Cooper Kistler is a standout LSM/defenseman on the ADVNC NDP ‘22 squad who will be playing for Princeton this Fall.
Kistler in the early days of his ADVNC career.
Cooper’s dad, Dave, played lacrosse growing up on the East Coast and later in college at Trinity University in San Antonio. He introduced Cooper to lacrosse. When Cooper was in 1st grade, he joined his first lacrosse team, playing for Matt Ogelsby and All West in San Francisco. Cooper fell in love with the sport right away and soon tried out for one of the very first ADVNC travel teams.
“Back then, there was not a travel team for 3rd graders in San Francisco or Marin,” said Cooper. “However, I was nervous and a little scared to go down to Atherton and tryout for ADVNC. But my parents encouraged me to just try it. I remember meeting JP Underwood, Jackson Degner, Oliver Bligh, and Luke Williams and we immediately became close friends eliminating any of my early anxieties. I absolutely loved it and looked forward to practices every weekend.”
“Many people thought we were crazy, driving our 3rd grade son back and forth from Marin and Atherton several times a week or traveling around the country during the summer,” said Dave Kistler. “However, Coop gained so much confidence learning from amazing coaches and absolutely loved the experience, as he was making lifelong friendships with his teammates and being exposed to unique experiences across the country. It was very clear early on that Chris Rotelli (ADVNC Founder & CEO) and the ADVNC coaching staff were creating a very positive and constructive environment where they were not just developing players skills but building great kids. They knew how to mix fun, instruction, respect for others, coupled with the right amount of high-level competition and instruction to push the kids to be the best players and people they could be.”
“The ADVNC team was all about having fun in those days,” said Cooper. “I remember the first tourney down in San Diego was an absolute blast. I have so many great little memories of being young and playing with ADVNC.”
“ADVNC has meant much more to our family than just Coop’s skill development and playing competitive lacrosse,” said Cooper’s mom, Tori. “The community that we have been fortunate to become a part of within ADVNC is amazing. There are so many wonderful families, coaches and young men with ADVNC. It’s truly one big family. The ADVNC community has taught Cooper more than what it takes to succeed at the highest level. He has learned when to lead, to follow, how to care for others in his community, and how to be a great teammate. That’s been invaluable in his personal development. While the time sacrifice has been significant, we would do it again in a heartbeat. It has enriched all our lives so much.”
Kistler is a captain at Westminster in Connecticut.
For High School, Cooper decided to leave Marin and attend boarding school on the East Coast. He attends Westminster School in Connecticut, where he will graduate this month. Despite being on the other side of the country, Cooper has continued to play for the ADVNC NDP while also being coached at Westminster by one of Chris Rotelli’s former UVA and MLL teammates, Ryan Curtis.
When he got to Westminster, Cooper quickly felt at home. “I went to the East Coast because I wanted to explore life beyond the bay area, and I wanted to get out of my comfort zone. I was able to have a very unique experience that helped me embrace a constructive level of discomfort and change while still getting to play sports at a high level.”
At Westminster, Cooper found tremendous success on and off the field. He was voted Head Prefect by his peers, which translates into being President of the student body. He has also captained both the varsity lacrosse team (2 yrs), the varsity basketball team this past year, and ran varsity cross-country his sophomore year.
Throughout his lacrosse journey, Cooper has had several people he’s looked up to as mentors. In addition to Chris Rotelli, Cooper credits former SHP, ADVNC and Denver defenseman Sean Mayle with helping to inspire him. He also has a strong relationship with former Syracuse player Niko Manning. When he got to Westminster, he found another mentor. “Bear Lockshin was a senior when I was a freshman,” Cooper said. “Bear is now playing at Princeton. He told me right away, we were going to the gym to workout every day at 6am. He would text me every morning, saying let’s go to the gym, to class, and then hit the field or wall for practice. Since my freshman year that became my daily routine.”
Kistler in the Finals at Naptown in 2020.
When the college recruiting process began on September 1, 2020, Cooper and his parents relied heavily on Chris Rotelli. “I sat down and talked to Coach Rotelli and went over what I was looking for in a school and lacrosse program,” Cooper said. “He gave me a list of schools he thought would be a good fit, and most were Ivy league schools. I was fortunate to attend a prospect day at Princeton my sophomore year, and it was always my top choice. However, in September of Junior year Princeton indicated to Chris that they were going to take things slowly as they built the defensive side of the 2022 recruiting class. As a result, I initially committed to Brown.”
During the 2021 summer, Princeton became more involved with Cooper. Coach Madalon (Princeton’s Head Coach) happened to be at a pickup game organized by Jack Huber (former ADVNC Coach) in the Bay Area that Cooper and other high school and college players attended. Shortly thereafter, Madalon contacted Coach Rotelli and said he was impressed with Cooper’s development and size.
“Following that, one of Princeton’s coaches came to almost every single one of my games last summer,” said Cooper. “They were communicating through Rotelli and he let me know that they were interested in me. Since Princeton had always been my #1 choice, I had to start considering switching from the amazing opportunity I had at Brown.”
“The Princeton coaches were very respectful regarding Coop’s commitment to Brown and knew it would be a very difficult decision for him to switch,” Dave Kistler said. “However, given the level of individual communication Coop had with all their coaches it became clear that he would have a similar extremely close relationship with Princeton’s coaches as he had with Coach Rotelli. Ultimately, that was the deciding factor regarding his decision to switch.”
“I know several guys on Princeton’s team. In addition to Lockshin, I know Tommy and Billy Barnds from ADVNC and also Jack Crockett. It was an advantage talking to those guys about the Program and getting an inside perspective on what it would be like. As a result, I decided to commit to Princeton right before my senior year started this past Fall.”
Kistler on the ADVNC ‘22 NDP team in the summer of ‘21.
As Cooper reflects on his journey, he credits both Jono Zissi of West Coast Starz and Rotelli for guiding him through the process. “Seeing Coach Rotelli’s skill and learning from him early on, he’s always been someone I looked up to,” Cooper said. “But as I got older and we started interacting on a more personal level, he’s become someone I really respect immensely, and I’ve looked to him for guidance and mentorship. He’s been with me every step of the way. Every single time I reach out to him, he responds right away.”
While Cooper has relied heavily on mentors, he has the following advice for young players who aspire to follow in his own footsteps. “Be consistent,” he said. “I wish I could go back and tell my 7th grade self to spend 10 more minutes on the wall every single day. You have to work at this every day. Most importantly, you have to love it. Make it fun. If it’s not fun, don’t do it. Just surround yourself with a community of people who are passionate and driven about the same thing you are, regardless of what it is. Success comes from consistent hard work and loving what you do.”