Caden Lesiewicz is closing in on one of Cornell football’s best single-season punting averages while preparing for a future that could take him from the field to medical or dental school.
The junior kicker and punter from Calverton was averaging 42.8 yards on 26 punts entering the season’s final two games, according to a Nov. 12 Cornell Athletics feature by Shawn Gillen. That ranks third in program history among single-season performances with at least 20 punts, behind Chris Fraser’s 44.8-yard average in 2015 and 42.9 in 2013.
A short memory for a demanding job
Lesiewicz’s approach comes from a reminder special teams coach Jeff Ditman delivers after every attempt, good or bad: “Okay, next kick.”
In Gillen’s feature, Lesiewicz said the phrase applies just as well to a chemistry exam as a punt. Success and disappointment both give way to the next assignment.
His kicking routine stays consistent. He checks his steps, nods to the holder and focuses on the holder and upright. He developed those steps after watching a YouTube video in which longtime NFL kicker Mason Crosby explained his approach.
“You don’t want to think about kicking,” Lesiewicz told Cornell Athletics. “You just want to kick.”
Keeping football from becoming his entire identity helps him handle mistakes. He knows a missed opportunity does not undo everything else in his life.
A former safety still willing to tackle
Against Yale earlier this season, Lesiewicz had an opportunity to use skills from his days as a defensive back.
Following a directional kickoff, Yale’s returner advanced up the right sideline. Lesiewicz came downfield, struck him at the hip and knocked the ball loose, according to the feature. He did not initially realize he had forced a fumble. Ditman’s first reaction when he reached the sideline was simply to compliment the kick.
Lesiewicz tackled the returner again on the next kickoff.
“They don’t really account for kickers making the play on kickoff,” he said.
His defensive background also helps with the hands needed to catch a snap and set up a punt quickly. This season, Cornell’s scheme spreads three gunners wide, and Lesiewicz has shifted from spiral punts to end-over-end kicks with an emphasis on placement.
He had put 10 punts inside the 20-yard line through the Nov. 12 feature, compared with three in his previous seasons combined.
Football roots and an unexpected role
Football has been part of Lesiewicz’s life since infancy. His father, Peter, coached high school football, brought him to practices and helped turn two trees in the family’s front yard into makeshift goalposts.
Lesiewicz grew up playing soccer like his older brother. His father encouraged him to try kicking, and by 10th grade his high school coach believed he could do it in college.
He changed school districts to play for his father, an offensive line coach. They shared a Suffolk County championship in 2023.
The family’s connection to teammates extended beyond the field. Thanksgiving dinners regularly included players who needed somewhere to spend the holiday; five of Lesiewicz’s offensive linemen joined the family during his senior year.
He initially expected to attend Columbia and received an offer, but preferred a setting outside the city. Cornell invited him to its camp after a larger recruiting camp. He liked the campus, received an offer a few days later and committed soon afterward.
“Cornell was on my radar for about two weeks, and I committed within two weeks,” he said.
Lesiewicz arrived expecting to kick. Teammate Ayden McCarter helped teach him to punt, and he eventually took over the starting role during his freshman season. He averaged 38.9 yards on 16 punts that year, including a 68-yarder at Brown.
Injury recovery and trust in the specialist room
A hamstring injury shortly before last season interrupted that progress. An MRI showed tearing, and Lesiewicz spent about six weeks rehabilitating.
With Will Buck performing well at punter, Lesiewicz concentrated on kicking after discussing his role with the special teams coach. His first career field goal came at Penn.
He remembered relief when the ball went through and the satisfaction of returning to competition after entering the season with high expectations.
Now, Buck serves as his holder, and Nolan Albright handles long snapping. They work on snaps, holds and timing together on the sideline between plays.
Their trust also grows away from football. Birthday celebrations in the specialist room mean trips to Old Mexico for burritos and time together.
“I’ve got the utmost faith in them, and I think they have faith in me, too,” Lesiewicz said.
Planning for life after Cornell
Lesiewicz studies biological sciences in Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and is on a pre-med track. He considered economics before choosing biology, drawn to work that could help other people.
His days move from morning meetings to classes and practice, followed by evenings studying. His parents, Peter and Alison, are teachers, and he credits them and his older brother with helping him manage the academic demands.
He has another season at Cornell after this one. Beyond that, he hopes a fifth year of football eligibility could provide a gap year, potentially at a school offering a one-year master’s program, before admissions testing and applications to medical or dental school.
For now, he wants to help Cornell and continue pursuing its punting marks. He said welcoming teammates have helped him become less shy, though he still prefers leading through his actions.
His father remains a constant supporter. After Caden finished high school, Peter took a coaching position that allowed him to miss Saturday games to attend his son’s college games.
“Even the games I wasn’t starting, he’s been at every single game for me,” Lesiewicz said. “It’s pretty awesome.”
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