Currently stationed in Afghanistan, the Army second lieutenant seeks to pursue a graduate degree after returning home.

Dozens of Cornell graduates have served in Afghanistan or Iraq since U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan began in 2001. Today, The Sun is introducing a new series profiling the Cornell men and women who have served their country at war.

The men's lacrosse team blew out Army, 14-5, to book its place in the NCAA tournament semifinals, which will be played this Saturday in Baltimore, Md. 

The sprint football team saw a near-victory and a slim chance at a share of the CSFL title slip away in a rainy Schoellkopf Field on Friday, falling to Army, 10-9.

The loss was the Red’s (3-3, 3-2 CSFL) third on the season, and the second in a row by three points or less.

The themes of the game were similar to those that have played out throughout the story of the 2009 season: stellar defense and a consistent running game, but a failure to come up with big plays would ultimately leave the Red a bit short. Turnovers in the wet and windy playing conditions also had a key role in the loss.

After a strong start to the individual events portion of the schedule, the women’s tennis team looks to get back on track this weekend in Flushing, N.Y., at the BJK College Invitational. The Red was dominant in sweeping the major awards at the early season Cornell Fall Invitational; however that success did not follow the team to the Army Invitational two weeks ago.

The Red, behind head coach David Geatz, travel to this weekend’s invitational with the mindset that each member of the team will focus on a specific part of their game that needs improvement.

Junior Leah Seyburn stressed the importance of each individual player being able to correct the mistakes that plagued the team at Army.

Following up on the consistent momentum that they have been building over the past couple of years, the men’s and women’s cross country teams will open their seasons today against Army by hosting a head-to-head race at the Ithaca Moakley Course. With strong performances in last year’s Ivy League Heps Championships and some successful individual NCAA qualifiers, the runners are aiming to recapture the Heps title in 2009.

Nevertheless, the Red will be without some of their top runners, including junior Adrien Dannemiller, who is taking a semester abroad in Switzerland, and senior Peter Loy who is out of commission with a knee injury. However, the runners are optimistic about their 2009 campaign regardless of the obstacles that they will be facing.

The startling pictures of naked prisoners piled on top of one another at Abu Ghraib prison was a frequently seen image on the news. After investigation, seven soldiers and two officers were convicted on charges of cruel and abusive interrogation techniques. While pictures provide visible evidence of these allegations, it remains unclear as to who, if anyone, ordered this type of unlawful behavior. However, the recent release of memos ordering harsh interrogation techniques by former President Bush shed light onto the reality of the situation.

All three rowing teams had successful weekends, as the Red was able to overpower its opponents in most events.

The heavyweight crew won the Goes Trophy by trouncing Syracuse and Army on Onondaga Lake in the all-important varsity-8 race. The Red also picked up the Stagg Cup for winning four of the five races held on the lake.

The heavyweights have been dominant in the last two weekends. Saturday marked the first time that the Red had lost a race since the fall season. However, the team will have a much tougher test next weekend as it returns to Ithaca for a head-to-head matchup with Princeton and Yale.

Jam it home: Senior Max Siebald scored the game-winning goal against Army this past weekend at West Point, N.Y., with 1:00 left on the clock.

Palesky made 22 saves for the Black Knights (1-2) in an excellent performance, turning away charge after charge by the Red (2-0) offense.

“Their goalie played a great game, we had a ton of opportunities to score,” said freshman attack Rob Pannell.

Check Monday's edition of The Cornell Daily Sun for additional coverage

Men's Lacrosse: Cornell 9, Army 8

The men's lacrosse team walked away from its second game of the season with a tight win against Army. The game winner was a cooperative effort between All-Americans Michael Seibold and John Glynn who combined for the goal that put No. 4/6 Cornell over the top. Siebold scored on a low, hard shot on the army goal from 15 yards out, from an assist by Glynn. The team is now 2-0, continuing its step towards the top.