Lacrosse player Crosby perseveres through injury and trauma

Ian Crosby, of Yarmouth Port, co-captain of the Denison University lacrosse team, has scored 11 goals and 2 assists on 27 shots so far this season. [Jace Delgado for Denison Athletics] JR DELGADO, JACE DELGADO JRDPHOTOGRAPHY

After overcoming two injuries in college, 23-year-old senior Ian Crosby, of Yarmouth Port, is now the co-captain of the men's lacrosse team at Denison University in Ohio.

Growing up, Crosby watched his older brother play hockey and lacrosse. Crosby started playing hockey at the age of 5, football at 7, and lacrosse when he was in second grade. In high school, Crosby played all three sports for Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School.

He transferred to Deerfield Academy in 2015 and repeated his junior year with the goal to play lacrosse in college. "The lacrosse program was one of the best in the country when I went there,” he said.

His father, Bill Crosby, thought the transfer to Deerfield was good because there was a higher level of competition. 

“A lot of the kids on that team are playing D-I in college, so that’s where the competitiveness in playing at a very high level prepared him, Bill said. 

At Deerfield, Crosby started every lacrosse game at midfield as a junior and senior. For football, he played wherever they needed him, which included wide receiver, linebacker, running back, cornerback, safety and quarterback his senior year.

He had never started a game at Denison prior to this year. But now,  Crosby has started every game and  has garnered 11 goals and 2 assists on 27 shots so far, helping to lead Denison to an 8-1 record.

Denison University was not Crosby’s first choice. Coming out of high school, he was interested in small New England schools like Amherst, Middlebury and Trinity colleges. However, a visit to Denison changed his mind. 

“It felt right when I visited and it has been an unreal experience ever since,” Crosby said. “I was never looking at any schools that were D-I or D-II for lacrosse because the D-III levels for lacrosse are ranked really high.”

Denison is an NCAA top 10 Division III lacrosse program that recruited Crosby for football and lacrosse, but his college experience did not start as planned. During preseason football training camp his freshman year, Crosby tore his shoulder labrum and missed the whole season. 

Despite the injury, he recovered in time to play lacrosse in the spring. After the football injury Crosby decided just to play lacrosse.

Two weeks into fall lacrosse scrimmages and practices his sophomore year, Crosby broke his ankle and needed surgery, leaving him sidelined for the majority of the season. Crosby says it was tough attending the practices and watching his teammates. 

“At the same time, you're watching practice and it gives you that much more motivation to keep going at rehab ... so you can get back out there and compete and show the coaches why I was recruited,” he said. 

Following the ankle injury, Crosby was in a cast for six weeks and in a walking boot for another four. He says the rehab was annoying at times because it consisted of picking up marbles with his toes to strengthen his ankle muscles.

“When you're religious to rehab, you start seeing results. And that was the motivating thing for me because every day it seemed like it was getting a little bit better, so I was getting closer to getting back on the field,” Crosby said. 

Bill Crosby says he felt helpless because he was not there to help his son during the rehab process.

“We were very dependent on him being independent and being able to take care of himself,” Bill said. “He’s just a blue-collar kid who never gave up.”

Denison junior and lacrosse co-captain Joey Rochte, of Hingham, says their team has a lot of depth and when someone gets injured, it is extremely difficult for them to get their spot back.

“I think he showed that grit and tenacity to not only win his spot back but become a huge part of the team after his injury,” Rochte said. “Ian ... brings a level of intensity every day that makes everybody else want to match it.”

On July 4, 2018, Crosby experienced another tragedy when his sister-in-law passed away from complications after childbirth.

“It was definitely tough being so far away from home, but being able to play lacrosse and be around my teams always helped me through that tremendously,” Crosby said.

Bill says that the family endured a lot of trauma, and for Ian to play through that showed his perseverance and resilience to continue.

Crosby is majoring in economics, with a minor in political science. After college, he plans to work as a paralegal for a law firm in the Boston Seaport.