ITHACA, N.Y. — Senior CJ Kirst was chosen as the No. 1 overall selection in the 2025 Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) College Draft by the Philadelphia Waterdogs on Tuesday evening. Kirst becomes the fourth Big Red player chosen atop the PLL Draft, more than any other college program.

Additionally, senior Hugh Kelleher, the Ivy League Midfielder of the Year, was taken in the fourth round (30th overall) by the New York Atlas. 

Kirst, the Ivy League Attackman of the Year and a candidate for the Tewaaraton Trophy, joins former Big Red stars Rob Pannell (2012), Jeff Teat (2021) and Gavin Adler (2023) as No. 1 overall selections. The four top picks surpasses both Duke and Syracuse who have had three. Kirst is the all-time leading goal scorer in NCAA Division I history with 233 scores.

The three-time All-American is the nation’s active leading scorer at 328 points, a six-time Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week in 2025 who paces all of college lacrosse with his 98 points (68 goals, 30 assists) this season. 

Kelleher, a three-time first-team All-Ivy League selection, surpassed the 100-point mark earlier this season and currently has 119 (90 goals, 29 assists). The senior has always played his best when the lights are on, scoring six game-winning goals during his career.

Kirst and Kelleher will turn their attention back to the Big Red’s postseason run, which begins Sunday night at 7:30 p.m. on Schoellkopf Field against the winner of Wednesday’s UAlbany-Siena game. 

With campuses as large and diverse as the ones offered by Penn State, the university offers many resources to keep campus and the surrounding areas secure for students, staff and visitors. If you or anyone else is in immediate danger, call 9-1-1.

Here are some of the on and off-campus emergency services available to students.

State College Police Department

The State College Police Department is responsible for providing law enforcement and public safety services to the community in areas not owned or used by the university, which includes downtown State College.

Dialling 814-234-7150 will connect you directly to the department. In case of an emergency, call 9-1-1.

University Police & Public Safety

In addition to the State College Police Department, University Park has its own police force who are committed to campus safety. According to their website the Penn State police division is a “full-service police agency,” which means they have full law enforcement authority.

Calling 814-863-1111 will connect callers directly to a University Police dispatcher. In an emergency, call 9-1-1.

Emergency Telephones

The Penn State Emergency Phone System was created to provide security to the people on campus. The phones are located at poles with a bright blue light for easy recognition, and are scattered throughout campus. The service is also free of charge.

Picking up the receiver and pressing the red button will immediately connect you to a University Police dispatcher.

There is another type of emergency phone located by the entrances of residential halls. The phones can also be used for visitors who want to be escorted into dormitories.

Safe Walk Program

The Safe Walk Program was designed for Penn State students, employees or visitors who may feel unsafe or vulnerable walking alone on campus at night.

To request a safe walk, call 814-865-WALK (9255) and a member of the Auxiliary Police, an uniformed student division with the University Police, will accompany you. The Safe Walk Program is available dusk to dawn, 365 days a year.

PSU Alert

Penn State’s emergency notification system called PSU Alert is used to keep the public informed of campus emergencies. Whether it’s a weather related closure, a security threat or another urgent situation, PSU Alert delivers timely updates to help ensure the safety of everyone on or near campus. Alert messages are sent directly to the user’s phone.

To sign up to receive alerts, visit www.psualert.psu.edu.

Report a Concern

Penn State said they have a ‘see something, say something’ philosophy, which makes it easy for anyone to report suspicious behavior. Most reporting tools offer the option to report anonymously.

Online forms include reporting student misconduct, sexual misconduct, hazing and more. All report forms are available on the Penn State Student Affairs website.

Students also have the option to report a concern in-person at the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response in 120 Boucke Building.

Penn State Crisis Line

Penn State has a 24/7 crisis hotline for those experiencing a mental health crisis, sexual assault, stalking or any other immediate emergency. This resource is available for any student on any campus.

Call the Penn State Crisis Line at 877-229-6400 or text ‘LIONS’ to 741741.

RealResponse

Starting April 29, the university is transitioning to RealResponse as its official hotline report. It’s a secure system that allows for anonymous communication via text, mobile app or website.

You can anonymously send texts to 888-778-8173.

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Trump’s executive order ‘show’

Along with the new Trump regime comes the return of the ubiquitous executive order signing ceremony. No other president, in my recollection, has been nearly so fond of this “show.” Perhaps, the folks who make his beloved black Sharpies are providing some sort of monetary kickback. The image that comes to mind for me, with each of these photo ops, is that of a chubby, orange-haired toddler, flanked by his proud parents and grandparents, as he points to what he just made in the potty chair. Little has changed about him in the intervening seven decades!

Bob Luhr, Boulder

Prevent misinformation with media literacy

“Fake news” is a term we have all started to hear more and more within the last few years. During my sophomore year of high school, the COVID lockdowns were in full effect and so was the panic over the “possible effects of vaccines.” Many dangerous unfounded claims were spread about the vaccines, like that they gave children autism, or even crazier some said they are a way for the government to control us. I began to ask myself, how could people have such opposing views from experts?

In my studies for the answer, I found that the Dunning-Kruger effect can be used to explain this lap in people’s judgment. The effect states in the simplest terms that the less you know, the more you think you do. This effect explains why some of the loudest voices on vaccines were those who are uneducated on the subject. An echo chamber was created where the misinformed were preaching to the uneducated causing many to fear vaccines and therefore not getting them. The effects of this misinformation were very real with the National Library of Medicine saying, that over 232,000 adult deaths in the U.S. were preventable with just the primary series of the vaccine.

To prevent future disasters fueled by misinformation, CU Boulder and universities worldwide should implement required media literacy and critical thinking courses. These classes would teach students how to assess sources, recognize bias (including their own), and separate fact from fiction in today’s overwhelming information landscape. Taking such proactive steps like this can save lives and cultivate a well-informed society.

Joe Harrington, Boulder

Bring a women’s hockey team to Colorado

Currently, Colorado is home to five major men’s professional sports teams but not a single professional women’s team. This gap in representation is a missed opportunity. As a female athlete, the lack of professional women’s sports in Colorado is not only disappointing but represents the bigger issue of the gender barriers that remain in sports for many women and girls.

The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), launched in 2023, has rapidly grown, gaining national attention and fan support. The league set a new attendance record with 21,105 fans in Montreal, enough to fill Denver’s Ball Arena. The PWHL brings visibility to women’s hockey, inspiring a new generation of athletes.

Hockey remains a male-dominated sport; according to USA Hockey’s membership statistics, only 15% of the registered players are female. In Colorado, the number is slightly higher — around 18%. Representation matters, and bringing a professional women’s hockey team to Colorado would give young girls in the state visible role models, helping to grow female participation not only in hockey but in sports across the board.

Despite the Colorado Avalanche ranking among the NHL’s leaders in average attendance, Colorado is not among the top five states for youth hockey participation. Bringing a PWHL team to Colorado could bring growth to the hockey community in Colorado. The league is looking to expand in the next few years, so reach out to the league expressing interest in a team in Denver, and watch their games on TV to support the league and expand the fan base.

It is time for Colorado to lead by example and bring a professional women’s hockey team to Denver. Doing so would be a meaningful investment in the future of sports, gender equity and community.

Sydney Albrecht, Boulder

Facebook @ohiostatewomenshockey / Via Facebook.com 

Jaques, who is Black, earned both her undergraduate and master’s degrees in engineering during her time in Columbus—no small feat while balancing the demands of elite athletics, and she was named the Arthur Ashe Jr. Female Sports Scholar of the Year in 2022, an award that celebrates academic and athletic excellence among student-athletes of color.”

Jaques was the 10th pick in the inaugural PWHL draft in 2023, going to a Boston team and market that was excited to have her and recognized the significance of her career. Alas, after just seven games with the Fleet, Jaques was sent to Minnesota as the centerpiece of the first trade in PWHL history.

“I just got a phone call from the Boston GM. Not much notice,” Jaques recalled. “I found out on a Sunday evening, and my flight left Monday morning.”

It was a sudden shift, but quick turnarounds like that come with the territory in professional sports. It could have rattled just about any player, but Jaques landed on her feet thanks to a familiar face. “One reason I was able to adjust pretty quickly is because [Minnesota] had Liz Schepers from Ohio State on the team,” Jaques explained. “She had space for me to live in her home, so I didn’t have to stay in a hotel. That made it really easy for me, and meant I didn’t have too much to worry about off the ice. On-ice came natural and was pretty easy.”

Jaques played 15 regular-season games for Minnesota last season, notching two goals and eight assists, and hitting her stride along with her teammates right when it mattered most.

After qualifying for the playoffs as the fourth and final seed on the last day of the regular season (sound familiar?), Minnesota hit its stride at just the right time. “We had some highs and lows and were just able to have success when it counted,” recalled Jaques of a run that saw Minnesota overcome a 2-0 deficit in the best-of-five first round series against Toronto before beating Boston in another five-game series in the PWHL Finals to capture the first-ever Walter Cup.

The team celebrated its win that late-May night and again at various times throughout last offseason, but one of the sweetest moments came recently, when last year’s champions were each presented with an official Championship ring.

Entering a professional sports league as a brand new franchise is a significant challenge, regardless of the event or competition level. Inaugural-season teams often struggle due to obstacles that more established teams have already overcome, including assembling a roster of unfamiliar players, building team chemistry from scratch under a new coach and settling into an unfamiliar city.

When Athens was awarded a professional minor league hockey team, one of the first and most critical steps was hiring a head coach to lead the roster-building process. When Steve Martinson, one of the most accomplished minor league hockey coaches of all time showed interest in the position, a deal came together quickly.

Before his illustrious coaching career, Martinson played professional hockey himself. Born in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Martinson began his career at the collegiate level at St. Cloud State University.

Afterwards, Martinson played over a decade of professional hockey for numerous franchises. While most of his career was spent in the minors, he did appear in 49 games for the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens and his hometown Minnesota North Stars.

After his playing career, he went straight into coaching. His first year came during the 1995-96 season, when he immediately led the San Diego Gulls to a title. Martinson would go onto coach a few different teams in several minor hockey leagues, winning a total of ten championships. Martinson most recently coached the Allen Americans, but after ten years with the team was not offered a new contract in 2022.

“The people that hired me, they knew me from Allen,” Martinson said. “They had kind of put a feeler out and said, ‘Hey, would you be interested? We’re not sure what league it’s going to be in [yet],’ and I said, ‘Yeah, I’m interested.’”

A few key factors enticed Martinson to take on a new position in Athens.

“The organization that I worked for before, by the time I left, was really bad. It was really frustrating to go out if I wasn’t going to coach again. When I had the chance to work for an organization that does everything right, then you’re like, ‘Okay, this is going to be completely different’. It’s great to have an arena downtown, and Athens being a college town and having some live music were things that were attractive to my wife and I,” he said.

Once Martinson was officially on board, it was time to start acquiring players. Most of the Rock Lobsters’ group were signed after spending last season with other teams, either in the FPHL — the league the Rock Lobsters ultimately joined — or the SPHL, a tier above.

Some were recruited in groups. For example, Garrett Milan, Malik Johnson and Orca Weisblatt all played for the Pensacola Ice Flyers of the SPHL, while Troy Murray, Riley Robertson and Justin Portillo came from the Knoxville Ice Bears, also in the SPHL.

“The key is just having good guys,” Martinson said. “No matter where they’re from. I always say good guys refer other good guys and bad guys refer other bad guys.”

Over the course of the season, many players played the best hockey of their careers, truly bying into Martinson’s system.

“It’s got to be a part of [coach Martinson’s] knowledge, putting the right guys out on the power play,” Rock Lobsters forward Kayson Gallant said earlier this season.

Gallant credited Martinson as a key factor in his development over the course of the season, particularly for his emphasis on defensive responsibility — a focus that Gallant said ultimately created more opportunities and helped him finish as the league’s leading goal scorer.

Martinson didn’t just guide his players to individual success though — he earned his own recognition too, being named FPHL Coach of the Year. Under Martinson, the Rock Lobsters exceeded all expectations, and the league took notice.

Despite winning far more games than imagined in the regular season, the Rock Lobsters’ season ultimately came to an end after a loss to the Columbus River Dragons in the first round of the playoffs. While questions remain about the future of several key players, the team appears well-positioned moving forward under the leadership of Martinson, whose track record suggests prolonged success in the league.