Throughout its history, Long Island has been considered a hotbed for college lacrosse prospects. Kids from all over the island go on to be collegiate lacrosse players at every level from NCAA Division 1 all the way to NAIA and JUCO.
One lacrosse player that went the unconventional NAIA route and saw a lot of success as both a student and an athlete was Sachem North Alumni Cole Stassi.
Following his high school days at Sachem North, Stassi decided to continue both his academic and athletic endeavors at Keiser University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
“That was always a dream to me,” said Stassi when speaking with the South Shore Press. “I also wanted to play lacrosse in college in Florida. Our head coach (at Keiser) Patrick Johnson reached out to me. I then went to visit and I loved the School, loved the coaches, and loved everything about it, so I ended up at Kaiser. The coaches were great while I was an athlete at the school. Everyone was great, very supportive.”
For those who don’t know, Keiser University plays in the NAIA, which is a completely different entity from the NCAA, but it’s still as competitive as an NCAA school as they are allowed to offer scholarships and provide athletes with the ability to earn money off their name, image, and likeness.
“Despite being NAIA, we still would play some NCAA Teams,” said Stassi. “We even beat a few of them during my time on the team.”
The ex-lacrosse star really made a name for himself both on and off the field as he set multiple school records and also won multiple awards that showed forth as academic and athletic prowess at work. He leaves the program as the all-time leader in assists, total career points (goals and assists combined), and he had a single game record of 7 assists which happened to come on the biggest stage possible, the NAIA Lacrosse National Championship.
“I have to give credit to my teammates and our outstanding coaching staff,” said Stassi. “I couldn't accept the records or awards that I received without my teammates. We went through everything together the last three years. We made it to the National Tournament. We didn't make it to the championship game until this past season and we actually won the whole thing. My teammates were incredible. We played like we were one big unit. It was great.”
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Sachem North's Cole Stassi receiving a proclamation from Legislator
Steve Flotteron and Councilman John Lorenzo for his achievements as a Student-Athlete File Photo
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“It was a great honor,” said Stassi. “I take pride in being a good person. I work hard on the field and in the classroom. I gave my everything to Lacrosse and I wanted to do the best I could in school as well. I finished with a really good gpa and I’m proud of what I was able to achieve.
Stassi graduated from Keiser this past spring with Magna Cum Laude Honors and a 3.75 grade point average. He then had to make a difficult decision between going to grad school to chase his dream career or run back one last ride on the lacrosse field as they were the defending National Champions of NAIA.
“I decided to attend grad school at the West Palm (Florida) Campus at Keiser University,” said Stassi. “It was tough to say goodbye to the game I love, but I also aspire to be a chiropractor and with me attending the West Palm campus I am unable to play this year.”
Stassi will be walking away from the game with him achieving all the goals he set for himself before entering the college ranks. His hardwork and dedication over the years resulted in records and championship glory that will always sit with him as a fond memory of how he turned a childhood dream into a reality.
“I couldn’t have achieved my goals without my teammates, coaches, friends, and family,” said Stassi. “Without these people, I would be unable to do all these things. I worked hard and the fact that I was able to be recognized by the people who represent my hometown and my community makes me proud of all the hard work I did.”