PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers men's lacrosse midfielder Colin Kurdyla earned his second straight Big Ten Freshman of the Week award, the conference office announced early evening on Tuesday. Kurdyla was recognized for his performances in the two-game week against Detroit Mercy and Princeton, where he had three goals and an assist.

A product of Bridgewater - Raritan High School, just under 20 miles from SHI Stadium, Kurdyla has joined the team he grew up rooting for an made an instant impact. This past week, the Bridgewater native had a goal and an assist in the win over Detroit Mercy, then tied for the team lead with two goals against in-state rival Princeton.

In seven games (four starts), Kurdyla has scored 11 goals and added three assists. Kurdyla has three multi-goal games, including two-hat tricks, and at least two points in each of his last six games. Kurdyla is tied for the third most goals on the squad and fourth on the team in points.

This is Colin Kurdyla's second straight Big Ten Freshman of the Week award, as he also won last week following a hat trick against Hofstra. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Cardin Stoller is also a two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Of the six Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards given out this season by the conference office, four have been won by Scarlet Knights. The last time that Rutgers' won four Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards was in 2021, when Shane Knobloch earned the accolade four times over the course of the season en route to being named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Adam Charalambides holds the RU record, as he was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week seven times in 2016 when he won the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award.

Rutgers, ranked No. 19 in the polls this week, has its final non-conference game of the season next week. The Scarlet Knights will meet UMass at a neutral site on Saturday at 1 p.m. on Long Island. The game will be played at Weldon E. Howitt Middle School as part of the Dalers Lacrosse Classic presented by Shore 2 Shore Lacrosse. Following that game, RU returns to SHI Stadium for its first two Big Ten Conference games. Rutgers will host Johns Hopkins on Sunday, March 24 at 4:30 pm.