While Christopher Newport looks forward to the return of intercollegiate competitions, CNUSports.com will 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
Kicking off one of the most storied seasons in Christopher Newport athletics history, James Ratcliff won his first race of the year while leading the Captains to the team title during the Lebanon Valley Invitational at Memorial Lake State Park on September 10, 1994. During the competition, he shattered the course record in 25:59 and paced a tremendous team effort, which helped propel Christopher Newport into the national rankings for the first time in program history.
 
BACKSTORY
Entering the 1994 season, the Christopher Newport men's cross country team was built for success. Stocked with a veteran-laden roster, head coach Dave Sobal's squad welcomed back Ratcliff and Adam Rowland, who were fresh off NCAA Championship appearances in 1993. Meanwhile, fellow All-Region honorees Rich Schugeld and Mark Earnest were also ready to make another run at a South / Southeast title.
 
In addition to their individual accolades, the veterans on the 1994 squad were battle-tested in championship events. During the previous season, they captured the Dixie and Mason-Dixon Conference titles while also collecting the Virginia State Championship.
 
MEET RECAP
The Lebanon Valley Invitational served as the perfect opening chapter to the story of the 1994 Captains. After the men placed third at the same competition in 1993, Christopher Newport had the opportunity to display its growth over the past 12 months. Competing against 28 other colleges, including some of the top-ranked programs in the Mid-East Region, the Captains stepped up under the bright lights during their showcase at Memorial Lake State Park.
 
In a field of 228 runners, including 15 who eventually advanced to the 1994 NCAA Championships, Christopher Newport flooded the top of the standings. At the forefront, Ratcliff demolished the course record with a time of 25:59, which shaved 23 seconds off the previous 8k mark.
 
In a tight grouping at the front of the field, three other Captains also placed in the top-10. Schugeld finished fourth in 26:25, Earnest was sixth in 26:34, and Lemuel Pearsall cruised to a seventh-place showing in 26:51. Rounding out the team's scorers, freshman Kevin Allen made a successful debut after finishing 21st in 27:59, which placed him fourth among first-year competitors.
 
Fittingly, Christopher Newport ran away with the team title after posting a total score of 39, which easily out-distanced Trenton State's second-place mark of 80.
  
POSTSCRIPT
For its performance in the season opener, the men's cross country team garnered national acclaim. In addition to Ratcliff and Allen sweeping the conference's Runner and Rookie of the Week Awards, the country took notice. For the first time in the program's illustrious history, the Captains were slotted in the national rankings. Christopher Newport made its debut immediately after the Lebanon Valley Invitational, snatching the No. 16 spot in the NCAA Division III poll released on September 13.

Following his historic season debut, Ratcliff put together one of the most dominant single campaigns by any athlete in Christopher Newport history. Before taking part in the NCAA Championships in November, the Portsmouth, Virginia native competed in seven meets. He won all seven. But he didn't just win those races. He dominated them. In four of his outings, he established a course record, setting new standards during the Lebanon Valley and Frostburg State Invitationals as well as the Virginia State and NCAA South / Southeast Regional Championships.
 
For his work during the year, Ratcliff was celebrated as the State, Conference, and Region Runner of the Year.
 
Although he was limited by cramps during his appearance at the NCAA Championships in 1994, Ratcliff returned to the competition for the third time in 1995. During his final appearance with the Captains at the national meet in La Crosse, Wisconsin, he traversed the 8k course in 24:51. That established a new PR, marked the second-fastest clocking in school history, and earned him All-American accolades.
 
To this day, Ratcliff remains one of only two Captains who won a pair of regional titles, one of six who captured two conference championships, and one of seven All-Americans. Incredibly, 25 years after his final appearance with the program, his top 8k mark still stands as the fifth-fastest by a Captain.
 
Buoyed by Ratcliff's historic season, the 1994 Christopher Newport men's cross country team won each of its first seven competitions while successfully defending the Dixie, Mason-Dixon, and Virginia State Championships. Meanwhile, the team also climbed as high as 14th in the national rankings, snatched the program's first-ever South / Southeast Regional crown, and finished 21st at the NCAA Championships. Schugeld, Earnest, Rowland, and Pearsall all joined Ratcliff on the All-Region team, while Allen and Nelson Roberson were All-Conference selections as well.
 
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