ITHACA, N.Y. -- Award season continued to be kind to the Cornell lacrosse program as senior CJ Kirst earned ECAC Offensive Player of the Year accolades and was one of five Big Red players chosen to the All-ECAC squad it was announced on Friday afternoon by the conference office. Kirst was chosen as a first-team attackman and was joined by senior  Hugh Kelleher and sophomore Willem Firth at midfield, along with Jayson Singer on defense and Jack Cascadden as the faceoff specialist.

Kirst, who earlier this week captured the USILA's Lt. Raymond J. Enners Outstanding Player of the Year Award, was a consensus first-team All-America selection at attack. Now a four-time All-American, he was named Ivy League Player of the Year for the second time in his career this season. The unanimous first-team All-Ivy selection leads the nation in goals (76) and points (108). A six-time Ivy League Player of the Week, he became the NCAA's career leader in goals scored and has raised the total to 241. A two-time first-team All-American, Kirst has scored multiple goals in every game this season and has nine 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.  

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 17 ground balls and three caused turnovers while starting all 17 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.

Firth was a first-team All-Ivy pick for the first time in the midfield after ranking third on the team in goals (31) and fourth in points (47) while starting all 17 contests. The 2024 Ivy League Rookie of the Year ranks second nationally with nine extra-man goals and has added 15 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 16 of 17 contests.

Cascadden was one of just three players to earn unanimous first-team All-Ivy league honors, joining Kirst and Princeton's first-team All-American Coulter Mackesy. Cascadden led the Ivy League and ranked ninth nationally while winning 62 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 15 of 17 games, and at least 15 total in 10 contests, including seven of the past nine.

Singer was Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team all-league choice after posting 19 ground balls and 14 caused turnovers while starting all 17 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 37.

Cornell will compete in the NCAA semifinals against Penn State on Saturday, May 24 at 12 p.m. at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.