Cornell men’s lacrosse triumphed over No. 2 seed Maryland 13-10 in the national championship held at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. This victory marks Cornell’s first national title since 1977, successfully avenging their defeat to the Terrapins in the NCAA title match of 2022.

This championship win also signifies Cornell’s first NCAA team title across any sport since their last lacrosse championship in 1977. Previous wins include men’s ice hockey in 1966-67 and 1969-70, and men’s lacrosse titles in 1971, 1976, and 1977.

“I know it’s been a long time for the whole group, but I came on the heels of the 2009 national championship with the expectation we were going to win one here,” said Cornell coach Connor Buczek after the game during an ESPN broadcast. “Credit to these guys, credit to these players, credit to this tradition, credit to my staff. I’m the luckiest guy in the world and I’m surrounded by incredible people who just work their tails off day in, day out. I’m so happy for the university. I’m so happy for our tradition. This feels incredible.”

Cornell senior attacker CJ Kirst shone in the championship match, scoring six goals and providing one assist. His 82 goals this season have tied the Division I single-season goals record, and he concludes his career with 247 career goals.

“We knew if [Kirst] got going, we were going home with hardware,” Buczek shared. “And my God if he didn’t find it and find it in a big way. He’s got the biggest heart. He’s the hardest worker I’ve ever been around. And man, he pulls the best out of everyone around him. He’s the engine that makes this thing go. So happy for him and that whole senior class. They decided they wanted to do this. I’ve never seen a group that was so intent on doing this.”

The Big Red previously defeated No. 5 Penn State 11-9 in the semifinal match, leading them to their sixth national championship game since their 1977 title, having lost all five previous appearances in 1978, 1987, 1988, 2009, and 2022.

This game also marked Maryland’s fourth appearance in a national championship game in five years, during which they have secured one title and faced two losses in the final.