Dave Cornell has resigned as head men’s lacrosse coach at Muhlenberg to take a position as assistant coach at the University of Notre Dame.

Cornell was the only coach the Mules had since they reinstated men’s lacrosse as a varsity sport in 2002. He coached the club team that year and led Muhlenberg to five wins in each of its first two varsity seasons. A 1996 graduate of Gettysburg College, Cornell was a two-time All-American as a player and helped lead his alma mater to the Division III championship game as an assistant coach in 2001.

Cornell will join a Notre Dame program that has finished in the top 20 in the Division I rankings in 11 of the past 12 seasons and reached the national semifinals in 2001. The Fighting Irish were 7-5 last year and finished second in Division I in goals per game (12.43).

Muhlenberg will begin an immediate search for a new head coach.

Both Muhlenberg basketball teams led from start to finish in their first action following the Thanksgiving break.

MEN’S BASKETBALL
The Mules (3-1) scored the first nine points of the game and were never seriously challenged in a 74-61 win against winless Moravian.

Sophomore Tom Scott scored 16 of his team-high 21 points in the first half, leading Muhlenberg to a commanding 41-23 halftime lead. Scott also had four rebounds, three steals, two assists and a blocked shot in the first 20 minutes.

The Mules extended their margin to 21 five minutes into the second half on a putback by sophomore Jeff Stewart, but the Greyhounds (0-4) responded with a 13-2 run that cut the gap to 10 at the 10-minute mark.

Junior Jimmy O’Brien quieted the run by drilling a three-pointer from the top of the key, and a steal by senior Ryan Bonda on the next Moravian possession led to a layup by Dennis Severino that gave Muhlenberg a 15-point lead.

Stewart finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds for his third straight double-double. He also blocked three shots. Senior Chase Licata scored 10 of his 14 points in the second half.

The win was the largest by the Mules against their local rivals since 1999 and gave Muhlenberg a 5-3 lead in the Matte Award standings for the 2004-05 year.

Click here for box score.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Sophomore Meghan Courtney made her first seven shots from the field and finished with a career-high 15 points for the second game in a row as Muhlenberg defeated Bryn Mawr, 99-66.

The Mules (4-0, 2-0) scored 59 points and had 23 steals in the first half. They finished with 32 steals (three short of the school record), including six by Courtney, and forced 43 turnovers.

Sophomore Emily Wright, freshman Michelle Feldman and junior Sam Tager established career highs with 15, 11 and eight points, respectively.

Senior Aril Bryant recorded four assists and a career-high five steals.

Click here for box score.