NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Christopher Newport University is ranked second in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) heading into the 2023 season, according to a pre-season poll of the league's seven coaches. The poll was released Monday morning.
Four-time defending champion Salisbury has been voted as the preseason favorite to repeat as NJAC champs,and the Sea Gulls, ranked 25th in the D3football.com preseason poll, garnered six of the seven possible first place votes.
The Captains, who were 7-3 last year and finished second, are followed by Rowan, who picked up a first place vote and is tabbed in the third position. The rest of the poll has Kean fourth, dark horse selection TCNJ fifth, Montclair State in the sixth spot, and William Paterson rounding out the poll.
The Captains enjoyed a six-game winning streak during Head Coach
Paul Crowley's first season at the helm in 2022, and finished with a 5-1 conference mark. Christopher Newport will open its 23nd season of action on Saturday, September 2nd, hosting the Knights of Southern Virginia University in a 5:00 p.m. start at TowneBank Stadium. The 2023 campaign will be the ninth for the Captains as a member of the NJAC, and Christopher Newport's six-game conference schedule will begin on Saturday, September 30
th, when CNU hosts Salisbury during Family Weekend in a 2:00 p.m. kickoff at TowneBank Stadium.
The Christopher Newport football program began play in 2001, and has enjoyed tremendous success over its first 22 seasons. CNU has compiled an all-time record of 135-85 for a winning percentage of .614. The Captains have won ten conference titles, and recorded an all-time conference record of 108-43 (.715). Christopher Newport has advanced to the NCAA Tournament ten times, including the first four years in program history.
The Captains have a core group of returners looking for more this season. Two-time NJAC Offensive Player of the Year
Matt Dzierski will be back to guide the offense. The quarterback led the NJAC in passing (169.9 yds/game) and total offense (214.1 yds/game) and had the second-fewest interceptions among conference QBs. He averaged 6.6 points per game to rank third overall, rushing for 11 TDs in addition to throwing for 11 more. He will be protected once again by two of the top offensive lineman in
Josh Hartley (First Team All-Conference) and
Connor Kirley. The o-line duo started all 10 games last season and helped the CNU offense average nearly 25 points a game.
On the other end, a pair of Second Team All-Conference players return to lead the defense. Cornerback
Josh Uvodich ranked second in the NJAC last year with 11 passes defended, including nine pass breakups and two interceptions. Safety
Kindrick Braxton was among the top 10 in the conference in tackles, registering 7.9 per game to rank seventh. They are joined this year
Carson Turner, who looks to contribute at the defensive end after posting 16 tackles including 1.5 for loss last season.
The Captains also have back First Team All-Conference and Third Team All-Region kicker
Ryan Castle. He led the NJAC by averaging 51.1 yards per kickoff. He was also 29-for-31 in extra point attempts and added nine field goals. By averaging 3.3 points per game, he ranked second among NJAC kickers in scoring.
