ITHACA, N.Y. — Four Cornell alums will compete for a Premier Lacrosse League title on Sunday, September 20, when the Philadelphia Waterdogs face the Denver Outlaws in the U.S. Bank PLL Championship. The game is set for 12:30 p.m. ET at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J., airing live on ABC and streaming on the ESPN App.
Brendan Staub, CJ Kirst and Gavin Adler will suit up for Philadelphia, while Jonathan Donville will look to spoil the Big Red reunion for Denver.
CJ Kirst '25, Attack, Philadelphia Waterdogs
Kirst, the 2025 Tewaaraton Award winner, broke the PLL single-season goals record in his second pro season, scoring 34 goals in the regular season. He enters Sunday's championship as a finalist for both the 2026 MVP and Attackman of the Year awards. At Cornell, Kirst became the NCAA's all-time career goals leader, finishing with 239 goals across four seasons, and won the 2025 Tewaaraton Trophy as a senior after leading the nation in goals per game. A win Sunday would make him the first of his three professional lacrosse-playing brothers to capture a PLL championship, and would make him the second Cornellian to win an NCAA title, an NLL title and a PLL title, joining former Big Red teammate Hugh Kelleher.
Gavin Adler '23, Defense, Philadelphia Waterdogs
Adler, the 2025 PLL Defensive Player of the Year, joined Philadelphia in the offseason after departing the reigning champion New York Atlas — a move that reshaped the Waterdogs' back end. This season, he collected eight ground balls and caused 10 turnovers while anchoring the defense, earning his second straight Defensive Player of the Year finalist nod. Adler starred at Cornell from 2019-23, earning USILA Defensive Player of the Year and unanimous first-team All-Ivy honors as a fifth-year senior in 2023, when he was also the No. 1 overall pick in the PLL College Draft.
Brendan Staub '26, Long Stick Midfield, Philadelphia Waterdogs
In his rookie PLL season, Staub picked up 14 ground balls and caused six turnovers for a young Waterdogs defense that allowed just 11.4 goals per game in 2026. Staub wrapped up his Cornell career in 2026 as an All-American and All-Ivy First Team honoree after leading the Big Red with 18 caused turnovers as a senior. He was selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the PLL College Draft.
Jonathan Donville '21, Midfield, Denver Outlaws
Donville, a two-time Inside Lacrosse All-American at Cornell, has appeared in three games for Denver in 2026, recording a goal and an assist for two points. A former Big Red captain, Donville was the Big Red's top-scoring midfielder as a sophomore in 2019 with 34 points and earned second-team Inside Lacrosse/Maverik Media All-America honors as a junior in 2020. That summer, he was named MVP of the Minto Cup after leading his Junior A team to a national championship — one of only three players in Cornell men's lacrosse history to have won a Minto Cup.
