WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The college lacrosse world made official what everyone already knew - CJ Kirst is the best player in college lacrosse.

Four days after guiding the Cornell men's lacrosse team to its first NCAA title in 48 seasons, Kirst was named the 2025 Tewaaraton Trophy Award winner on Thursday evening at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. Kirst becomes the third Big Red player honored with the premier award in collegiate lacrosse as it celebrates its 25th anniversary, joining Max Seibald (2009) and Rob Pannell (2013). The three Cornell players to receive the Tewaaraton ties it for the most by any school in the award's history.

Kirst cemented himself as one of the sport's all-time greats with a senior year for the ages. The USILA's Lt. Raymond J. Enners Outstanding Player of the Year, the senior was named both the Ivy League and ECAC Offensive Player of the Year, and for good reason. He tied a single-season NCAA Division I record for goals in a season (82) and a school and Ivy League mark with his 115 points. Kirst scored six goals and was credited with seven points in the NCAA Championship game win over No. 2 Maryland, earning tournament Most Outstanding Player honors. He was previously named MVP of the Ivy League Tournament. Kirst ranked among the national leaders with his .432 shot percentage, was tied for the team lead with 19 caused turnovers and was third with his 43 ground balls. The consensus first-team All-American scored multiple goals in 18 of his 19 contests and posted five or more points a total of 14 times, 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 victory at Hobart. He was named Ivy League Player of the Week six times and became the NCAA's career leader in goals scored, raising the previous mark from 224 to 247. 

The two-year captain and 2024 carrier of the team's Hard Hat will graduate as a four-time All-American, including a first-teamer in each of his final three years. His 345 points rank 10th in NCAA Division I history, while his 247 goals were not only a Division I record, but rank 16th in NCAA history at all levels. Kirst's 115 points in 2025 were one off an Ivy League record and rank seventh in a single season in Division I. All were Big Red records. The 10th player in Division I history to reach the 200-goal mark, he became the fastest player to reach that mark in just 55 games. Kirst's 65-game scoring streak ranked as the second-longest  in conference history.

Kirst was twice named Ivy League and ECAC Players of the Year (2023, 2025) and was a Tewaaraton finalist in each of those seasons, while being named a semifinalist for the national award in 2024 as well. The 2022 Ivy League Rookie of the Year, he was the USILA Lt. Col. Jack Turnbull Award for Outstanding Attackman in 2023. He was named Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week a total of 11 times in his career. In his four seasons, Kirst helped lead the Big Red to four Ivy League titles, three NCAA Tournament appearances, two national championship games and one NCAA title, along with a 52-15 overall record (20-4 Ivy League).

Kirst was chosen No. 1 in the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) Draft earlier this season by the Philadelphia Waterdogs and has been a member of Team USA, helping the squad to a silver medal at the 2024 Men's Box World Championships. Kirst was also a member of the U.S. Men's U21 team. It is expected he will be a high draft pick in the 2025 National Lacrosse League (NLL) Draft as well this summer. 

He was joined by four other finalists, including fellow Ivy Leaguers Sam King (Harvard) and Coulter Mackesy (Princeton), along with Jackson Eicher (Army West Point) and Chris Kavanagh (Notre Dame).