PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers men's lacrosse will be well represented once again in professional lacrosse, as the PLL picks up action this week with five RU alumns in action.
Ethan Rall, Colin Kirst, Jules Heningburg, Ronan Jacoby and Christian Scarpello are the five Scarlet Knights who will compete in the pros this week.
The 2024 PLL Championship Series with be held from February 14-19, with the league's four top teams from the 2023 competing: the Boston Cannons, California Redwoods, Philadelphia Waterdogs, and the Utah Archers. The event will be held in the "Sixes" style featuring six-on-six competition of Olympic style lacrosse, taking place indoors.
The Cannons will feature recent RU grads
Ethan Rall and Colin Kirst. Rall had a breakout rookie campaign in the PLL last summer, earning all-pro honors as a rookie with 20 caused turnovers and 30 ground balls. A finalist for Rookie of the Year, he was a three-time All-American (twice being named to the First Team) and three-time all-Big Ten selection at Rutgers. Kirst took over the starting goalkeeper role this past season for the Cannons, which led to him being named to the All-Star game roster. A two-time All-American and two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection at RU, Kirst played in nine games in net for the Cannons with 113 saves for a 56.0% save percentage and a 11.0 goals-against-average.
The Archers will have the PLL debut of Ronan Jacoby. Jacoby had 37 goals and 11 assists in 19 games for the 2022 RU Final Four squad in his lone year 'On the Banks'.
Jules Heningburg will represent RU on the Redwoods. A two-time All-American and two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection at RU, Heningburg finished his fourth season with the Redwoods over the summer and has scored 79 goals and added 48 assists in 52 career professional games.
The Waterdogs will have RU product Christian Scarpello. A veteran of 60 games at RU as a short-stick defensive midfielder from 2015-2018, Scarpello has played in 28 career games with the Waterdogs, including winning a PLL title.
Three other Scarlet Knights will not play in the PLL Championship Series but are having successful seasons currently in the NLL.
Joe Nardella has returned from injury to excel for the Albany Firewolves, recently surpassing 300 career loose balls and 600 faceoff wins. Nardella has a team-best 76 loose balls for the club this season and is 135-of-202 (67 percent) on faceoffs.
Adam Charalambides leads the Vancouver Warriors offense with 21 goals and 44 points. He is second on the squad with 23 assists.
Connor Kirst has played a key all-around role for the Las Vegas Desert Dogs. He has three goals, two assists and 37 loose balls.
Additionally, Michael Rexrode excelled as a defensive starter for the Atlas, who did not qualify for the Championship Series, but his contract was recently extended by the club.
Rutgers men's lacrosse has established a strong pipeline to the professional ranks. Rutgers boasts a total of 42 alumni all-time between Major League Lacrosse (MLL), the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) and the National Lacrosse League (NLL). This success placing players in the pros has been accelerated recently, with 30 alumni coached at RU by current head coach
Brian Brecht to go on to the professional level. A full listing can be found
here.
PLL Championship Series Schedule
Wednesday 2/14: Round Robin Play
- Redwoods vs. Cannons
- Waterdogs @ Archers
Friday 2/16: Round Robin Play
- Redwoods @ Waterdogs
- Cannons @ Archers
Saturday 2/17: Round Robin Play
- Archers @ Redwoods
- Waterdogs @ Cannons
Sunday 2/18: Semifinals
- Game 1 - 1:00 PM ET
- Game 2 - 3:00 PM ET
Monday 2/19: Championship
