Even though the 2025 college lacrosse season is just a few weeks away, the Virginia Cavaliers skipped practice on Saturday to watch Cole Kastner play college basketball for Stanford. They drove more than three hours to witness one of the most electric buzzer-beaters of the year.
It was the perfect ending to the perfect road trip!
Kastner, a fifth-year senior, played four years of college lacrosse from 2021-2024 and won two national championships with the Hoos. He was named as the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 and twice nominated for the Tewaaraton Award, the Heisman Trophy of lax. His name will not soon be forgotten in Charlottesville.
The 6-foot-7, 215-pound defenseman was drafted into the Premier Lacrosse League by the California Redwoods in May but he chose to go a different route. Kastner transferred from Virginia to Stanford over the summer and joined the Cardinal’s basketball program as a walk-on.
As a native of Palo Alto, the opportunity to continue his academic and athletic career back in his home town, playing the sport that was once his first love, was one that he could not turn down. Cole Kastner is one of the best stories in college hoops this season and head coach Kyle Smith even used him as a human victory cigar against his former school earlier this week, which was awesome!
Stanford is now a member of the ACC so the Cardinal plays on the east coast far more often than it did as a member of the Pac-12. It played at North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Saturday.
Cole Kastner’s former teammates made the trip!
Even though Virginia lacrosse is only 18 days away from its season-opener, the Cavaliers cancelled practice so they could road trip together to support their friend and former teammate. Chapel Hill is only 185 miles from Charlottesville so it is the closest away game he will play this season.
🤩 Great seeing you and congrats on the dub, @ckast_!! pic.twitter.com/8nEvLqYrB5
— Virginia Men's Lacrosse (@UVAMensLax) January 18, 2025
Kastner did not get in the game but the Hoos got to witness an electric buzzer-beater from just a few rows off of the floor, right in front of the game-winning basket. Stanford won by one in epic fashion.
JAYLEN BLAKES HITS THE GAME-WINNER VS. NORTH CAROLINA 😱 @StanfordMBB pic.twitter.com/cNofrTatCB
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) January 18, 2025
Virginia lacrosse will get back to work on Sunday. They put their preseason preparation on pause for a day to watch Cole Kastner play college basketball after a four-year career as one of the best laxers in school history. Pretty neat.