NCAA Men's Lacrosse Preview: No. 4 Cornell Focused on the Margins

USA Lacrosse Magazine is beginning its countdown to Feb. 1 — the first day of the 2025 men's lacrosse season — by releasing one team preview per day beginning on Monday, Jan. 13.

We continue the countdown with No. 4 Cornell, a team leaning on CJ Kirst and its offense to get back to Memorial Day weekend.

Cornell entered 2024 with plenty of potential, eyeing a return to Memorial Day weekend. The Big Red’s season, which ended in the Ivy League semifinals, illustrated just how slim the margins can be in college lacrosse.

A talented Cornell team lost five games, but three of them came by just one goal — including thrilling defeats at the hands of Denver and Notre Dame (two tournament teams).

“It was a good year but left a lot to be desired,” head coach Connor Buczek said. “At the end of the day, our resume wasn’t enough to play into the postseason. A lot of guys had to reflect on that and recognize how small those little pieces are. You never know what the difference maker is, with one-goal losses in a couple games that, had we won, it’s a different outcome when Selection Sunday came around.”

Buczek returns almost the entirety of his roster from last season, leaving many to believe that the Big Red could be in for a special season in 2025.

Speaking of special, Tewaaraton finalist CJ Kirst is back for another season, one that could make him the favorite to win the sport’s highest honor.

TOP RETURNERS

CJ Kirst, A, Sr. (45G, 22A) 
Michael Long, A, Sr. (26G, 34A) 
Hugh Kelleher, M, Sr. (24G, 9A)

Kirst is the name that jumps off the page, with a resume that might make him the top returning player in the country. He benefits from the presence of his teammate and friend Michael Long, who helps facilitate the Cornell offense and keep the defense guessing as to who’s shooting and when.

Kelleher is a barreling, initiating middie whose name hit the limelight during the 2022 final four. He’s now entering his senior season and will be looked at as a key contributor on a loaded offense.

KEY ADDITIONS

Michael Marshall, D, Fr.
Jimmy Troy, SSDM, Fr.
Michael Melkonian, FO, Fr.

Cornell typically does not welcome a heavy transfer class, so Buzek will look for his 2024 recruiting class to step in and provide valuable depth to a veteran-laden team.

Michael Marshall and Buczek have worked together during the U.S. U20 tryout process, but now Marshall has a chance to suit up for the Big Red defensive line. Jimmy Troy may see some time as a short-stick middie out of Good Counsel (Md.). Although Jack Cascadden returns as the faceoff x after being out for most of 2024 with an injury, freshman Michael Melkonian may also get reps during his first season.

NOTABLE DEPARTURES

Graduations: Spencer Wirthiem, M; Marc Psyllos, FO

X-FACTOR

 Kirst is an obvious choice for the team’s MVP, but he won’t be able to carry the load for the entire offense. With so many players returning on offense, the production of everyone not named CJ Kirst might be what separates this team from a repeat of 2024.

Willem First burst onto the scene with 22 goals and 12 assists in his freshman season. Fellow freshman Ryan Goldstein followed with 21 goals and 12 assists. A.J. Nikolic and Luke Gilmartin each contributed on offense during their freshman seasons, too.

If this group can turn into game-changing sophomores, Cornell might just boast the deepest offense in the country.

THE NARRATIVE

Cornell has been one of the most consistent teams in college lacrosse the past five years. Buczek took over for Peter Milliman and continued the charge for the Big Red to return to their post as a perennial national title contender.

The assessment so far? His tenure has been a success, with two trips to the NCAA tournament and an appearance in the national title game in 2022. However, Cornell fans want to see their team celebrating a national championship on Memorial Day — just as they did under Richie Moran in the 1970s.

The standard was set long before Buczek took over, but he’s making sure his players understand the history of Cornell lacrosse and the potential that his team has to write its name in that same lore.

With virtually its entire roster returning, the task of instilling the Cornell way shouldn’t take long — and on paper, the Big Red look poised to return to Memorial Day weekend in 2025.

“It comes down to the leadership and how this team gels,” Buczek said. “We have to find the next stratosphere for this team and take a step forward from where we are and where we've been. How can we use the experience of his team to propel us forward?”