PISCATAWAY, N.J. - With the sun starting to shine and the days getting warmer little by little, spring sports are finally starting back up again. Rutgers men's lacrosse will take the stage on the first weekend in February to debut its season. 

After a seven-win 2024 season, the Scarlet Knights are looking to improve and get back on top in their 2025 campaign. They are trying to return to the elite competitors that they proved themselves to be in 2021 and 2022, where they made it to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament in 2022. 

RU started off 2024 on a hot streak, going 6-2 before conference play began. The lone conference win came in toppling a ranked Michigan squad on the road. 

The Scarlet Knights start the season just on the outside of the national rankings prior to week one, something they are hoping to turn around with their refreshed team. 

Rutgers is welcoming back several athletes to the field this season. Among the key returners are Cardin Stoller, Colin Kurdyla and new captain Tommy Mendyke, who were just named Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch. 

Stoller returns as the goalkeeper for the Scarlet Knights after a convincing freshman campaign. He posted a 54.1% save percentage as the starting goalie for all 14 games last season. He was recognized for his impact several times in 2024, receiving the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award. He holds four Big Ten Freshman of the Week titles, two Big Ten Specialist of the Week honors, with nods as the USA Lacrosse Magazine Division I National Player of the Week and being added to the USILA Team of the Week. He completed his first year in action receiving the 2024 Rutgers Athletics Male Freshman of the Year Award. 
 

Kurdyla is returning for his sophomore season with RU, following his impressive rookie start. The midfielder racked up 20 goals and 10 assists for 30 points. Kurdyla completed his season with three hat tricks and six multi-goal games. He was honored as the Big Ten Freshman of the Week two weeks in a row in 2024, proving his excellence. 
 

Tommy Mendyke is serving his senior year as a captain of the RU squad. Starting all 14 games on defense, Mendyke retrieved 20 ground balls and caused the second most turnovers on the team with 12. He comes into another season with 2024 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award and Academic All-Big Ten honors, as well as being named to the USILA Team of the Week (Feb. 13, 2024). The captain is ready to set a fast pace for Rutgers this season. 

"We're going to itch and claw for everything," said Mendyke. "Every ground ball is a fist fight. Everybody's flying around the field. It's fast and exciting."
 

Ryan Splaine continues with Rutgers for his third season as a top long-stick midfielder. Splaine collected 40 ground balls last season, the second most on the squad, and led the team with 16 caused turnovers. He joined Big Ten leaders, at fifth in the conference, averaging 1.23 turnovers per game. The work put in over the fall is translating to an exciting start in the spring for Splaine. 

"We want to play fast and be relentless," said Splaine. 
 

Kulas is entering his senior season as a Scarlet Knight. He played on attack in all 14 games in 2024, starting in 12. He collected 25 points with 16 goals and a career-high nine assists. The attackman is looking to make an impact with this Rutgers team in 2025. 

"It's been awesome with this group, the guys have all gotten along really well and brought that camaraderie together," said Kulas. "Every day it's just about winning the day. Win the day, win the drill, win the minute. And build on days going forward."
 

The Scarlet Knights are also bringing a ton of fresh faces to the field this year. The team welcomes 26 newcomers in 2025. Among the new names are eight transfers and 18 freshmen joining the cause. 

Notably, transfer Joe Juengerkes has been named captain alongside Mendyke. Juengerkes' leadership qualities earned him the honor alongside the Rutgers veteran before playing his first game in Scarlet. He comes as a "Top Transfer" from Inside Lacrosse's Preseason list. Prior to his move to RU, Juengerkes played 32 games in three seasons at Princeton, racking up 14 ground balls, 11 caused turnovers and one assist. After ending 2024 short due to injury, he is ready to get things started with his new teammates. 

Matthew Paolatto comes from Union, having played 58 games in three seasons of action. He reps an impressive 69.2% winning percentage on faceoffs over his career at Union, along with 494 ground balls, 14 goals and 10 assists. He was named the 2024 USILA Faceoff Person of the Year, as well as holding a three-time All-American status. 

Rutgers adds on a major offensive piece with midfielder Kasey Mongillo. Mongillo was constantly on the score sheet in his two years at Merrimack, totaling 55 goals and 8 assists in 26 games. He posted nine games of at least three goals. He will add an obvious boost at midfield for the Scarlet Knights. 

The Scarlet Knights will be faced with a challenging schedule in 2025. Eight of Rutgers' 14 regular season opponents are starting the season ranked, meaning this team will have its work cut out for itself. RU will have a month and a half of games before it opens up conference play against No. 8 Johns Hopkins in March. 

This team wants to play with speed, and that is exactly what it can expect by starting the season playing opposite a ranked opponent. It's time for RU to put all the work put in over the fall to the test.  

"It's been a different look for this year, starting in the fall, with so many new guys," Mendyke explained. They all bought in right away. This team wants to play fast."

The season will officially begin on Saturday with a matchup against No. 20 Lehigh. Fans can tune in on ESPN+ at noon.