HARTFORD, Conn. -- After guiding the Christopher Newport field hockey team to an appearance in the Final Four for the second time in program history, junior standouts Courtney Hughlett and Lindsey Loar were selected to the NCAA All-Tournament Team for their postseason heroics over the past two weeks.

Making contributions throughout the playoffs, the two standouts helped the Captains upend No. 17 Lynchburg and No. 5 Salisbury to secure a spot in the Final Four. Then, on Friday, CNU punctuated its campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 setback to No. 6 Tufts in the NCAA Semifinals.

In a 2-1 triumph over Lynchburg, Loar and Hughlett teamed up on the overtime game-winner in the 63rd minute of a grueling marathon on November 15. While weaving through traffic, Hughlett twisted through a pair of defenders and slipped the ball through the legs of a Hornet before connecting with Loar on the doorstep.

With just the goalie to beat, Loar pulled to her right and avoided a diving save by the keeper. After jumping over the goalie's outstretched stick, she fired a missile that caught the right post and spun across the line for the game's clinching blow.

Along with their work in overtime against Lynchburg, Hughlett and Loar starred throughout the national tournament. Hughlett also assisted on the game's opening tally against the Hornets, while she blocked a shot in a 1-0 win over Salisbury on November 16. Additionally, Loar jump-started the offensive possession that led to the lone goal against the Sea Gulls after drawing the first of back-to-back corners during a fourth-quarter rush. 

Later, on the second corner, Hughlett stopped the insert at the top of the arc and broke out a no-look, behind-the-back feed to Caroline Hughlett, who connected with Riley Iasiello for the game-winning tally.

In the Final Four, the two Captains continued to apply pressure during a back-and-forth battle with Tufts. Loar had a slick rip blocked at the last second by a defender along the right post in the ninth minute, while Hughlett went to her backhand with a reversal in the second quarter, which just caught the side of the cage.

In the fourth quarter, Hughlett also helped stymie a corner by Tufts after shielding an attacker from collecting a deflection on the interior, while Loar squeezed underneath a defender on a surge along the left baseline during a dangerous rally with two minutes left in regulation.

Their postseason efforts capped off a brilliant campaign for both stars. Loar finished the season with 14 goals, which matched the eighth-most by a Captain in program history. Meanwhile, Hughlett established a new school record with 15 assists, which also equaled the fifth-most by any player in the NCAA in 2025.

With their All-Tournament citations, Hughlett and Loar joined CNU Hall of Famers Marlene Lichty and Belle Tunstall as the only Captains to receive the prestigious postseason recognition. Lichty and Tunstall were both celebrated for their work during the run to the Final Four in 2013.

On this year's All-Tournament Team, the two Captains were joined by Babson's Maddison Tibbals and Caroline DiGiovanni, Johns Hopkins' Sophia Albano, Caeli Robinson, and Megan Chang, and Tufts' Hannah Biccard, Clair Casey, Gabby Sousa, and Eleanor Helm. Biccard was also honored as the Most Outstanding Player after guiding the Jumbos to the National Championship.

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