CAC Men's All-Conference Release // CAC Women's All-Conference Release

YORK, Pa. -- The Christopher Newport men's and women's cross country teams brought home an impressive collection of hardware following their terrific work at the Capital Athletic Conference Championships last weekend as 16 Captains earned All-League plaudits, while Grayson Reid and Emmie Schmitt swept the Athlete of the Year Awards to headline the CNU contingent.
 
Not only did the Captains sweep the conference's top accolades, but the squad also earned both Freshman of the Year awards. Jessica Lee and Zachary Witt were named the league's top first-year performers. Meanwhile, Matthew Barreau rounded out the individual honorees after being named the Men's Coach of the Year.
 
Headlining the award-winners, Reid secured his second straight CAC Athlete of the Year honor after claiming the league title last weekend. During the championship meet, he won the 8k with a time of 25:59, which was over 23 seconds faster than the next closest finisher. Guided by that performance, he became just the sixth runner in league history to win multiple conference titles after claiming the 2015 crown as well.
 
Along with his back-to-back Athlete of the Year accolades, the junior was also the league's Rookie of the Year in 2014. He is one of only two competitors in CAC history to win the league's top award twice after claiming the highest freshman honor.
 
Meanwhile, on the women's side, Schmitt became Christopher Newport's first female Athlete of the Year recipient since the program joined the Capital in 2013. The senior speedster earned the award after winning the 6k in 23:38.8, which was nearly five seconds faster than the conference's runner-up. 
 
In addition to the veteran standouts, Lee and Witt also brought home top plaudits. Lee was the highest freshman finisher on the women's side after placing second in 23:43.7. Witt was the men's top rookie after crossing the line in seventh with a 26:46.1 clocking.
 
Along with the individual honorees, 12 other Captains also secured All-Conference nods for their efforts during the CAC championships. Impressively, the men placed seven runners on the eight-person first-team squad. Joining Reid and Witt on the top team, senior JJ LaPointe, freshman Jason Putnam, and juniors Jeff Dover, Sam Murch, and Daniel Read all brought home first-team accolades.
 
Dover, Reid, and LaPointe are all three-time All-Conference performers.
 
Rounding out the men's honorees, freshman Cavanaugh McGaw, sophomore Peyton Artz, and senior Andrew Benfer collected second-team accolades.
 
On the women's side, three Captains nailed down first-team honors. Joining Lee and Schmitt on the squad, senior Logan Harrington nabbed top accolades after finishing eighth during the league championship.
 
In addition to the first-team performers, freshman Gena Lewis, sophomore Abigail May, and senior Briana Stewart all earned a spot on the second-team squad. Schmitt and Stewart are both four-time All-Conference recipients, while Harrington is a three-time first-team pick.
 
Guided by their All-League runners, the men's team eventually won its second straight league championship, while the women finished second at the title meet.
 
Christopher Newport will return to action on November 12 for the NCAA South / Southeast Regionals in Mount Berry, Georgia.
 
---CNU---