and fall practice began, the Big Red returned to work.

"Everybody had the summer to kind of enjoy it and appreciate it, and then once we got back in the fall, it was back to work," Buczek said. "These guys have done a really good job embracing that and taking the next step and focusing on one day at a time."

THE PHILOSOPHY: ENJOYING THE PROCESS

Buczek's approach to the season reflects lessons learned during last year's championship run.

"A lot of what I learned is just the joy in the journey. The process is really where you enjoy this – the process and where you build the relationships, where you face the adversity, where you get through it together," he said. "The outcome is wonderful, but that's one day a year. If you enjoy the process of getting there, that makes the outcome that much sweeter."

As for preseason rankings and expectations? Buczek keeps the focus internal.

"We try not to spend too much time focused on the rankings, and especially the preseason rankings, when there's really nothing but conjecture," he said. "Our hope is to just keep being the best team that we can be day in and day out. As we prepare, the timeline's pretty short, so if we focus anywhere else other than on getting better and getting the basic system down and playing hard, we're probably getting sidetracked and losing opportunity."

THE OUTLOOK: HIGH CEILING, UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY
Cornell won't be mistaken for last year's squad – the faces are different, the roles are new, and the journey will be unique. But the standard remains the same.

"I don't think Cornell lacrosse has been, and what we strive to be, has changed in a very long time," Buczek said. "So the hope is we've got the foundation of who we are based on that tradition, and then some of the pieces of the puzzle are different, and so you try to do your best to play to those strengths. But I don't think we will be venturing far out from who we've been in recent memory."

The ceiling is high – two elite attackmen, the nation's best faceoff specialist, veteran defensive leadership, and a hungry group of role players ready to prove themselves. The question is how quickly the pieces come together.

"I'm excited for the growth. I'm excited for the journey with this team," Buczek said. "A lot of new faces and new roles, and a lot of growth in front of us. I think the ceiling's pretty high – just a matter of how these pieces start to gel and how well we teach and build. I'm excited to see what this looks like as we really get going and hit the stretches of the season."

The defending national champions open their title defense Saturday at 1 p.m. in Albany, N.Y., against UAlbany – a familiar foe and a fitting test to begin a season defined not by what was, but by what could be.