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Cornell’s Connor Buczek wins the 2015 Senior CLASS Award in lacrosse

May 22, 2015

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (May 22, 2015) – All-American midfielder Connor Buczek from Cornell has been selected as the 2015 Senior CLASS Award® winner in men’s lacrosse. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

“It’s an incredible honor to receive the Senior CLASS award,” said Buczek, whose Big Red finished the season ranked 10th in the nation. “At Cornell, we have a great culture that encourages us to not only excel on the field but in the classroom and in the community as well. So, as humbling as it is to receive this award, all the credit should go to every member of the Cornell Lacrosse family that has contributed to building such a strong culture.”

A national standout on the field, Buczek is a three-time All-American—including consecutive first-team honors over the past two seasons—who graduates as the top-scoring midfielder in Big Red history and among the top 20 in Cornell history among all players for goals, points and assists. The 2014 Ivy League Player of the Year, Buczek was a three-time unanimous first-team All-Ivy selection and a two-time Tewaaraton Trophy nominee. This season, he ranked first on the team in goals (40), second overall in points (54) and third overall in assists (14) while becoming the first midfielder in Cornell history to score 40 goals in a season. He also became just the seventh midfielder in the history of the Ivy League to record both 40 goals in a single season and 100 goals in a career.

“Considering the four areas of excellence for this award, I was hoping that Connor would earn this distinction,” said Matt Kerwick, the Richard M. Moran Head Coach of Cornell Men’s Lacrosse. “He epitomizes each one of these qualities in all that he does. He’s one of the fiercest competitors I’ve been fortunate to coach, and he is a selfless leader. To have him follow former Cornell greats Max Seibald and Matt McMonagle as a recipient of the Senior CLASS Award is a true testament to his investment in Cornell University and Big Red lacrosse.”

As evidence of his commitment to excellence in areas beyond athletics, Buczek was honored with Cornell’s Ronald P. Lynch Senior Spirit Award as the student-athlete whose leadership on and off the field modeled the ideals of the Big Red athletics department. For his efforts in the classroom, he was named a 2015 CoSIDA Academic All-District selection and a USILA Scholar-Athlete and was also accepted into Cornell’s prestigious Johnson Graduate School of Management as one of only two individuals to be admitted directly into the school from undergraduate studies.

A strong advocate for community service, Buczek also helped plan, organize and execute a number of outreach events and fundraisers in the Ithaca area including the 21 Run for the Boiardi Foundation, the Clinic for a Cause to benefit the Dream Factory of Central New York, and the Save the Day Blood Drive. He is a four-year member of the Big Red Readers and has volunteered at, among others, the Ithaca Book Fest, Ithaca Youth Lacrosse Clinic and the Fun Walk for Immaculate Conception School. This past winter, he helped kick off the Salvation Army’s bell-ringing campaign in the Ithaca Commons and has previously volunteered with food banks and disaster relief efforts. 

“Connor Buczek has been a top-tier student-athlete in every respect throughout his college career,” said Erik Miner, executive director for the Senior CLASS Award. “What he’s accomplished in his four years at Cornell is truly amazing, and we’re thrilled that the voters chose him to receive the Senior CLASS Award. He most definitely deserves it.”

Lacrosse 2015 Winner

First Team

Second Team