Shane O'Neill Leads Cornell Into National Tournament

 

ITHACA, NY- In the time Seattle Prep alum Shane O’Neill (‘06) attended Cornell, the Big Red has surged as a national power.  During his sophomore season, they appeared in the national championship game against Syracuse in 2009, falling 10-9 in overtime in one of the wildest finishes in championship history.  Last season as a junior they reached the national semi-finals, but lost 12-7 to Notre Dame.  This season the Big Red is slotted in the no. 2 seed in the national tournament and hope to make the third time a charm.  They entered the national tournament with a 13-2 record with notable wins over Syracuse and Harvard.

 

“It’s big, we got the second seed.  We’re playing Hartford which is a good team.  We saw film of them playing Stony Brook and they’re a good squad and we’re preparing for a tough game against them,” said O’Neill.  “As far as playing in the tournament these past few years, it’s been an amazing experience.  I’d never thought I’d be part of it.  It’s a childhood dream.  My dad took me out to a few of the tournament games when I was younger and lacrosse was everywhere.  Seeing the top collegiate teams play, I used to idealize them.  Now here I am.”

O’Neill attributes his team’s success to their hard work during the season as well as in the off-season. Cornell has continued to impress every year.  “We have the mentality of working the hardest out of any team in the country.  We probably have one of the best weight training coaches out there.  He gets us into physical shape and we also have to prepare mentally.  So when the season comes around we’re ready to go.  Every year people say, the Big Red lost so and so and write us off.  If you believe in the hard work we put in then it will pay off and it definitely has for us.”

Cornell freshman Sten Jernudd (Lakeside ‘10) touched on O’Neill’s role as a mentor to him earlier this season.  A few years ago it was O’Neill who was a wide-eyed freshman and now he is a veteran senior of the Big Red.  However, he never forgot the older guys who mentored him.  “Austin Boykin was a definitely a guy I looked up to.  He was an unbelievable athlete, a defensive middie who switched like I did.  He did such a good job when he was here and always was willing to help out and contribute.”

During O’Neill’s time Cornell underwent a coaching change from the highly regarded Jeff Tambroni to Big Red alum Ben De Luca.  “For me I was an offensive player in my first two years then my junior year they switched me to defense.  De Luca is a defensive coordinator as well as the head coach.  I’ve enjoyed my time with him.  It’s been an easy transition; he’s a Cornell alum and has done a great job carrying the torch.  We’re a very tradition rich program and he brings so much passion and emotion to practices and games,” said O’Neill.

O’Neill is also graduating this year and will be playing his final games of lacrosse and taking his final exams during the next months as well.  Looking back on his career at Cornell his most memorable moment was winning the Ivy League Tournament this year and going 8-0 in Ivy League play.  “No team in the history of the conference has gone 8-0, it’s definitely something special and I will remember it,” he said. On the horizon is graduation and afterwards he plans to do a backpacking trip to Europe this summer.  Upon his return he will take a job with Bloomberg in San Francisco.  We wish Shane luck on his endeavors and tournament play.  Look for him to make a return to Washington sometime in the future.