Kabiri named Tewaaraton Finalist as No. 1 men’s lacrosse set to open NCAA Tournament against Marist

The road to a national championship runs through Old Nassau. 

No. 1 men’s lacrosse (13–2 overall, 5–1 Ivy League) earned the top seed in the NCAA tournament on Sunday night and will play unranked Marist (12–4, 7–1 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference), who beat No. 20 Stony Brook (10–6, 4–2 Coastal Athletic Association) in the play-in game on Wednesday night. 

“We’re honored,” Head Coach Matt Madalon told The Daily Princetonian. “You work your tail off all season, so for the committee to vote us in as the number one seed, it means metrically, we handled our business, but also from the way we finished the season, so very thrilled to be there.”

“Very unique week — going into the week not knowing who your opponent is — but as soon as we found out Wednesday night, it’s right back to work,” he continued.

Led by junior attacker Nate Kabiri, who was announced as a Tewaaraton Award finalist on Tuesday, the Orange and Black will open the tournament Sunday afternoon at Sherrerd Field.  The Tewaaraton Award is “given annually to the top male and female college lacrosse players in the country.” Last season, Coulter Mackesy ’25 was named a finalist. 

“Super honored — it’s an incredible privilege to be honored at that ceremony, and although our goals are still to win a national championship, I’m still honored to represent the team, and it’s a testament to the work this team has put in,” Kabiri said.

Kabiri can do it all for the Tigers. On the season, the former Georgetown Prep standout has 68 points (32 goals, 36 assists) along with 28 ground balls. 

“[Kabiri’s] really incredible, obviously: point production, facilitator, but he really doesn’t turn the ball over,” Madalon said. “He does such a good job in terms of ball control, making his other teammates better, and picking the spot. Thrilled he’s in the Orange and Black.”

The accolades for the Tigers continued into the week as USA Lacrosse Magazine announced its All-American selections. Princeton led the way with eight total selections and three first team selections.

Alongside Kabiri, junior midfielder Tucker Wade and senior goalkeeper Ryan Croddick were both first team selections. Wade has excelled in the attacking midfield role in 2026, producing 29 goals and scoring in every game this season. 

On the other end of the field, Croddick has established himself as the top goaltender in college lacrosse, with an astounding .570 save percentage, the highest of any goalkeeper from a top eight seed.

Junior defender Jack Stahl — who was named a midseason top breakout player by Inside Lacrosse — was a second-team selection. This year, Stahl anchored a Tiger defense that graduated veterans Colin Mulshine ’25 and Michael Bath ’25.

“Just having watched Stahl throughout the year, there’s been very few guys that have been able to beat him in a one-on-one matchup. So we’re not going to come into the matchup with an audacity that says, ‘Let’s go win a one-on-one,’” Marist Head Coach Dave Scarcello told the ‘Prince.’

Senior captain and attacker Chad Palumbo and junior short-stick defensive midfielder Cooper Mueller were third-team selections, while senior midfielder John Dunphey and junior short-stick defensive midfielder Jackson Green earned honorable mentions.

Palumbo, alongside Kabiri’s former high school teammate and fellow junior attacker Colin Burns, highlights the NCAA’s third-best scoring offense, averaging 14.73 goals per game. 

“They are the most balanced offense. They’re one of the top offenses in the country by a wide margin, and we’re going to need to be really clean defensively,” Scarcello said. 

Sophomore attacker Peter Buonanno — the 2025 Ivy League rookie of the year and one of the top sophomores in the country — has been out of the lineup after a hamstring injury in March. Despite briefly featuring off the bench against Dartmouth in the regular season finale, Buonanno did not play in the Ivy League tournament.

“He’s on the mend, so we’re hoping to see him. I don’t know if you’ll see him this weekend, but hopefully we continue to earn opportunities,” Madalon said. 

On tap for the Tigers is a Marist team that earned its first NCAA Tournament win since 2015 on the heels of a nine-save performance from goaltender Richie Metzger and four goals each from attackers Collin Patrick and Peter Murray. 

“I thought they shot the ball well. Their goalie played well. I thought they did a really nice job controlling that game,” Madalon said. 

History is squarely on Princeton’s side. Since the NCAA tournament expanded to 16 teams in 2003, every No. 1 seed has advanced to the quarterfinals, and all but one have reached the final four. 

Scarcello, referring to recent upsets in the past decade in the men’s basketball NCAA tournament, said his team is up for the challenge. 

“I think it’s why the game is played, and that’s the mentality that we have to have, no matter what,” Scarcello said. “It’s something that we have to have belief in, and while it’s never happened, it doesn’t mean it can’t ever happen.”

Patrick is the engine for the Marist offense and will likely have Stahl defending him throughout the game. Despite a smaller frame at 5 feet, 7 inches, Patrick has 58 points (37 goals, 21 assists) on the season for the Red Foxes. 

“The best part about [Patrick] is that he plays with a chip on his shoulder for an undersized guy, and he’s got a toughness and a mentality about him that puts him in a great position to succeed,” Scarcello said. 

“So he’s got as hard of a matchup as you could imagine in college lacrosse coming up, and he’s going to need the support of his teammates around him to help him through that battle, just like everybody else on this team,” he continued. 

Marist’s path to an upset runs through limiting Princeton’s transition game, with Scarcella acknowledging that the Tigers have a way of finding seams before a defense is even set. He also flagged face-offs and ground balls as critical, as Princeton’s ability to win possession in big moments can quickly put opponents out of reach.

“We’re super confident in ourselves,” Kabiri said. “We’re rolling with a lot of momentum. We’re not taking anyone lightly — just trying to stay consistent throughout these next few weeks and practices, and make sure we’re giving it our all … so we can give ourselves the best chance to win a national championship.”

Coming off a heartbreaking loss in the 2025 NCAA quarterfinal against Syracuse and early exits in 2023 and 2024, the Tigers are on a quest to make it back to championship weekend for the first time since 2022.  

“You learn a lot from those games, especially being able to make a Final Four run in [2022], and then losing first round, and then playing the quarter finals,” Madalon said. “So for us, we just try to learn the lessons, make sure we know what we’re up against as a team, be a little more aggressive in certain spots, and make sure we stay healthy.”

The opening face-off in the David-versus-Goliath matchup is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. 

“We’ve got a really hungry group,” Madalon said. “It’s a really incredible opportunity to host an NCAA game, so I don’t think anyone’s taken that lightly.”

Hayk Yengibaryan is a senior Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Glendale, Calif. He can be reached at hy5161[at]princeton.edu.

Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.