NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Following a commanding victory over Roanoke on Saturday, the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team vaulted to fourth in the USILA National Coaches Poll, while Dylan Rice and Phoenix Hines swept the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week Awards for their individual efforts during the season opener.

After kicking off the year ranked fifth by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association, the Captains moved up one spot while also securing a first-place vote. The No. 4 position is the highest achieved by the team since Christopher Newport was slotted third in the poll on March 22, 2021.

Meanwhile, on an individual level, Rice and Hines were celebrated by the conference for their work on Saturday. The Offensive Player of the Week Award is the third for Rice after he was previously honored for his efforts on April 30, 2018 and May 3, 2021. Meanwhile, Hines was named the Defensive Player of the Week for the second time in his career after earning his first award on February 24, 2020.

Piecing together a record-setting season opener, Rice was unstoppable during a 22-5 victory over Roanoke on Saturday at Jennings Family Stadium. Against the Maroons, the fifth-year senior established a new school record with eight goals, topping the seven strikes scored by Andrew Evans against Tri-State on March 8, 2008. Meanwhile, his 10 total points matched his own program standard set against St. Mary's (Md.) on May 1, 2021.

Lighting up Roanoke with a relentless assault, Rice opened the scoring with the game's first goal less than a minute into regulation. Later, after adding a pair of assists, he orchestrated one of the most incredible offensive showcases in program history.

Over the course of the second and third quarters, Rice unloaded seven shots. All seven found the back of the cage. Putting a fitting punctuation mark on his award-winning performance, he scored his final four goals during an electric four-minute stretch at the end of the third period, which solidified his spot in the history books.

Along with his offensive efforts, Rice also equaled his career-high with four caused turnovers, including an athletic interception while toeing the sideline early in the first quarter, which eventually set-up the squad's third tally.

While Rice was dominating on the offensive side, Hines was lethal on the defensive end. The fifth-year standout swarmed the opposition while leading the Captains with five caused turnovers. That also equaled the third-highest total of his decorated career and tied the most by any Captain since he posted six against Hampden-Sydney on February 22, 2020.

Making an impact throughout the game, Hines forced one turnover in each of the first two quarters before causing three in the third. Aided by that performance, Christopher Newport eventually finished the game with 32 total takeaways, marking the second-most in program history, falling just three shy of the record set against Virginia Wesleyan on March 19, 2019.

In addition to his five caused turnovers, Hines also secured a pair of ground balls while continuing to serve as a wing on the faceoff unit. Against the Maroons, he helped the Captains control possession and win 24 of the game's 30 faceoffs, which equaled the fourth-most victories in a single game in school history.

Hines, Rice, and the rest of the Captains will return to action on February 19 when Christopher Newport travels to Randolph-Macon for a non-conference showdown at noon.

---ISH---