St. Xavier graduate Connor Buczek coaches Cornell to NCAA men's lacrosse national title
Buczek, a 2011 Bomber graduate, was a three-time All-American for the Big Red and was the 2014 Ivy League Player of the Year for Cornell before being selected second overall in the Major League Lacrosse draft.
Cornell Big Red men's lacrosse head coach Connor Buczek gets a kiss from his wife, Maddie Kiep, after winning the NCAA Division I men's lacrosse championship at Gillette Stadium.
During his pro playing career, Buczek served as an assistant coach at Cornell before being named the head coach in 2020. Cornell finished as national runner-up in 2022.
Advertisement
His brother, Griffin, a 2016 All-American lacrosse player from St. Xavier, is on his staff as the director of operations.
Cornell was the top seed in the 2025 tournament and defeated No. 2 Maryland in the championship finals, winning the program's fourth championship and first since 1977. The Big Red finished 18-1 overall, winning their final 14 games of the year.
Cornell's national championship winning coach Connor Buczek is a 2011 St. Xavier graduate.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: St. Xavier grad Connor Buczek coaches Cornell to NCAA lacrosse title
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
a day ago
- USA Today
Chael Sonnen still wants to see Bo Nickal fight Khamzat Chimaev, but 'we are not there'
Chael Sonnen includes Bo Nickal in his list of desired opponents for new UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev. Chimaev (15-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) claimed the middleweight title with a dominant grappling display over Dricus Du Plessis in Saturday's UFC 319 headliner at United Center in Chicago. Many are wondering who can stop Chimaev, and Sonnen thinks Nickal's wrestling background as a three-time NCAA Division I champion could make it an interesting fight. Nickal (7-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) is coming off his first-career loss when he was finished by Reinier de Ridder at UFC on ESPN 67. Sonnen clarified he does not mean Nickal has earned that opportunity now, but that doesn't mean he doesn't hope to see the fight someday. "I love the idea of Caio (Borralho) getting that opportunity," Sonnen said on "Good Guy/Bad Guy" with Daniel Cormier. "I don't want to continue down my usual road of dismissing (Nassourdine) Imavov. When Imavov got over on Izzy, he got a brand new look from me. But if you made me just throw one name at you, I mean, listen, not for nothing, I really want to see him go with Bo Nickal. That's just personally. I understand that we are not there. I like that idea." Sonnen went onto give his pick for Chimaev's current biggest threat. "I'm not dismissive to 'Fluffy' Hernandez, but the one that could offer the biggest threat from what we've seen in the past, and that's going to be De Ridder," Sonnen said. "One thing that Chimaev, and one of the reasons his fight with Gilbert Burns was so fun and so unusual, is he respected Gilbert's ground game so much that he wasn't in a huge hurry to get him there like he was Saturday against Dricus. I only offer you that De Ridder's ground game is respected in the same regard. He's a tremendous jiu-jitsu player, but specifically from the bottom. So, I like RDR right now."
San Francisco Chronicle
a day ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Real American Freestyle announces apparel partnership with Takedown, talks with Gable Steveson
Real American Freestyle wrestling announced a partnership with Takedown apparel on Tuesday and said it is in talks with Gable Steveson, one of Takedown's most prominent endorsers, about a possible rematch with Wyatt Hendrickson. Hendrickson, who stunned Steveson to win the 285-pound national title at the NCAA Division I wrestling championships in March, will headline Real American Freestyle's inaugural event Aug. 30 in Cleveland. Hendrickson's victory over Minnesota's Steveson, an Olympic gold medalist in Tokyo, drew national attention beyond the sport. The Oklahoma State wrestler's dramatic late takedown in the final gave him the 5-4 win, closed out a 27-0 season and ended Steveson's win streak at 70 matches. Steveson already has a line of apparel with Takedown — one of many reasons Chad Bronstein, RAF's co-founder and CEO, believes Steveson would be a natural fit. 'There's no signed contract, but we've been in conversation,' he said. Hulk Hogan, Real American Freestyle's honorary commissioner who died July 24, told The Associated Press in April the league was in talks with Hendrickson. It signed him a little more than a month later. The partnership with Takedown is RAF's first official apparel collection. It will include looks worn by athletes in and out of competition. Bronstein said the partnership is a step toward building a professional freestyle wrestling ecosystem. The line will deliver a new revenue stream for competitors beyond live events. 'I think we're going to do really well in the merch game,' he said. 'We're going to sell a lot of good apparel and just keep being edgy with it. We'll have street wear and then the sports wear. So you'll have the typical, but we also are developing a street wear line too.' Takedown CEO and founder Dustin Kawa said it's a significant moment for his company. 'Both brands share a deep love for wrestling and a commitment to fighting for the sport, the athletes, and the community that raised us. Now is our time to make history – together,' he said.
USA Today
4 days ago
- USA Today
Wisconsin football wide receiver included on notable watch list
Wisconsin football starting wide receiver Trech Kekahuna was included on the 2025 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Watch List on Thursday. Entering his third season as a member of the Badgers, Kekahuna accompanied 80 other players across 40 different NCAA Division I programs on the preseason watch list. The prestigious honor annually recognizes college football's most outstanding player of Polynesian ancestry who embodies leadership and probity both on and off the gridiron. Notable award winners at the collegiate level include Marcus Mariota (2014), Tua Tagovalioa (2018), Penei Sewell (2019), Zach Wilson (2020) and Tetairoa McMillan (2024). Finalists for the 2025 nod will be shared on Dec. 9, and the victor will be announced on Dec. 16. After suiting up as a depth option at wide receiver in 2024, Kekahuna projects to enter the 2025 season as the starting slot wide receiver alongside outside threats Vinny Anthony II and Jayden Ballard. As a redshirt junior, Kekahuna reeled in 25 catches for 339 yards in 12 appearances. Kekahuna's most impressive performance arrived on Oct. 5 against Purdue. The Hawaii native's six-catch, 134-yard, two-touchdown output propelled UW to a 52-6 triumph and even earned him Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. With former wide receiver standout Will Pauling out of the wide receiver room, Kekahuna is now poised for even more deep-ball opportunities. New offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes abides by a ground-and-pound philosophy, so his workload will be interesting to monitor as the season progresses. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
