John Piatelli

Classroom

Piatelli has excelled in all facets of being a student-athlete. He carries a 3.63 GPA and has made the Dean’s List four times as an applied economics and management major. In addition to his concentration in finance, he is pursuing a minor in real estate, which he aspires to do professionally.

In order to prepare for a career in the real estate industry, Piatelli has completed several internships to gain experience. He worked with Eastdil Secured last summer and Newmark Knight Frank the one before.

As if this wasn’t enough, Piatelli made the most of a spring that saw the 2021 Cornell men’s lacrosse season get canceled due to COVID-19, completing an internship with BPG|SPORTS to further boost his experience.

Character

Piatelli overcame a turbulent freshman year at Cornell to become a reliably confident starter, leading the team in goals for two years as a member of the most efficient attack unit in the country. His character and work ethic, forged in the crucible of competition, gave Piatelli the confidence to become an exemplary teammate, leader and, most recently, a two-time captain of the team.

Piatelli’s mettle was tested when he had to navigate the uncharted waters of leading a team with no opponents during the pandemic. He was elected a captain and immediately thrust into a role that no person had been relied upon to perform in the history of the program. To add to the challenge, there were no games to work toward, no tangible markers of success or failure, rather just a goal to stay united, bonded, and focused on one day at a time.

Piatelli was the fearless leader Cornell Lacrosse when they were forced to navigate numerous uncertainties amid the pandemic. How the team emerges from a 713-day hiatus in competition will be in large part due to Piatelli’s fearless leadership. Cornell is lucky that his strong character has provided a steadying presence as they managed the effect of the pandemic on the team cohesion. He has pushed the program forward despite the challenges of the past two years.

Community

Piatelli has taken initiative to get involved in the Cornell and surrounding communities in multiple ways.

During his time with the Big Red, he has served as team captain for Cornell’s Mustache Madness efforts, which seeks to raise money for and support those affected by childhood cancer through the Headstrong Foundation. 

In addition to leading those efforts, Piatelli has been active in the Big Red Readers and Best Buddies programs. Through Big Red Readers, he has frequented local elementary schools to read to children and serve as an example for what can be accomplished through hard work. The Best Buddies program has allowed Piatelli to form meaningful relationships with people with disabilities.

He also served as a Salvation Army bell ringer over the past holiday season, raising money and collecting clothing and gifts to provide to the less fortunate.

Competition

Although he hasn’t taken the field since 2020, Piatelli remains among the top players in Division I, earning a spot on the Tewaaraton Watch List and being named Inside Lacrosse Preseason Media All-America honorable mention in advance of the 2022 campaign.

The preseason accolades for Piatelli comes after he received All-America honorable mention honors from Inside Lacrosse the last time the Big Red took the field in 2020. A two-time team captain for Cornell, including for the upcoming season, Piatelli has led Cornell in goals in each of the last two seasons in which the Big Red has competed, finishing the 2019 campaign ranked in the top-25 in the nation in individual man-up goals (10th – 7), goals per game (13th – 3.00), shooting percentage (14th - .459), and points per game (22nd – 4.27). Through five games in 2020, he ranked fourth in all of Division I in goals per game (4.00).

During the abbreviated 2020 campaign, Piatelli notched a hat trick in four of Cornell’s five contests, including a natural hat trick against High Point on Feb. 23, 2020. He finished the day with a career-high six goals, scoring his 100th career point in the process.

Piatelli earned a spot on the Final Tewaaraton Watch List in 2020 and was also named honorable mention All-Ivy in 2019.