Kirst, Pezzimenti, Nelson are USA Lacrosse Men's Players of the Week

This season, USA Lacrosse will celebrate the accomplishments of players across Divisions I, II and III each Tuesday with Player of the Week recognition. Players of the Week are selected by USA Lacrosse Magazine staff and contributors based on a variety of factors, including individual performance and impact on team success.

DIVISION I

CJ KIRST, CORNELL

Just four games into 2023, Kirst is looking more and more like a Tewaaraton Award frontrunner every day. In a 2-0 week for Cornell, Kirst dropped seven goals and four assists against Hobart and four goals and one assist against Ohio State. Add in six ground balls and two caused turnovers combined in those two games, and Kirst did it all.

The junior attackman is up to 20 goals and six assists on the season, putting him well within striking distance of setting a new career high in goals (55 last year) and points (79 last year).

DIVISION II

JOEY PEZZIMENTI, LE MOYNE

The junior attackman from Victor, New York, lit up the UIndy defense for six goals on 10 shots in the Dolphins’ 15-13 win on Sunday, a win that helped solidify Le Moyne as the new top team in Division II. It’s the highest single-game point total of his career. Pezzimenti transferred to Le Moyne this season from Division I Albany, where he played in 13 games in 2021 and 2022 and registered 11 total points. So far this season, he has nine goals and four assists for the NE-10 power.

DIVISION III

THOMAS NELSON, KENYON

The sophomore faceoff specialist from Kenyon has been on fire. Kenyon hasn’t played competition that might be considered top-tier, but in his last three games, Nelson has lost just two faceoffs. He opened his season with a 24-for-24 showing against Baldwin Wallace. He went 19-for-20 against Capital on February 25, then he went 20-for-21 against Otterbein with a goal and an assist. From Minneapolis, Nelson won 64.2 percent of his draws as a freshman.