Princeton captured its first NCAA men's lacrosse championship since 2001, defeating Notre Dame 16-9 on Monday. Chad Palumbo scored all four of his goals in the first half, helping the top-seeded Tigers build a commanding lead. Colin Burns added a hat trick as Princeton won its 12th consecutive game to finish 17-2.

The Tigers trailed 3-0 before scoring the last 11 goals of the first half. Palumbo assisted on the first three Princeton scores and netted his 48th goal of the season with 22 seconds left before halftime for an 11-3 advantage. His fifth multi-goal game of the tournament kept pressure on Notre Dame throughout.

Notre Dame entered seeking its third title in four years, having won in 2023 and 2024. The Irish fell to 13-3 with the loss, ending their championship hopes. Princeton goalie Ryan Croddick made 13 saves to hold Notre Dame to nine goals, completing a season where the Tigers limited opponents to 10 or fewer goals in six postseason games.

The victory marked Princeton's ninth championship game appearance since 1992, with the program finally breaking through after two decades of near-misses.