While Christopher Newport looks forward to the return of intercollegiate competitions, our friends at TowneBank are partnering with CNUsports.com to spend some time throughout the fall semester looking back at a few of the more memorable moments in the storied history of the athletic department. Over the course of the next three months, the Captains will honor the anniversary of three dozen record-setting accomplishments, championship-clinching victories, and other historic events in order to celebrate the past while preparing for even more great moments in the future.

AT A GLANCE
Claiming the first women's cross country title in Dixie Conference history, Christopher Newport ran away with the team crown during the championship race at Hagan-Stone Park on October 22, 1994. Headlining the inaugural competition, Nicole Horn won the individual title in a close battle with teammate Jennifer Zoby. Overall, five Captains finished in the top six while registering a total team score of 18.
 
BACKSTORY
While women's cross country was new to the Dixie Conference in 1994, it was already an established sport at Christopher Newport. In fact, the 1994 Captains boasted two of the most accomplished runners in program history.
 
Entering their first league championship, Nicole Horn and Jennifer Freeburn were already standout performers. A senior on the squad, Freeburn had previously earned a pair of All-Region honors for her efforts in 1991 and 1992. Meanwhile, Horn had also secured a spot on the All-South / Southeast squad during each of her first two campaigns in 1992 and 1993.
                                                  
Although Horn and Freeburn were the headliners, the 1994 squad was a deep collection of standout performers. In fact, entering the season, the roster boasted four veterans who already slotted among the top runners in school history. On the all-time 5k list, Horn came into the year ranked sixth (19:19), Freeburn was seventh (19:31), Chataime Melson was ninth (19:39), and Jennifer Zoby was 17th (20:38).
 
With four of the fastest runners in program history and a roster stocked with some of the top talent in the entire conference, the Captains entered the Dixie Championships as the favorites to win the league's first title.
 
MEET RECAP
In a showdown at Hagan-Stone Park in Greensboro, North Carolina, four schools battled for the chance to win the inaugural Dixie Conference Women's Cross Country Championship. Although Christopher Newport eventually ran away with the team title, the individual crown was a battle to the bitter end.
 
Looking to win the championship, three runners found themselves at the front of the field heading towards the finish line in the 5k. Nicole Horn and Jennifer Zoby were setting the pace with Methodist's Karen Auer closing in. On the cusp of history, the three front-runners were eventually separated by a mere three seconds as Horn edged out her competition.
 
Snatching the first title, Horn finished the inaugural race in 21:25. Placing second, Zoby finished a tick behind in 21:26, while Auer was third in 21:28.
 
Leading the second wave of finishers, Jennifer Freeburn clocked in at 21:44, while Chataime Melson was fifth in 21:53. Tonni Wells also pieced together a terrific debut and led all freshman competitors with a 21:58 clocking, which placed her sixth overall. Rounding out the top performers, Karen Jenkins also came in ninth with a 22:55 mark.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport's top-five finishers recorded a score of 18. That far outdistanced runner-up Averett's total of 65.
 
POSTSCRIPT
When Horn crossed the line at Hagan-Stone Park, she finished a race and began a dynasty. Twelve months later, she repeated as the Dixie Conference champion, and Christopher Newport won its second straight team title. By the time the Captains left the league to join the Capital Athletic Conference, they had won 16 of the 19 women's cross country crowns awarded by the Dixie / USA South Conference. They also boasted 14 of the individual champions.
 
Horn's historic run was the first of many. It opened the floodgates and allowed Christopher Newport to establish a cross country dynasty that has remained unbroken, including another league championship in the CAC during the 2019 campaign.
 
Eventually, Horn graduated as the program's most accomplished distance runner after also winning track & field titles in the 1500 and 3000, becoming the first Captain to win league championships in either discipline.
 
While the 1994 women's cross country team was the beginning of a dynasty, it also spelled the end of another era. After helping the Captains sweep both the men's and women's Dixie Conference titles in 1994, head coach Dave Sobal departed the program and became the coach at the University of Pittsburgh. One of Vince Brown's longtime assistants in both cross country and track & field, he helped establish a firm foundation that has propped up one of the finest dynasties in the South / Southeast Region.
 
For a full listing of the fall 2020 features published to date, click here.
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