13 hours Ago
C.J. Kirst did not get to play his senior year at Delbarton in 2020 or his freshman season at Cornell the following spring because of COVID 19 shutdowns on both accounts.
The fifth-year senior sure has made up for that lost time. The fourth of five sons to Michelle and the late Kyle Kirst in the First Family of New Jersey lacrosse became the all-time leading goal scorer in NCAA lacrosse with two goals and one assist to lead top-ranked Cornell to a 10-8 victory over Dartmouth Saturday in Itchaca, N.Y.
to make the moment even sweeter, Kirst’s record-breaking 225th goal came off a feed by former Delbarton teammate Michael Long. That came just 58 seconds into the contest to give Cornell (12-1) the lead and Kirst the record by surpassing 2024 Virginia graduate Peyton Cormier. Kirst added goal No.
226 later in the game, his 61st this season. THE RECORD HAS BEEN BROKEN 💥🥍 @cjkirst_15 of @CornellLacrosse breaks the NCAA Division I Men’s all-time career goal record with his 225th career goal, scoring today against Dartmouth. #NCAAMLAX pic.
twitter.com/K3gZeao3UO Kirst followed the clan’s eldest son, Connor, to Delbarton, where he accumulated 91 goals and 38 assists without a senior season. As a junior in 2019, he and Long - the state’s Player of the Year that season - guided the Green Wave into the Tournament of Champions, where they fell to archrival Mountain Lakes.
The Tournament of Champions was disbanded by the NJSIAA after the 2022 season, but the New Jersey Interscholastic Lacrosse Coaches Association swept into action and kept the play-down-to-one-champion format by introducing the Kirst Cup in 2023. It is named after Kyle Kirst, who played goalie at Rutgers and was a longtime high school coach in the Garden State before his sudden death in 2015. Connor and C.
J., Seton Hall Prep grads Colin and Cole, and 2024 Bernards grad Kaden, the baby Kirst, all earned NJ.com All-State and USA Lacrosse All-American honors in high school and the four oldest went on to enjoy decorated college careers.
Caden is currently a freshman at Rutgers. Connor and Colin played together at Rutgers in 2021 after Connor graduated from Lehigh and Colin left Lehigh after three seasons. Colin started in goal again in 2022 to help Rutgers to its first Final Four, where it fell to C.
J.’s Cornell squad in the semifinals. C.
J. scored the first goal in that 2022 championship game against Maryland, and he had two for the game, but the Terrapins prevailed, 9-7, for the title. Cole Kirst played four seasons at Lehigh and then played a fifth season at Syracuse in 2023.
Connor, Colin and Cole all now play professionally in the Premier Lacrosse League, for the Redwoods, Cannons and Whipsnakes, respectively. Mike Kinney can be reached at [email protected] .
Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @MikeKinneyHS .The N.J.
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