NEW ORLEANS -- Six Captains earned a spot on the National All-Academic cross country squad, while both the men's and women's teams also picked up awards for their collective work in the classroom as Christopher Newport was well-represented among the national academic honorees selected by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Headlining the decorated contingent, Logan Funk and Eric Speeney were both celebrated for the second time after securing national plaudits in 2019 as well. Meanwhile, Maggie Ralston, Daniel Ferrante, Nathanael Ferrante, and Ryan Henderson were first-time honorees for their work in the fall.

Overall, the six selections marked the most in program history, topping the five award-winners in 2017 and 2019.

To earn the individual honor, a student-athlete must have a cumulative 3.30 GPA and finish in the top-25 percent at the NCAA Regionals.

Along with the individual selections, the men's and women's squads were both honored as USTFCCCA National All-Academic Teams. In order to qualify, a squad must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.1. Overall, the women received the national award for the 13th time since 2007, while the men were previously honored in 2012, 2019, and 2020.

On the women's side, Funk received the award after piecing together an incredible senior campaign. The finance major was celebrated as the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year after winning the league title and setting a new school record in the 6k with a time of 21:44. Eventually, she also placed sixth at the South Regionals and wrapped up the year with an appearance at the NCAA Championships.

Along with Funk, Ralston also garnered All-Conference and All-Region accolades for her work during the year. The psychology major eventually finished 16th at the league meet and 31st at the NCAA Regionals while setting a 6k PR with a time of 23:35.5 at the Paul Short Run in October.

For the men, Speeney returned to the All-Academic team following another impressive campaign. The senior hauled in first-team All-Conference honors and moved into the top-20 in program history in the 8k after finishing in 25:27.5 at the league championship. Later, the electrical engineering major capped off the year as an All-Region performer after placing 24th at the South Championship.

Equally impressive during his senior campaign, Henderson was a dominant force during the conference meet. At the title competition, he placed second overall after finishing the 8k in 25:02.7, which vaulted him to seventh on the program's all-time performance list. The computer science major also garnered All-Region accolades after coming in 25th during the South Championship.

Along with the veteran performers, Daniel Ferrante garnered second-team All-League accolades after coming in 11th at the conference meet. Continuing his award-winning fall, the computer science major also earned a spot on the All-South squad after finishing 18th overall at the regional competition.

Joining his twin brother on the All-Academic Team, Nathanael Ferrante also excelled throughout the fall. His finest showcase came during the South Championships when he finished 20th while garnering All-Region nods. With that performance, he joined his brother as the first pair of Captains to place in the top-20 at the regional competition since 2017.

Aided by the decorated contingent, the men eventually finished third at the South Regionals in November, while the women placed fourth at the prestigious competition.

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