CJ Kirst was minutes away from three straight halves with no goals for Cornell lacrosse. But when he scored, he couldn't stop, and the Big Red won their first NCAA title since 1977 on Monday.

Penn State certainly was not a huge favorite to make it to this point, having lost in the Big Ten Semifinals to the Maryland Terrapins. However, the Nittany Lions picked things up in the national tournament, beating Colgate and Notre Dame to get to the semifinals for the third time in program history, and the second time in three seasons.

"He's one of the best of all time," Brendan Staub (Garden City) said of Kirst. "So when he settles into a game it makes everyone else feel a lot more comfortable and gives us the confidence we need."