YORK, Pa. -- The fourth-ranked Christopher Newport field hockey team has been selected second in the Capital Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll and will open up the 2014 campaign on Saturday when the squad battles Denison in a neutral-site contest in Lexington, Virginia at 11 a.m.

After claiming the regular season CAC title last season, the Captains are once again viewed as a favorite in the league after picking up 31 points, including two first-place votes, in the preseason poll. Salisbury, who enters the year ranked second in the country, sits atop the CAC rankings with 35 points and five first-place votes. Mary Washington enters the year in third, while St. Mary's (Md.) and York (Pa.) round out the top-five.

Last season, during the program's first year in the CAC, Christopher Newport posted a pristine 6-0 regular season conference record while making a run to the NCAA Final Four. Overall, the Captains posted a program-best 21-2 record, including six victories against top-20 opponents.

Although the team graduated a record-breaking senior class, CNU still welcomes back its two leading scorers from a year ago. Belle Tunstall, who was named the NFHCA South Region Player of the Year, led the conference with 18 goals and 47 points. Lauren Cheatham also had a tremendous season in 2013, finishing fourth in the league with 14 goals and 34 points.

In addition to the two front-line scorers, the Captains also return four other starters from last year's squad. Senior Allie Hackbarth was a second-team All-Conference selection at midfield, while sophomore Bailey Lien earned first-team honors and set a new NCAA freshman record for victories after finishing the season 20-2. Alexa Hendrickson also started all 23 games for CNU, while Moira Wright cracked the lineup in 14 of her 19 appearances during the year.

Lisa Murphy, Miranda Hept, Samantha Snider, and Taylor Williams also saw action in at least 10 games last season while earning valuable experience during the squad's historic run.

Christopher Newport will kick off the 2014 season with a tough test on Saturday against Denison. The Big Red posted a 17-2 record last year, including a 13-1 mark in the North Coast Athletic Conference. The team is headlined by Alex Berman, who earned All-Region honors in 2013 after helping anchor a defense that allowed just 17 goals in the team's 19 games. Molly Chapman is the program's top returning scorer after contributing 10 points, including three goals, last year.

Following Saturday's action, the Captains will return to Newport News for their home opener on Wednesday, September 3, against No. 19 Lynchburg.

---CNU---