NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Christopher Newport Head Football Coach Art Link has announced the promotion of assistant coach Mike Costa and the hiring of McNeil Parker as the squad's defensive coordinator.
 
"I'm very excited to promote Mike Costa and welcome McNeil Parker to CNU football," Link said. "Coach Costa has done great work with our linebacking corps and will continue to be a key part of our staff. Coach Parker will be leading our defensive efforts and has tremendous knowledge and energy that he will bring to our student-athletes. We're all looking forward to a successful and exciting 2018 season."
 
Mike Costa will enter his fourth season on the staff of the Captains in 2018, and will be elevated to the position of linebackers coach and special teams coordinator. Costa has a wealth of coaching experience, a resume that includes more than 40 years of football leadership. He joined the CNU staff after a 12-year run as the head coach at St. Augustine's University in Raleigh, N.C., where he was named the CIAA Coach of the Year in 2003 and 2005.

He also led the program at Cheyney State University in Pennsylvania from 1984 to 1990. Costa's collegiate experience also includes time as an assistant at Cheyney State, Virginia Union, Hampton, and Elizabeth City State. His high school coaching past includes stints at schools in Wilmington, Delaware, and Miami, Florida.
 
McNeil Parker joins the Christopher Newport Staff as defensive coordinator following the resignation of Jay Kirland, who had led the CNU defense the last four seasons. Parker spent the last two seasons as the defensive coordinator at the Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey.  A native of Lake Bluff, Illinois, Parker previously spent time at the Division I level with stops at Lafayette College and Northwestern University.
 
At Lafayette, Parker worked primarily with safeties and coached first team All-Patriot League strong safety Jared Roberts.  Parker joined the Northwestern staff in the summer of 2010, and was named defensive graduate assistant coach in early 2012. He spent the first two seasons with Northwestern as a recruiting assistant before being elevated to a graduate assistant position. As a recruiting assistant, Parker designed and maintained the football team's social media sites, managed the recruiting database and helped organize recruiting trips and visits.
 
Parker attended Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. During his time at Kenyon he was a four-year letterwinner in football and tennis, playing quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back for the Lords. Parker earned his bachelor's degree from Kenyon in 2010 and completed his master's degree in Sports Administration at Northwestern in 2012.
 
Christopher Newport's 18^th season of football, with Art Link heading into his second season at the helm, will open in September. The schedule for the upcoming season is being finalized and will be released next week.