NEWPORT NEWS, VA- The Christopher Newport athletic department finished #31 in the nation (out of 429 Division III schools) following the completion of the 2008/2009 athletic season. The ranking comes in Learfield Sports Directors' Cup, a national list that consists of all Division III schools that qualified for NCAA play during the past school year.
The Captains finished with 420.50 points, the highest of any USA South Athletic Conference school and also the highest of any Division III school in Virginia. The 31st-place finish is the third highest year-end ranking in program history.
The Cup, formerly known as the Sears Cup, ranked the 310 programs that earned points out of 429 total Division III institutions in the nation. Schools received points only for programs that advanced to NCAA competition. Christopher Newport's highest finish ever was 21st in the nation following the 2002/2003 season.
CNU squads won 69 percent of their contests during the 2008/2009 school year, earning the state honor for having the highest winning percentage of all non-Division I athletic departments in the Commonwealth. The Captains also had a school-record eight teams qualify for NCAA play, and produced nine All-Americans.
The department again this year earned the USA South Athletic Conference President's Cup, the annual award for the most successful athletic program in the conference, for a record 12th straight year. Christopher Newport won the men's, women's, and overall President's Cup for athletic excellence.
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