At least for one year, Sean and Connor Cannizzaro, two of the greatest players in Cazenovia lacrosse history, will get to play on the same field again.
After a solid freshman season at the University of Maryland, Connor Cannizzaro announced early this week that he was transferring. It was later revealed that the transfer was to the University of Denver – where Sean Cannizzaro just finished his junior year with the Pioneers.
Unlike in football and basketball, where transfers have to sit out a year, Connor Cannizzaro will get on the field right away for Denver in 2015, since that school does not have a Division I football program. Also, Connor will maintain three years of eligibility.
Each of the brothers were part of Cazenovia’s first state Class C championship team in 2011, with Connor going on to help the Lakers claim another state crown two years later.
Armed with a school-record 284 goals and 143 assists from his days at Cazenovia, Connor went to Maryland and, in his first year with the Terrapins, notched 26 goals and eight assists, three of them in a win over Syracuse.
All told, Connor Cannizzaro’s 34 points was third on the squad, and Maryland reached the NCAA semifinals in Baltimore before falling to Notre Dame.
Meanwhile, Sean Cannizzaro was finishing his third year under the guidance of legendary coach Bill Tierney at Denver, to where Tierney went after winning six NCAA championships at Princeton from 1992 to 2001.
Just like Maryland, the Pioneers also reached Baltimore and the NCAA semifinals in 2014 before taking a 15-12 defeat to eventual national champion Duke.
During his three years in Denver, Sean, a midfielder, has played 45 games and has picked up 26 career points. The Pioneers have reached the national semifinals each of the last two years, and three times since 2011.
This is just part of a busy summer for Cazenovia lacrosse standouts, past and present. Forward Cole Willard and defender T.J. Connellan, both of them entering their junior years with the Lakers, have made verbal commitments to Penn State, coached by Jeff Tambroni, who went to State College after 10 years at Cornell.
