ITHACA, N.Y. — CJ Kirst was named Finals MVP after a record-setting seven-point performance Sunday, leading the Philadelphia Waterdogs to a 14-4 win over the Denver Outlaws in the U.S. Bank PLL Championship at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J. Kirst, Gavin Adler and Brendan Staub all won the title as members of the Waterdogs, while fellow Cornell alum Jonathan Donville fell short with the Outlaws.

Kirst, who was also named the PLL's regular-season MVP earlier in the week, finished the championship with five goals and two assists. The 2025 Tewaaraton Award winner already held the league's single-season goals record (34) entering the game, and his MVP performance in the title game punctuated a historic campaign in just his second professional season.

With the win, Kirst becomes the first of his three professional lacrosse-playing brothers to capture a PLL championship. He also becomes the second Cornellian to win an NCAA title, an NLL title and a PLL title, joining former Big Red teammate Hugh Kelleher.

Adler, the 2025 PLL Defensive Player of the Year, captures back-to-back titles after winning it all with the New York Atlas a season ago. The Cornell product signed with Philadelphia in the offseason and anchored a Waterdogs defense that shut out Denver in the second half of Sunday's championship, holding the Outlaws' high-powered offense to just 2-of-16 shooting from several of its top scorers.

Staub, a Waterdogs rookie long-stick midfielder selected in the third round of the 2026 PLL College Draft, capped his first professional season with a championship.

Donville, a two-time Inside Lacrosse All-American at Cornell, appeared for Denver in the loss.