NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport senior Aaron McFarland was selected the Middle Atlantic Region's Player of the Year and first team All-District Monday by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). McFarland, the Player of the Year in the Capital Athletic Conference, concluded his CNU career last weekend when the Captains were defeated by Franklin & Marshall in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

McFarland, from Richmond originally, led the Captains in scoring this season and ranked second in the CAC in both scoring (17.9 points per game) and three-pointers (2.8 per game). He set a new program record for career three-point field goals (267) and games played (117) and also made 86 percent of his free throws including his last 29 attempts at the foul stripe this year. His 35-point performance against Mary Washington in the CAC semi-finals set a career high in scoring for the sharp-shooting standout.

McFarland was joined on the first team All-District squad in the Middle Atlantic Region by Brandon Federici of Franklin & Marshall, Jay Howard of Catholic, Sam Light of Lebanon Valley, Dalton Myers of York, and Dejuan Smith of Albright. The announcement marks the 16th time Christopher Newport has had a first team All-District selection, and McFarland joins teammate Marcus Carter, who received District Player of the Year honors two seasons ago.

Also a first-team All-CAC pick, McFarland concluded his career with a trio of all-conference awards. He was a second-team all-star last season and a first-teamer in 2016. McFarland, a product of Massaponax High School, climbed into ninth place on the all-time scoring list.this year and finished with 1,552 career points including 502 points this year. He was a part of the most successful senior class in program history, recording a 99-20 record over four seasons and advancing to the Final Four, Sweet 16, and second round of the NCAA Tournament.

McFarland was the third straight CNU student-athlete to be selected Player of the Year in the CAC. Tim Daly received the award last year and Marcus Carter in 2015/2016. The Captains concluded the season with a 22-7 overall mark and were 14-4 in the CAC, good enough for a co-championship in the regular season with York College.