Big Games
January 28-29, 2011
By crushing Union 8-0 and RPI 6-0 on successive nights, the women's hockey team ran their record to 22-1, setting a new high for regular-season wins— with six games left to play. Currently ranked Number 2 in the USCHO.com national poll, the Big Red women have dominated opponents all season, outscoring them by the amazing margin of 107 to 16. Their only defeat came on November 2, when they fell to Mercy-hurst 4-3 in overtime. When the two teams met again on January 18, Cornell won 3-0—one of 13 shutouts they've recorded so far. The offensive leaders have been Rebecca Johnston '11 (18 goals, 16 assists) and Brianne Jenner '13 (17 goals, 16 assists); goal-tending duties have been split among Amanda Mazzotta '12 (0.92 goals-against average, .953 save percentage), Lauren Slebodnick '14 (.026, .985), and Katie Wilson '11 (1.00, .913).
Sports Shorts
EXTENDED RUN Former Big Red standout Matt Moulson '06 signed a three-year contract extension with the New York Islanders in January, worth a reported $9.4 million. Moulson, a second-team All-American as a senior, led the Islanders in scoring with 30 goals during the 2009-10 season, his first with the team after being traded by the Los Angeles Kings.
RIDING HIGH In January, the wrestling team won the National Duals for the first time, sweeping four matches at what is considered the unofficial collegiate dual-meet championship. The Big Red opened with an easy win over Ohio State before squeaking by Missouri 18-15 and Minnesota 20-16. In the final, Cornell handed seventh-seeded Virginia Tech a 25-10 loss, taking seven of 10 weight classes, led by a pin by Mack Lewnes '11 at 174 pounds. Cornell hopes to win its first NCAA national title when it competes at the Division I Championships, where wrestlers qualify individually, in March.
TOP HONORS Director of rowing Todd Kennett '91 earned kudos from around the country for leading the Big Red to one of its most successful years ever. Kennett was honored at the 18th Annual Joy of Sculling Coaching Conference as the 2010 University Men's Coach of the Year, sharing the honor with Syracuse head coach Dave Reischman. Kennett led Cornell to a third-place finish at the IRA Regatta, with all four boats reaching the finals.
UPSET WINNER Despite being an unseeded entry, Cornell men's tennis player Jeremy Feldman '11 won the USTA Hardscrabble Tournament in Flushing Meadows, New York, in November. Feldman won his first four matches without dropping a set before securing the championship when his finals opponent withdrew due to injury.
WHISTLE BLOWERS A pair of Cornell athletics alumni are succeeding on the sidelines. Former quarterback Jim Hofher '79, who served as the Big Red's head football coach from 1990 to 1997, completed his second season as offensive coordinator at the University of Delaware, helping the Blue Hens to a 12-3 season and a spot in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) title game. On the hardwood, Jeff Jackson '83 is turning around the men's basketball program at Furman. In his first year as head coach, Jackson led the Paladins to 15 wins; he had matched that win total before the end of January this season.
ELITE ICERS Two more Cornellians have joined the distinguished group selected as the top 50 players in the 50-year history of the ECAC Hockey League. The fourth group of honorees named included Lance Nethery '79, Cornell's career scoring leader with 271 points in 111 games. He was a two-time All-American and the ECAC Player of the Year in 1978. Also honored was defenseman Douglas Murray '03, who twice earned All-American honors and helped the Big Red advance to the Frozen Four in 2003, its first such appearance in more than 20 years.
IRON WOMAN At the World Championships in Hawaii, Leslie Simon Knibb '85 finished her 2010 Ironman Triathlon season by placing 11th in her age group with a time of 11 hours, 2 minutes, and 13 seconds for the event, which includes 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of cycling, and 26.2 miles of running. Knibb qualified for the world championships by winning her age group at the Iron Man Triathlon Lake Placid, where she completed the course in 10:43:54 to top the 103 women between 45 and 49.