ITHACA, N.Y. – Cornell men's lacrosse attacker CJ Kirst joined the United States national team in July, 2022. Only one month later, he led the team to the 2022 World Lacrosse Men's U21 World Championship and earned the title of Most Outstanding Midfielder and Tournament MVP after notching 15 goals and six assists for an unbeaten Team USA.

In the title match, Kirst set the pace of the match for Team USA, notching five goals and an assist to help seal a tightly contested 12-10 match against Canada. All five goals came in the first half of play. The tournament was the first of its kind since 2016. Originally classified as U19, the junior level tournament was approved to move the age limit to U20 in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic halted the original games, which were slated for the summer of 2020. The World Championship returned this year with a one-time adjustment to the age qualifications at U21.

Kirst's national honors come following his collegiate debut as a sophomore, where he ranked second on the team in goals (49), assists (22), and points (71). The performance earned him the Ivy League Rookie of the Year title, as well as being named to the Inside Lacrosse All-America honorable mention team and second-team All-Ivy.

Kirst will return to the field for the Big Red this spring as the 2023 team looks to make back-to-back NCAA tournament runs following last year's championship appearance.