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Opening day of the 2026 NCAA Division I men's lacrosse season is Jan. 31.
Throughout the month of January, we'll pose three burning questions for each team ranked in the USA Lacrosse Division I Men's Preseason Top 20, presented by CWENCH Hydration, starting with No. 20 Michigan and finishing with No. 1 Maryland.
Join the conversation on social media @USALMag (IG/X/FB). Wrong answers only.
An inexperienced roster resulted in a somewhat predictably unpredictable 7-9 season for Rutgers a year ago.
The Scarlet Knights won consecutive games just once, season-opening wins over Lehigh and LIU, but they also upset No. 2 Maryland — the program’s highest-ranked win ever; beat Johns Hopkins, which set the Blue Jays off on a six-game losing streak to end the year; and knocked off Michigan in Ann Arbor in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament.
“Whether it was young new guys coming into the program, or whether it was returning guys that were getting their first chance at a game day, I looked at it as a very young, inexperienced team,” Rutgers head coach Brian Brecht said. “But at the end of the day, I thought we got better as the year went on.”
Will the Scarlet Knights, who last played in the NCAA tournament in 2022 when they reached the semifinals, be able to continue the upward progression in 2026? Here are three questions they’ll need to answer.
Rutgers finished 61st in the nation out of 74 teams in scoring offense with an average of just nine goals per game. They scored more than 11 goals just twice all season and were held to single digits nine times in 16 games.
One obvious change is new offensive coordinator Scott Bieda, a former Rutgers star under Brecht who helped Michigan win two Big Ten championships during his three years on the Wolverines staff. He’ll have the benefit of a much more experienced returning unit.
Nearly 91 percent of Rutgers goals from last year are from players on the roster this year, led by Colin Kurdyla (27G, 13A). Kurdyla was a captain for the U.S. U20 Men’s National Team over the summer in Korea, providing him a big boost as he enters his junior year.
“He was always a dynamic player,” Brecht said. “He’s big, he’s 6-2, he’s athletic, he’s got a great skill set, loves the game of lacrosse and he’s a student of the game. I think the experience really helped with his confidence and leadership. I see him coming back and I think he’s a year better, not just physically, but just emotionally, mentally, leadership-wise.”
Kurdyla isn’t alone in coming back more seasoned. The top six point-scorers from last year are back and nine of the top 10. There’s plenty of experience to draw from and the Scarlet Knights also welcome home New Jersey native Brendan Kelly as a graduate student. Kelly played three years at Boston University, highlighted by a 43-goal season in 2024.
I think he’s one of the top, if not the best, short-stick middies in the country,
Brian Brecht on captain Joe Juengerkes
That would be saying something, as the league includes reigning USILA Goaltender of the Year Caleb Fyock from Ohio State and veteran Michigan star Hunter Taylor. But Stoller has a track record that shows he’s one of the best in the country.
Stoller’s 8.85 goals against average ranked sixth in the nation last season, and his 56.4 save percentage ranked 11th. He made double-digit saves in the first 10 games of the season and had 14 in the 8-6 win over Maryland. With 30 career starts, he’s got the experience and talent to be a difference maker.
“He had a great fall and he’s growing up, not just with command in the goal, but his voice and his leadership,” Brecht said. “He’s a great leader for us, he’s a great player for us and we’re going to lean on him a lot to have success because the defense is going to be a little new.”
Ben McKelvy, who has started 30 consecutive games, is the only starter back on close defense.
Rutgers has two studs back in the middle of the transition game — long stick midfielder Ryan Splaine and short-stick d-middie Joe Juengerkes. They can generate some offense on their own.
Splaine earned All-American recognition from USA Lacrosse last year after scooping up 49 ground balls and ranked second on the team with 17 caused turnovers. He led the team with 16 caused turnovers the year before. He’ll get help from Queens transfer Deacon Adams, who impressed in the fall. The junior had 19 caused turnovers last year while scoring seven goals to earn all-league recognition.
Juengerkes is something special as a d-middie. The grad transfer from Princeton was voted a captain his first year at Rutgers and will be a captain again this year after a big-time season. He was an All-American with 55 ground balls, 11 points and 16 caused turnovers.
“I think he’s one of the top, if not the best, short-stick middies in the country,” Brecht said flatly.
Brian Logue has worked at USA Lacrosse since 2000 and is currently the senior director of communications. He saw his first lacrosse game in 1987 - Virginia at Delaware - and fell in love with the sport while working at Washington and Lee University.
