ITHACA, N.Y. — CJ Kirst has been named the National Lacrosse League's Rookie of the Year, the league announced Wednesday.
 
Kirst, the 2025 Tewaaraton Award winner, turned in an impressive rookie campaign, posting 71 points on 34 goals and 37 assists in 18 regular season games with the Toronto Rock. He added 10 points (6g, 4a) in four playoff contests.
 
Kirst, and Toronto will take on the Halifax Thunderbirds in the NLL Final, a best-of-three series beginning on Friday, May 15.
 
The honor caps a remarkable transition from the field game to the box for Kirst, who left Cornell as one of the most decorated players in college lacrosse history. The four-time All-American and two-time Ivy League Player of the Year set the NCAA Division I single-season record with 82 goals and finished his career as the all-time leader in goals scored with 247. His 115-point campaign in 2025 set school and Ivy League records, and his 345 career points rank 10th in Division I history. Kirst capped his collegiate career by scoring six goals in Cornell's championship game victory over Maryland, earning tournament Most Outstanding Player honors, before being named the third Big Red player to win the Tewaaraton Trophy.