ITHACA, N.Y. -- Senior attackman
CJ Kirst and sophomore midfielder
Willem Firth earned first-team All-America honors to pace seven Cornell players chosen to the 2025 Nike Lacrosse Media All-America squad announced Wednesday morning by Inside Lacrosse. The duo was joined by third-team picks
Ryan Goldstein,
Hugh Kelleher and
Jack Cascadden and honorable mention selections
Michael Long and
Jayson Singer.
Kirst, a four-time All-American, was named Ivy League Player of the Year for the second time. The unanimous first-team All-Ivy selection leads the nation in goals (74) and points (104). A six-time Ivy League Player of the Week, he became the NCAA's career leader in goals scored earlier this season and has raised the total to 239. A two-time first-team All-American, Kirst has scored multiple goals in every game this season and has 10 contests with at least five, including a nine-goal effort in the regular season matchup with Yale and a career-high 12 points on six goals and six assists in a win at Hobart.
Firth was a first-team All-Ivy pick for the first time in the midfield after ranking third on the team in goals (30) and fourth in points (45) while starting all 16 contests. The 2024 Ivy League Rookie of the Year ranks second nationally with nine extra-man goals and has added 14 ground balls and a caused turnover to the mix. Firth scored four goals in road wins over both Lehigh and Harvard and had multiple points in 15 of 16 contests.
Kelleher, a three-time first-team All-Ivy League selection, became the first-ever winner of the Ivy League Midfielder of the Year award in the league after scoring 24 goals with 11 assists and adding 16 ground balls and three caused turnovers while starting all 16 contests for the Big Red. A steady and physical presence, Kelleher surpassed the 100-point mark earlier this season and currently has 123 (93 goals, 30 assists). The senior has always played his best when the lights are on, scoring six game-winning goals during his career.
Goldstein led the Ivy League and ranked third nationally in assists (3.00 per game) and is fourth in the country in points per game (5.13) after scoring 34 goals with 48 assists in 16 starts. The sophomore has posted at least five points in nine contests this season, including a career-best 10 in a regular season win at Yale with two goals and eight assists, one off a single-game school record for the latter. The Ivy League all-tournament team selection ranks third on the team in ground balls (30) and was added to the Tewaaraton Trophy Watch List in the middle of the season.
Cascadden was one of just three players to earn unanimous first-team All-Ivy league honors, joining Kirst and Princeton's All-American Coulter Mackesy. Cascadden led the Ivy League and ranked 10th nationally while winning 61 percent of his faceoffs on the season. He was even better in Ivy play, winning faceoffs at a .648 clip while averaging 8.5 ground balls per game. Cascadden was also a weapon once he won the faceoffs, scoring nine goals and dishing off an assist – including scoring twice in a win over Hobart. He has won better than 50 percent of the restarts in 14 of 16 games, and at least 15 total in nine contests, including six of the past eight.
Singer was Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team all-league choice after posting 19 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers while starting all 16 contests. A lockdown defender, Singer is often matched up with the opponents' top scorers and led a defense that allowed just 9.7 goals per game in conference play and has held opponents to 27 percent shooting. Singer ranks among the school's career leaders in caused turnovers with 36, including three in the NCAA Tournament opener against UAlbany.
One of the nation's active scoring leaders and just the sixth player in school history to surpass 200 career points, Long ranks third on the team in points (63) and is second in assists (34) with four game-winning goals and a 46 percent shooting percentage. He opened the season with three goals and four assists in a victory at Lehigh, one of four games this season with at least six points. Another was a two-goal, four-assists effort in the NCAA Tournament opener against UAlbany. Long has added 24 ground balls with a pair of caused turnovers.
The Big Red returns to action when it faces No. 9 Richmond on Saturday, May 17 at 12 p.m. at Hofstra's James M. Shuart Stadium in the NCAA Quarterfinals. THe contest iwll be televised on ESPNU and streamed live on ESPN+.
