<strong>The Cornell Daily Sun</strong> (https://cornellsun.com/2025/01/10/three-sisters-two-sports-one-campus-meet-the-dwyers/) <br>Graphic by Leilani Burke, Photos by Leilani Burke (outer two) and Timmy Xi (middle)<br>Rose Dwyer '28, Lucy Dwyer '25 and Grace Dwyer '26 have all made names for themselves as Cornell student athletes.<br>At Cornell, it is not uncommon to meet a pair of siblings. You may even know someone whose parent or other relative attended. But a case of three student-athlete sisters playing at the same Division I school in the same academic year? That is truly one in a million. <br>Meet Lucy Dwyer ’25, Grace Dwyer ’26 and Rose Dwyer ’28 — all proud Cornell athletes and sisters. Hailing from Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, Grace and Rose are both defenders on the women’s hockey team while Lucy plays attack for the women’s lacrosse team. <br><strong>The Road to Cornell</strong><br>The Dwyers come from a history of both athletic and academic excellence. Their father, Tom Dwyer, played ice hockey and lacrosse for Brown University and their mother, Lynn Dwyer, played field hockey and lacrosse at Harvard University. The sisters said that their parents met through lacrosse after college. <br>“Sports have always been a bond for us as a family and they are something we have always been committed to,” Rose said. “It is our happy place.”<br>The sisters grew up with sports. From skating on the ice together to playing small, competitive games of hockey, lacrosse or field hockey, the Dwyers were united by athletics.<br>While the sisters’ upbringing was largely centered around sports, their love for athletics developed intrinsically.<br>“[Our parents] never really forced us into sports, we just really enjoyed and valued them,” Grace said. “We knew that our parents were going to support us in anything we did.”<br>The sisters continued to find themselves playing on the same field as they grew up. During Grace’s freshman year of high school, she played lacrosse with then-junior Lucy, winning a state championship. Later that year, Grace and Lucy also played field hockey together.<br>A couple of years later, Grace competed with her younger sister. Rose and Grace played soccer together in high school and trained together on the ice, but Cornell marks their first opportunity to play ice hockey on the same team due to their different birth years. <br>After years of dedication and competition on the field and on the ice, the decision to continue their sports after school was an easy one. The sisters attributed the positive experiences their parents had playing college sports to their decision to make the jump to the collegiate level. <br>“We never got the opportunity to see our parents playing college sports but we saw how they had their best friends, great relationships and the lessons they learned carry into their parenting and work, so [we realized] it was important to play sports,” Lucy said. <br>In June of 2019, Lucy committed to play lacrosse at Cornell. <br>“I wanted a school where I could get the best opportunities from an elite university and lacrosse program,” Lucy said. “I loved the place and people when I visited.” <br>Grace landed on Cornell because of the positive culture –– and, of course, her sister. <br>“I felt like the ice hockey team was very connected to each other and to the coach. … Lucy already being committed there felt like a bonus,” Grace said. <br>Watching her sisters playing college sports at Cornell, Rose started to get to know the campus and when she officially visited, the coaches and team were a huge selling point to her. <br>“Cornell felt right and like home when I visited, so being able to play with Grace for two years on the same team was a bonus,” Rose said. <br><em>From left to right: Rose Dwyer ’28, Lucy Dwyer ’25 and Grace Dwyer ’26 pose together. Photo courtesy of Evan Volkman/Cornell Women’s Hockey. </em><br><strong>Tackling College Life Together</strong><br>Now together at Cornell, the sisters feel more connected to each other than ever. Together, the sisters work on strength and conditioning, speed and off-ice training and enjoy getting lunch or dinner together.<br>“We try to find pockets of time in between our busy schedules to hang out together,” Grace said. <br>Lucy studies biology & society in the College of Arts and Sciences. Grace is a part of the Dyson School of Applied Economics studying entrepreneurship and strategy. Rose is studying communication in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. <br>This past semester, Lucy and Rose took an oceanography course, studying together outside of class. Lucy and Grace plan on taking a course together in the spring.<br>For Grace and Rose, their relationship is strengthened on and off the ice. They even have a handshake they do before each game together.<br>“We are best friends, so whatever happens on the team, we are always going to stick together,” Rose said. “We have each other’s backs on the ice.”<br>The sisters, quite literally, have each other’s backs –– Grace and Rose play as a defensive pair and spend most of their time on the ice right beside each other. <br>On the ice, Rose’s young career for the Red has been off to a strong start, with one goal and two assists. Rose also earned gold for the United States in the 2024 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 Women’s World Championship. <br>Grace has recorded 44 points during her career at Cornell. She made the All-Ivy First Team last season and was invited to the Team USA Evaluation Camp. Her freshman year she was named to the ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team. <br>Lucy has been an important contributor to the lacrosse team at Cornell with her four goals and four assists. She has played in 12 games this season for the Red and had a career day against Binghamton on March 12, 2024, scoring three goals and recording two assists. <br>The sisters support each other through that mental aspect of the game. Lucy said she also attends Grace and Rose’s home ice hockey games and watches the away ones online, while the younger sisters attend all of Lucy’s home lacrosse games. Sometimes, the sisters all play lacrosse together in the spring when ice hockey is not in season. <br>Rose explained that with Grace on the team, she has been able to hone in on some of her hockey skills, and having Lucy as her biggest support has been key to her success. <br>Grace agreed that Lucy has played an important role in helping the younger sisters understand the balance between school and their sport. <br>While originally two years ahead of Grace and four years ahead of Rose, Lucy took a year off due to COVID-19 shutdowns. Now fewer class years apart, Lucy feels fortunate to be able to experience college with both of her younger sisters. <br>“I have shared with them how to manage time and how to compartmentalize so that they can excel in school and on the ice,” Lucy said. “It feels really good to do that.” <br>The Dwyers are focused on building strong relationships with their teams and creating lifelong friendships, inspired by the example set by their parents.<br>“We want to have fun with the team and be present in our sports,” Grace said. “At this level of play, your mental game becomes an important asset to you.” <br>At Cornell, the lacrosse and ice hockey teams are close with each other, according to Grace. The sisters said they have enjoyed being a part of a tight-knit community of student-athletes together. <br>“Being an athlete at Cornell has been wonderful because the work here is challenging and forces you to buckle down and work hard [while] also having our sports to play,” Grace said. “Being together is so incredible, so it’s an experience that has been important to each of us.”<br><!-- PixFuture In-Post Video Ad Tag START --><br><script type="text/javascript">
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Zeinab Faraj is a member of the Class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is a staff writer for the sports department and can be reached at [email protected].
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Former Cornell men’s hockey player Ryan O’Byrne left Ithaca after three years to progress his hockey career. After playing professionally for 10 years, O’Byrne has returned to the hill to get his degree and start a new chapter.
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