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Connor Buczek knew he was entering uncharted waters — for himself and largely for the Cornell lacrosse program. The 27-year-old took over for former Big Red coach Pete Milliman in early May and went about continuing the progress made in the previous regime.

Buczek, the three-time All-American at Cornell from 2012-15, took over a program headed in an upward trajectory, a couple of years separated from two straight losing seasons and again a factor on the national stage.

The question for Buczek his coaching staff was simple, yet complex: How could they continue the tradition of Cornell men’s lacrosse?

In a normal year, Buczek could meet his players face-to-face when they got to campus in late summer. In 2020, the pandemic made it so that he didn’t see his players in person until early October — at the start of an abbreviate and non-contact fall season.

The youngest head coach in Division I has played on the professional and international stages, but this was an entirely different challenge.

“The way I deal with nerves on the field is not the same way I deal with nerves [while coaching],” Buczek said. “You can play through nerves by putting that energy onto the field. On the coaching side, it has to be much more controlled. You have to take those nerves and instead of speeding up, you have to slow down and take a second to actively tell yourself that.”

Luckily for Buczek, he inherits a Cornell roster loaded with talent and experience, particularly on offense. Among his seniors returning for a fifth season is Tewaaraton candidate Jeff Teat.

Teat, who sits third in program history with 268 points, decided to put his future NLL career on hold for another chance at an NCAA title. The talented attackman was crucial in helping the Big Red jump out to a 5-0 record in 2020, amounting to the program’s best start since 2014.

The attackman out of Hill Academy (Ontario) took the fall semester off to retain his eligibility. However, Buczek sets the bar just as high for Teat entering 2021 as he did last season.

“He's going to be one of the best players in the country,” Buczek said. “The expectation for him is to continue improving how he leads this group and how he pushes this group further. We know he's working his tail off to finish this thing the right way. That’s the reason that all of those guys are coming back — to take one more run at this thing.”

Teat isn’t the only Cornell player that’s help bring the Big Red back to its proud tradition. Senior captain Jonathan Donville, who amassed 20 points as the top offensive midfielder in a shortened 2020 season, is one of many veterans that are helping steer the ship for a young, talented group of underclassmen.

Donville, who is in the NCAA transfer portal for post-graduate consideration, and the seniors returning for 2021 have struggled through losing seasons. But they’ve also experienced a wave of optimism in Ithaca about a national title contender on the rise.

“I'm extremely confident that this group can carry [the Cornell tradition],” Donville said. “We have all the talent in the world. Does that mean we're going to do anything? No, but it means that we have the ability to control our own destiny if we put in the work. At Cornell, championships are the expectation and the goal.”

TOP RETURNERS

Jeff Teat, A, Sr.

Teat is a bona fide Tewaaraton frontrunner entering 2021. If Michael Sowers were not at Duke, Teat might have been the odds-on favorite to win the award this year. He’s poised to break Cornell scoring records in his fifth season, sitting third in program history with 268 points.

John Piatelli, A, Sr.

Piatelli had a promising start to the 2020 season, finishing first on the team with 20 goals and second with 23 points. Playing as a complement to Teat, Piatelli finished in the top 20 nationally in shooting percentage in 2019 and looked to be following the same track last spring.

Jonathan Donville, M, Sr.

Donville is entering his second season as captain of the Big Red and anchor of the first midfield. He has scored double-digit goals in each of his three seasons, tallying 13 in just five games last spring.

KEY ADDITION

Jack Follows, D, Fr.

The Defensive Player of the Year in 2018 and 2019 for The Hill Academy (Ontario), Follows joins a Cornell defensive unit that could surprise on the national stage.

ENEMY LINES

“They have coaches that are born-and-bred Cornell guys, so it's not like it's going to be a new system. They’re going to be very similar to what they were last year, which is really scary. They got all the pieces in place to make a big run.”

NUMBERS GAME

71

Caused turnovers for long-stick midfielder Brandon Salvatore, who decided not to return for a fifth year of college lacrosse in 2021. That number ranks second in program history and his absence will be a big one to fill for the Cornell defense.