CLEVELAND, Ohio -- After a banner season for Christopher Newport Athletics, including a pair of NCAA National Championships, the Captains finished 18th in the 2021-22 LEARFIELD Directors' Cup standings. Recording a record-high 695.5 points, Christopher Newport secured a top-20 finish for the fourth time and continued a streak of top-50 finishes that now stands at 14 consecutive years.
The annual survey used to determine the top overall collegiate athletic programs in the country released it's final standings on Thursday morning, listing CNU among the nation's elite while shattering the program record for points in the Cup standings by over 40. The Captains finished a record-high 14th in the 2016-17 Learfield Directors' Cup standings and then set a program record for points with 651 in a 15th place finish in 2017-18. This year, CNU ranks 18th nationally with a new watermark with 695.5 points scored.
The record-setting campaign was highlighted by scoring performances in 12 sports for Christopher Newport. Founded in 1993, the Directors' Cup honors institutions maintaining a broad-based athletics program. It awards points based upon how far each team advances in the NCAA postseason. Overall, 18 sports are included in the Division III model. This year, Tufts University claimed the overall title while Johns Hopkins, Middlebury, MIT, and Washington (Mo.) rounded out the top-five.
The Captains were the highest finishing program in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference and second in the Commonwealth behind only 12th-place Washington and Lee University. Powered by a national championship in women's soccer, Christopher Newport was in seventh place following the Fall standings with 280 total points; the Captains added 137 points in the Winter standings and dropped to 21st overall; and, finally, a softball national championship and four total sports in the Spring led to 278.50 points and boosted CNU up to 18th overall.
Women's Soccer and Softball earned the maximum 100 points, respectively, for their sports to lead the way. In the winter, a National Quarterfinals appearance for the men's basketball program added 73 points while the sixth consecutive Sweet 16 appearance for women's basketball chipped in 64 points. In addition to softball's title run, the men's lacrosse program had a record finish and contributed 73 points to the Learfield Cup standings.
Along with women's soccer, the Captains picked up points in five other sports during the fall campaign. Men's and women's cross country, field hockey, men's soccer, and volleyball each advanced to the NCAA Championship event to bolster a dominant fall season. In the spring, baseball and men's golf each added scoring performances as well. The CNU baseball team reached the NCAA Regional Championship game and the Captains' golfers made the cut at nationals and finished 17th overall.
At the conclusion of the year, the Captains hauled in the C2C's Richard C. Cook All-Sports Award as announced on Thursday, sweeping the three Commissioner's Awards for the third time.
2021-22 Christopher Newport Sport-by-Sport Directors' Cup Scores
| Sport |
Place |
Points |
| Men's Cross Country |
33rd |
32.5 |
| Women's Cross Country |
33rd |
32 |
| Field Hockey |
17th |
25 |
| Women's Soccer |
1st |
100 |
| Men's Soccer |
9th |
64 |
| Volleyball |
33rd |
25 |
| Men's Basketball |
5th |
73 |
| Women's Basketball |
9th |
64 |
| Baseball |
17th |
50 |
| Men's Golf |
17th |
57 |
| Men's Lacrosse |
5th |
73 |
| Softball |
1st |
100 |
| TOTAL |
|
695.5 |
Christopher Newport All-Time LEARFIELD Directors' Cup Scores
| Year |
Place |
Points |
| 1995-96 |
57th |
83.50 |
| 1996-97 |
62nd |
156.50 |
| 1997-98 |
21st |
|
| 1998-99 |
79th |
|
| 1999-00 |
50th |
|
| 2000-01 |
31st |
|
| 2001-02 |
41st |
|
| 2002-03 |
33rd |
|
| 2003-04 |
117th |
129.50 |
| 2004-05 |
51st |
246.00 |
| 2005-06 |
89th |
172.00 |
| 2006-07 |
34th |
396.13 |
| 2007-08 |
44th |
350.50 |
| 2008-09 |
31st |
420.50 |
| 2009-10 |
31st |
444.50 |
| 2010-11 |
20th |
585.75 |
| 2011-12 |
23rd |
485.00 |
| 2012-13 |
29th |
454.50 |
| 2013-14 |
40th |
390.00 |
| 2014-15 |
29th |
463.00 |
| 2015-16 |
40th |
425.00 |
| 2016-17 |
14th |
624.00 |
| 2017-18 |
15th |
651.00 |
| 2018-19 |
37th |
425.00 |
| 2021-22 |
18th |
695.50 |
*no standings were released in 2019-20 or 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic
