From Field to Flight, Aaron Rubeling Brings His All to Lacrosse and Engineering
Aaron Rubeling ’25 transferred to York College of Pennsylvania to pursue high-level lacrosse and a hands-on engineering program.
As he wrapped up community college in late 2022, Aaron Rubeling ’25 wasn’t sure what came next. He wanted to keep playing collegiate lacrosse, but he also wanted a Mechanical Engineering program that would push him and prepare him for the future.
At York College of Pennsylvania, he found both: a top-ranked Division III lacrosse team and a hands-on Mechanical Engineering program with mandatory co-ops, small class sizes, and professors who know their students. He transferred to York College for the 2023 Spring Semester, ready to grow as both an athlete and an engineer.
Time Management is Key
As a Mechanical Engineering major and long stick midfielder on the men’s lacrosse team, Rubeling has quickly made a name for himself at York College. He’s a two-time Dean’s List honoree, balancing the demands of student-athlete life on and off the field.
Of the 245 Division III men’s lacrosse teams across the country, the Spartans ranked 10th heading into the NCAA DIII Championship on May 10 and 11, with York College hosting the second and third rounds.
Time management, Rubeling says, has made it all possible.
“When we’re in season for lacrosse, it gets pretty hectic. I have to watch film, scout other teams,” he says. “Time management was something that has gotten refined at York College when it got more intensive. You have to have discipline and set up a system for yourself that’s going to work.”
Building a Drone from Scratch
Rubeling graduated in May 2025 and during his senior year, he was part of a hands-on capstone project guided by Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Stephen “Drew” Wilkerson, Ph.D. The team originally set out to build a drone with multispectral imaging to help farmers monitor crop health. The project pivoted in fall 2024 when Dr. Wilkerson invited them to join a design competition: build a drone capable of flying real-world emergency missions.
“We knew it would be a big challenge for us to design our own drone,” Rubeling says. “We didn’t have much knowledge about drones coming into this.”
The team built both a prototype hexacopter and a quadcopter to compete in a vertical flight challenge in Aberdeen, MD. Their drone completed all its missions, including water-drop simulations to mimic fighting wildfires.
The competition was just one example of York College’s hands-on learning in action. In the summer of 2023, Rubeling completed an engineering co-op with Utz Brands in Hanover, where he led a Microsoft HoloLens project to improve repair processes on the production floor. He also assisted with major equipment repairs and plant layout design.
“They offer a pre-internship class, and that really helped out a lot,” he says of York College’s preparation for co-ops. “It’s helpful to know that the school has your back.”
The Importance of Communication
This summer, Rubeling will intern at RPM Tech in Jarrettsville, MD, where he’ll help design and prototype everything from medical equipment to military-grade components for canine units. Though engineering and athletics might seem worlds apart, Rubeling sees clear connections.
“Although it’s two different sides of the table, I think that both have ties to competitiveness, teamwork, and communication,” he says. “When I’m playing defense in lacrosse, I work with six other guys. When I’m working on the drone team, I work with my teammates to complete the projects. It’s something you wouldn't think of in an academic environment, but you can take from the lacrosse field to the academic setting.”
With graduation behind him and his final collegiate lacrosse season complete, Rubeling is shifting his focus fully to the future. Armed with a Mechanical Engineering degree, real-world co-op experience, and a capstone project that took flight—literally—he’s well-positioned to enter the field of design engineering. Whether it’s advancing drone technology or contributing to national defense, Rubeling is ready for what’s next.
