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Cornell Men's Lacrosse Wins First National Championship in Nearly 50 Years

The Big Red took down Maryland to win the NCAA DI Men's lacrosse title.

Mike Kadlick

Cornell men's lacrosse team celebrates winning the 2025 National Championship.
Cornell men's lacrosse team celebrates winning the 2025 National Championship. / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The No. 1-seeded Cornell Big Red took down the No. 2 Maryland Terrapins 13–10 in the 2025 NCAA Division I men's lacrosse championship game on Monday afternoon, capturing their first title in nearly 50 years.

Attackman CJ Kirst led the way for the Big Red, burying six goals on 16 shots while also dishing out an assist. Ryan Goldstein netted four more with midfielder Andrew Dalton, Ryan Waldman and Brian Luzzi adding to the scoring barrage as well. Goalie Wyatt Knust minded the net for Cornell—tallying 12 saves on 22 shots.

Given that this was the first time Cornell has been able to call themselves NCAA lacrosse champions since 1977, the Big Red reacted accordingly upon winning Sunday's game. Check out this video of the team's celebration below:

What a moment.

Cornell finished the 2025 season 17–1, with their only loss coming against Penn State back in early March. They got their revenge over the Nittany Lions in the semifinal on Saturday, winning 11–9 on their way to the championship.

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Mike Kadlick
MIKE KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the New England Patriots for WEEI sports radio in Boston and continues to do so for CLNS Media. He has a master's in public relations from Boston University. Kadlick is also an avid runner and a proud lover of all things pizza.

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