The St. John’s men’s lacrosse team will start its 2026 season against NJIT on Sunday, February 7. The game, originally scheduled for another location, was moved indoors to Mount Olive High School in Flanders, New Jersey, due to inclement weather. The face-off is set for 5 p.m.
This matchup marks the third consecutive year that St. John’s has opened its season against the Highlanders. Admission to the game is free for all fans, and live statistics will be available on RedStormSports.com. There will not be a live stream of the event.
St. John’s returns 26 letterwinners from last season’s team, which finished with a record of 4–11. The roster also features 19 newcomers, including 16 freshmen and three transfers. Leading the team into the new campaign is redshirt junior attackman Adrian Nowak, who reached a personal milestone last season by recording over 40 points.
Nowak enters his second year as captain after finishing second on the team in goals (24), assists (20), and points (44) last season. He ranked sixth in the BIG EAST Conference with an average of 1.3 assists per game and was named to the 2026 BIG EAST Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. “Adrian Nowak leads the Johnnies into the 2026 campaign after recording 40 points for the first time in his career,” according to information provided by St. John’s Athletics.
With previous All-BIG EAST selections Brian Kelly and Bobby Seel no longer on the roster, sophomore attackman Ryan Ormond is expected to have an expanded role this year following his successful freshman season in which he scored 23 goals and added five assists.
Sophomores Mitch Campbell and Jayson Cardenas are also returning after each surpassed 20 points during their debut seasons under Head Coach Justin Turri. Campbell contributed nine goals and fifteen assists while Cardenas had seventeen goals and six assists last year.
On defense, sophomores Quinn Falasca and Tyson Meade return as key contributors for St. John’s. Falasca led the team in caused turnovers with twenty-four while starting every game last season; Meade played all fifteen games with five starts.
Sunday’s contest will be only the third meeting between these programs at this level. In their most recent matchup last year, Nowak posted ten points—including seven assists—while Ormond scored six goals in his collegiate debut.
NJIT finished last season with a record of 1–11 but brings back important players such as JC Echezuria, who made the America East All-Rookie Team after leading his squad with twenty-nine points as a freshman. Defensively, Emmerick Dopona returns after topping his conference in caused turnovers per game during league play; goalkeeper Joey Schwarz comes back having ranked second among America East goalkeepers in saves per contest during conference action.
After facing NJIT, St. John’s will host Delaware at Cox Family Field at Belson Stadium on February 14 at 1 p.m.
