History Maker: Cornell’s CJ Kirst breaks NCAA scoring record

Cornell men’s lacrosse has had countless prolific players pass through the ranks throughout its rich history. The likes of Mike French, Rob Pannell and John Piatelli come to mind as some of the best attackers to don the Cornell red. CJ Kirst has not only surpassed all of them in the Big Red scoring charts, he’s also written himself into the national record books.

On April 26, Kirst became the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer during the Big Red’s 10-8 win over Dartmouth in the regular season finale. The senior surpassed the previous record of 224 goals held by Virginia’s Payton Cormier. It was only until after the game when it sunk in for Kirst how much it meant to make history.

“It’s pretty cool,” Kirst said. “It didn’t really hit me until [I’m] going into the locker room after the game and receiving the ball and hugging my teammates and hearing what [head] coach [Connor] Buczek had to say. It means a lot. Obviously it’s something that I was able to accomplish. But being there and being able to do it [on] Senior Day with my best friends, it truly meant a lot. It’s a pretty special moment.”

Needing just one goal to break the record, Kirst wasted no time. With 58 seconds off the clock, Kirst found the back of the net from five yards out to send Schoellkopf Field into frenzy. What made that goal even more special was who assisted it. Michael Long played alongside Kirst back in their high school days in New Jersey, and it was purely poetic that he was the one to set up Kirst’s unforgettable strike.

“It couldn’t have worked out better,” Buczek said. “Those two have been throwing balls back and forth and scoring goals for almost 10 years now. They’re so in sync. The way those two lead, the way those two go about their business, the way those two just demand a lot from each other, push each other to be the best version of themselves, I think that tandem really sets the stage for who we are as an offense.”

For Buczek, this tremendous accomplishment is not only indicative of all the hard work Kirst has put in throughout his time on East Hill, it’s also a collective achievement to help him get to that monstrous tally of goals. 

“Offensively, it’s a six-man unit,” Buczek said. “Everybody has to contribute to the team’s success. Obviously CJ is a very special individual and an incredible lacrosse player. That’s a record for everybody. That’s not just CJ’s record. That is our team and how we prepare and how we play and how we share the ball that gets them in those spots. [I’m] So proud of CJ, but we know that that is far bigger than just him. That is a team record.”

That historic afternoon at Schoellkopf was the cherry on top in what was an outstanding regular season for Kirst and the Big Red. Cornell is the number-one team in the nation for six weeks running with a 12-1 record, while Kirst will most likely win the Tewaaraton Award as the nation’s best player. It might seem difficult to stay focused with so much attention on the program, but Kirst credits the entire coaching staff for keeping him and the team grounded.

“It starts at the top with the coaches talking about how it’s a day-to-day process,” Kirst said. “And then it trickles down our senior class—not only the captains but the entire class as a whole—where we know every single time we step on the practice field and film room, we know we’re only there to get better that day. When we show up, we’re not really looking for the day ahead or the future. We’re not looking towards Saturday. We’re focused on Tuesday’s practice, Tuesday’s film session. That’s kind of the mentality you’ve had all year: not looking ahead and taking it day by day.”

Luckily for Kirst and the rest of his senior class, the game against Dartmouth is not their final game at Schoellkopf Field. After clinching its 20th outright Ivy League title, the Big Red will host the conference tournament from May 2-4. While it can be tempting to look ahead to a possible national championship run, the message stays the same: take things day by day.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to be home, to sleep in our own beds and have our own locker room to do all those things,” Buczek said. “[I’m] so proud of what they’ve earned and the opportunity to be here at least for the Ivy League Tournament and hopefully beyond. But it’s one day at a time. This group wants more time together. The games are great. The games are the pinnacle of this thing. But the Monday to the Friday, the ability just to be out here and continue working together… No matter how we do, there’s only a month left, and so we’re gonna enjoy every second of it.”

Cornell takes on Yale in the Ivy League semifinals on Friday, May 2 at 4 p.m..