HISTORIC RUN: Coby Auslander heads upfield this spring for the Christopher Newport University men’s lacrosse team. Former Princeton Day School star Auslander capped his Christopher Newport career by tallying 55 points on 22 goals and 33 assists as the Captains went 16-6 and advanced to the NCAA Division III quarterfinals. Auslander graduated as the program’s all-time assists leader with 161. (Photo provided by Christopher Newport Athletics)

By Bill Alden

When Coby Auslander made his debut for the Christopher Newport University men’s lacrosse team in the spring of 2020, he wasn’t sure of how much of an impact he could make at the next level.

As an undersized 5’7, 150-pound midfielder, former Princeton Day School star Auslander was hoping to see the field as a freshman. Auslander achieved that goal and more, emerging as one of the team’s top playmakers, tallying 18 points on eight goals and 10 assists in a season curtailed to six games by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Building on that solid start, Auslander established himself as one of the greatest players in program history, ending his college career with with 265 points on 104 goals and a school-record 161 assists. Auslander’s production helped the Captains make the NCAA Division III semifinals twice with two other trips to the Division III quarterfinals.

Reflecting on his accomplishments, even Auslander is taken aback by how his career went.

“When I look back at it, it is just unbelievable,” said Auslander. “To just think now that it was something that happened and the career that I had, it is truly special. I need to thank CNU more than anything because they took a chance on me and really developed me as a person. All kudos to them.”

Coming back for a fifth season this spring due to extra eligibility granted as a result of COVID-19, Auslander and classmates were looking to produce a special finale.

“We had a great group of fifth-years who came back; there were like 10 of us and another 10 or 12 seniors,” said Auslander. “We were a really older team this year. Going into fall ball, we had a ton of confidence about the season we were going to have. We were all on the same page in terms of what we wanted to accomplish as a team and that was to win the whole thing.”

While the Captains fell short of the goal as they lost 19-15 to RIT in the Division III quarters, Auslander gained some valuable lessons from the topsy-turvy campaign.

“There were some disappointing things, we weren’t able to get over the hump,” said Auslander. “We felt like every year we were getting stopped in the same spot so we wanted to go a little bit further. But I think this year was one of the most satisfying as well because it taught us all a lot about character. This was the year that we dealt with the most adversity. For a lot of us, I know we are going to take a lot of life lessons out of it. By the end, we were playing our best lacrosse. It is definitely something we were proud of. We were just a couple of goals away from making it to the final four again.”

While Auslander played some good lacrosse this season as he tallied 55 points on 22 goals and 33 assists, he acknowledged he wasn’t as productive as he had hoped.

“What comes to mind with this season individually is just how much I enjoyed playing with my teammates,” said Auslander, who was hampered by a leg injury in the middle of the season. “Individually, it was a good year. I would not say it was my best personally, but it was just so much fun getting that extra year. It was taking advantage of the tough times of COVID and what that entailed, just being able to get my master’s degree and play some more lacrosse.”

The Captains had fun in the early going, starting 5-0 as they overcame an early deficit against Hampden-Sydney in the season opener to pull out a 15-9 win and then got into a groove.

“Ultimately I think it was a good wakeup call for all of us,” said Auslander of the win over Hampden-Sydney. “After we went down 5-2, it was good for us to gain some momentum. We started playing a lot better, so that was good. That kind of flowed into the next three or four games. The offense definitely started to click a lot better in those games. It felt like we got rid of the nerves of being expected to do so well.”

In early March, Christopher Newport tested their nerve as they headed to New England to play at Tufts and lost 18-10 to the eventual national champion Jumbos.

“That was an unbelievable trip, it was just a privilege to be able to play against such a highly respected program,” said Auslander. “The parents and coaches did an unbelievable job of getting us up to Massachusetts. It is not easy bringing 60 guys on a plane anywhere.”

Down the stretch, the Captains flew high, posting five straight wins to wrap up regular season play.

“It felt like going into the conference tournament, that was the best lacrosse we were playing,” said Auslander. “We were super happy with how we got back to our identity. It felt like earlier in the year, we didn’t really have the groove that we had in the past with all of the other teams I have been on. In the last five games, it is we have got something going.”

Christopher Newport ended up falling 14-7 to powerhouse Salisbury in the final of the Coastal Lacrosse Conference (CLC) tournament and bounce back to top Cabrini 20-6 in the second round of the NCAA tournament and Stevens 12-5 in a Round of 16 contest. With the first two NCAA games being on their home field, those wins were memorable for the Captains.

“After beating Stevens, all of us sat on the field and it felt like just yesterday, it was our first time like the first time stepping on that field,” recalled Auslander. “It was a pretty surreal moment for all of the guys that contributed to the team, especially the guys in my class who are my best friends, to have a moment to just enjoy the win and know that we took care of business on our field for the last time. It was definitely special.”

Facing RIT in the Division III quarterfinals, Christopher Newport took care of business in the early stages, leading 10-8 at halftime. But the tide turned in the second half as RIT outscored the Captains 11-5 to earn a 19-15 victory.

“We were up 6-1 or 5-1; it felt like our offense was clicking, we were scoring on almost every possession,” said Auslander, reflecting on the loss which left Christopher Newport with a final record of 16-6. “They just had the ability at halftime to flip the script. They started scoring a ton of goals, that is credit to them. They have a ton of offensive skill. Unfortunately we weren’t able to keep up. It was one of those things. We played our best lacrosse that game, they were just better. There is nothing to be too upset about.”

In the wake of the season, Auslander earned honorable mention All-American and second-team All-CLC honors. For Auslander, those honors were the product of a group effort, citing his family members, his PDS coaches, Rob Tuckman, Rich D’Andrea, and Joe Moore, along with Christopher Newport coach Mikey Thompson.

“I don’t really love the individual accolades, I would trade all of them for playing on championship weekend,” said Auslander, a three-time All-American. “I am not going to lie, it is special and cool to see when you get those honors but I would say personally there are so many people that I need to thank overall. So many coaches and my family that meant so much to me and really pushed me to be the best player I can be. I think it is a lot of credit to them and my teammates as well. So it is cool to see those honors and just know that those people had such an impact on me.”

Setting the career assist record is something that means a lot to Auslander since it reflects his desire to be a playmaker.

“It is a good description of the type of player I wanted to be and how many good players were surrounding me,” said Auslander who set a school record in starts for a midfielder with 79 and whose 265 points is the fourth-most in program history.

“When you look back at all of the great shooters and players that we had it was pretty easy to throw them the ball. I definitely wanted to be one of those guys that looked to create more for others than myself.”

This fall, Auslander will be looking to help some more good shooters as he has signed a two-year deal with the National Lacrosse League’s Ottawa Black Bears, who will begin their inaugural NLL campaign in December.

“First of all thank you to Ottawa for the opportunity, it is something that is really cool,” said Auslander. “It is something I have had my mind on. The GM is Rich Lisk (a PDS parent), he has had an eye on me for sure. To sign the contract, I think about I had a career that was good enough for them to take a chance on me. It is really special. I am excited to go to camp in the fall because I am already itching to do something competitive.”

Auslander is excited by the challenge of playing box lacrosse.

“Luckily for me our head coach at CNU got us a box facility for our school so every fall we have a box league,” said Auslander. “A lot of the offensive skills that we learned as a team were box skills. I will be transitioning to defense because the offensive guys in that league are so skilled players like Jeff Teat and stuff so they don’t need me on offense. To have those initial skills is going to be extremely helpful. Learning as much as possible will be great.”

As Auslander looks to make an impact for Ottawa, he will bring the same mindset that helped him produce his record-breaking career at Christopher Newport.

“To have the ability to just continue to work out and prepare myself for something at my size, I never thought I would be able to play a professional sport,” said Auslander, who started a job with Marsh McLennan in Washington, D.C. in early July. “It is continuing to try to prove people wrong and work as hard as I can. I am very excited for it.”