Top-ranked Cornell will make a bid for the program’s 15th appearance in the NCAA men’s lacrosse final four this weekend.
The Big Red (15-1) takes on ninth-ranked Richmond (14-3) in a quarterfinal at noon May 17 at Hofstra’s James M. Shuart Stadium in Hempstead. The game will be televised on ESPNU and ESPN+.
A look at Cornell’s matchup and other things to know about the NCAA men’s and women’s lacrosse quarterfinals.
Kirst leads Big Red into quarterfinals
Cornell is led by senior CJ Kirst, who became the NCAA career leader in goals scored with two in a 10-8 victory over Dartmouth on April 26.
He is one of five finalists for the men’s 2025 Tewaaraton Award, which goes to the nation’s top player. The winner will be announced May 29.
Kirst and Big Red sophomore midfielder Willem Firth were named first-team All-Americans by Inside Lacrosse. Kirst joined teammate Hugh Kelleher, a senior midfielder, as a first-team USA Lacrosse All-American.
Kirst enters this weekend with 239 goals over four seasons, including six in a 15-6 victory over the University at Albany in the tournament’s first round. He has 74 goals this season, eight shy of the NCAA single-season record.
The top-seeded Big Red leads the nation in goals per game at 16.4 and brings an 11-game winning streak into the contest. That streak included a 20-15 triumph against Princeton in the Ivy League final.
Cornell has three national championships, those coming in 1971, 1976 and 1977.
Richmond topped eighth-seeded North Carolina, 13-10, in the opening round to give the program its first NCAA Tournament win.
Cornell edged Richmond, 12-11, on March 2.
The Richmond-Cornell winner plays either Penn State or Notre Dame in a semifinal May 24 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The final is set for 1 p.m. May 26 at the same site.
Corning-area natives part of Maryland success
The second-seeded Maryland men’s team (12-3) will take on Georgetown (12-4) in a quarterfinal at 2:30 p.m. May 18 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.
Maryland is coached by Painted Post native John Tillman, who starred at Corning West and played at Cornell.
Tillman coached the Terrapins to national championships in 2017 and 2022. His career record at Maryland is 193-55 over 15 seasons.
Tillman’s second national title came with Corning native Logan McNaney in goal. McNaney was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2022 NCAA Tournament, stopping 17 shots against Cornell in the championship game.
Coming off an ACL tear suffered early in the 2023 season, McNaney helped the Terrapins reach the NCAA final last year, where they fell 15-5 to Notre Dame.
McNaney, son of Corning girls lacrosse coach Kim McNaney, had 10 saves in a 13-5 first-round win over Air Force last week. He ranks No. 1 in program history with 753 saves and 58 goalie victories.
This season he was named a second-team USA Lacrosse All-American, the third time he received All-America honors.
Winner of the Maryland-Georgetown contest faces Princeton or Syracuse in a semifinal May 24 at Gillette Stadium.
TV coverage: ESPNU, ESPN+.
All-American from Ithaca High in women’s quarterfinal
Ithaca High School graduate Shea Baker is a junior defender for second-seeded Boston College (18-2), which takes on Ivy League champion Yale (16-3) at 5 p.m. May 15 in a women’s quarterfinal at Newton Campus Lacrosse & Soccer Field in Newton, Massachusetts.
Baker was chosen Atlantic Coast Conference Defender of the Year this season and was named a first-team All-American by USA Lacrosse.
She helped BC to a 10-7 victory against Stony Brook in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Last year she was a key contributor as the Eagles won the national title with a 14-13 win over Northwestern.
The BC-Yale winner faces either Northwestern or Penn in a semifinal May 23 at Gillette Stadium, with the final set for the noon May 25 at the same site.
TV coverage: ESPNU and ESPN+.
Ithaca alumna part of UNC’s quarterfinal run
The consensus top-ranked women’s team is North Carolina (19-0). The Tar Heels host Princeton (16-3) in a quarterfinal at 7:30 p.m. May 15 at Dorrance Field in Chapel Hill.
North Carolina’s roster includes senior goalie Alecia Nicholas, a former standout at Ithaca High. She has seen action in three games this season.
Nicholas played in all 17 games last year after she went through treatment for thyroid cancer following a diagnosis in the fall of 2023. Her return was voted USA Lacrosse’s Best Comeback Story.
Winner of this contest takes on either Duke or Florida in a semifinal May 23 at Gillette Stadium.
TV coverage: ESPNU, ESPN+.
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Cornell men seek 15th final four and other stories to watch in NCAA lacrosse quarterfinals
Reporting by Andrew Legare, Elmira Star-Gazette / Elmira Star-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
