For as long as he could remember, lacrosse meant one thing for a young Tyler Carpenter: Duke.

Growing up in Durham, N.C., Carpenter and his family were immersed in the university and its athletic programs. Carpenter’s mother, Jolene, is the head volleyball coach at Duke and had formed a close bond with former Blue Devils lacrosse coach Mike Pressler. 

Carpenter recalls his earliest lacrosse memories of being at Duke lacrosse practices and running around Koskinen Stadium in hopes that he would eventually live out the dream that stared him right in the eyes.

It was through that fandom that Carpenter was introduced to the player who changed the course of his lacrosse career: CJ Costabile.

Costabile is widely regarded as one of the best long-stick midfielders in NCAA history. His shining moment came when he stormed down the middle of the field and scored the overtime game-winning goal in the 2010 National Championship, giving Duke its first national title in program history. 

"I'll never forget when Coach (Ron) Caputo wrote in a letter to me in high school," Carpenter said, referring to the longtime Duke assistant, "that said how CJ Costabile changed my life forever.”

Carpenter grew up to fulfill his childhood dream, playing five seasons for the Blue Devils and becoming a three-time All-American at the LSM position. He finished his Duke career with 282 ground balls and 83 caused turnovers. 

When the New York Atlas selected Carpenter in the fourth round of the 2024 College Draft, it was a full-circle moment for him, as Pressler chose a player whom he had seen blossom on the field from a young age.

“I didn’t really have any reach-outs or teams contacting me before the draft, so I went into draft day uncertain,” Carpenter said. “I love Coach Pressler and I loved that he took a chance on me.” 

Carpenter quickly exploded onto the scene as a PLL rookie. He finished with 41 ground balls, six caused turnovers and seven points (4G, 2T, 1A). Carpenter was an All-Star, a first-team All-Pro and the Brodie Merrill Long-Stick Midfielder of the Year. 

Although he was taken in the last round of the draft, Carpenter became a foundational player not only for his team, but for the league as a whole. 

“I never really expected it to get to this,” Carpenter said. “My whole life was solely to play for Duke lacrosse, and now I get this new experience that I didn’t think was a possibility or in my future. … I’m just enjoying this every day, and hope I play for as long as possible.”

This season, Carpenter will get to enjoy another new experience: playing alongside Costabile.

New York signed the 35-year-old this offseason to make him and Carpenter a one-two punch at LSM. 

Costabile, who got to know Carpenter as a boy, called the second-year pro “a thoughtful kid” who is “always trying to get better and always taking skills from other people’s games.” 

“To see how he has propelled himself in the college game and being a disruptor … and he was a late-round pick at the end of the day,” Costabile said. “That didn’t deter him and the fact that he was able to dominate and be the first LSM of the Year outside of Michael Erhardt speaks volumes (about) him. His effort and his ability to have an influence on that is pretty special.”