St. John’s Open 2026 Campaign against NJIT on Sunday

Sunday, February 8

Flanders, N.J. (Mount Olive High School)

5 p.m.

St. John's University

NJIT

St. John’s Open 2026 Campaign against NJIT on Sunday

2/7/2026 4:50:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Live Stats

The Red Storm and Highlanders meet for third straight season opener

QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's lacrosse team is set to open the 2026 campaign on Super Bowl Sunday against NJIT.

Due to inclement weather, the game was relocated indoors to Mount Olive High School in Flanders, N.J. Face-off is set for 5 p.m. as the Johnnies will open their season against Highlanders for the third-straight year.

Admission to the season opener will be free for all fans. Live stats will be available on RedStormSports.com. There will be no stream available.

The Red Storm return 26 letterwinners from last season's squad that finished 4–11. The Johnnies also added 19 newcomers, comprised of 16 freshman and three transfers. Redshirt junior attackman Adrian Nowak leads the Johnnies into the 2026 campaign after recording 40 points for the first time in his career.

A second-year captain, Nowak ranked second on the team in goals (24), assists (20), and points (44), while finishing sixth in the BIG EAST with 1.3 assists per contest. He posted 10 multi-point games and four performances of at least four points. The Wantagh, N.Y., native was named to the 2026 BIG EAST Preseason All-BIG EAST Team.

After the departure of 2024 All-BIG EAST selections Brian Kelly and Bobby Seel, sophomore attackman Ryan Ormond will look to build off his impressive debut season in a Johnnie uniform.

Surpassing the 20-point mark as a freshman, Ormond looks to build on an outstanding season in 2026. The rookie tallied 23 goals, which ranked third on the team, five assists to total 28 points. The Waxhaw, N.C., native registered five multi-point games and recorded four performances of at least four points.

Several key contributors from the 2025 squad return for the Red Storm this season. Sophomores Mitch Campbell and Jayson Cardenas are back in Queens after both eclipsing the 20-point mark in their first seasons under Turri. Campbell posted 24 points on nine goals and 15 assists, highlighted by seven multi-point performances, while Cardenas totaled 23 points on 17 goals and six assists, including a hat trick against Jacksonville on Feb. 28.

Sophomores Quinn Falasca and Tyson Meade return to anchor the Johnnies' defense in 2026. Falasca started all 15 games last season and led the team in caused turnovers (24) and ranked second in groundballs (35). Meade also appeared in all 15 contests, making five starts for the Red Storm and finished the year with 18 ground balls and seven caused turnovers.

Sunday marks the third all-time meeting between the Red Storm and the Highlanders. In last season's matchup, Nowak delivered a career performance, posting 10 points on a career-high seven assists and three goals. Ormond also opened his collegiate career in emphatic fashion, scoring six goals to become the first Johnnie since Jonathan Huber in 2022 to net six goals in a single game. Kelly sealed the victory with the game-winning goal with 3:25 remaining, while the Red Storm defense stood tall late to secure St. John's first season-opening win since 2021.

Despite a 1–11 finish in 2025, NJIT brings back several key returners for the upcoming season. JC Echezuria returns after earning America East All-Rookie Team honors. The freshman led the Highlanders with 29 points on 17 goals and 12 assists while ranking third among conference freshmen.

Defensively, Emmerick Dopona is back after leading the team with 15 caused turnovers and pacing the league with 2 caused turnovers per game in conference play, while goalkeeper Joey Schwarz returns after ranking second in the America East with 11.83 saves per game during league action.

Following Sunday's season opener, the Johnnies will host once against Delaware on Valentine's Day at Cox Family Field at Belson Stadium with faceoff scheduled for 1 p.m.