ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Honored as the National Defensive Player of the Year, Courtney Hughlett was one of three members of the Christopher Newport field hockey team to earn All-American accolades from Synapse Sports as she and Lily Kerr picked up first-team nods, while Caroline Hughlett notched a second-team citation after starring for the Captains throughout the 2025 campaign.

Receiving one of the highest honors in the country, Courtney Hughlett became just the second Captain to be named the National Defensive Player of the Year. Previously, former All-American Brooke Billhimer collected the award in 2022 and 2024.

Coupled with Billhimer's honor last season, Christopher Newport became just the sixth program in NCAA history to produce back-to-back National Defensive Player of the Year honorees. In that exclusive club, CNU joined Division I powers Iowa (2020-21) and North Carolina (2011-12, 2016-19), Division II standouts Millersville (2013-15) and East Stroudsburg (2016-17), and fellow Division III member TCNJ (2015-16).

The All-American awards were the second of the week for the three Captains. On Tuesday, they all garnered first-team plaudits from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association. With their two citations, Kerr and Courtney Hughlett added their names to an exclusive list of CNU standouts. They joined Abby Asuncion (2021), Brooke Billhimer (2024), Caitlin Cahill (2012), Jacque Mayer (2007), Alex Morales (2023), and Belle Tunstall (2013) as the only consensus first-team All-Americans in program history.

Kerr also became the second Captain to receive three All-American certificates from Synapse Sports, joining Asuncion, who was celebrated from 2021-23. Previously, Kerr was a second-team selection in 2023 and a third-team recipient in 2024. 

While Kerr was capping off an impressive trifecta, the Hughlett sisters were both celebrated by the organization for the first time. Overall, the three award-winners equaled the most in program history, matching the legendary haul from two years ago.

One of the top performers in the nation, Courtney Hughlett added another chapter to her storybook career with a dominant junior campaign. Starring on both ends of the field, she was named the National Defensive Player of the Year after helping anchor the country's top-ranked scoring defense. During the season, the Captains posted a 0.39 goals-against-average, which led the NCAA and was the ninth-best rate in Division III history. Along the way, CNU set a new program record with 14 shutouts, including four against nationally-ranked competition.

On an individual level, Hughlett led Christopher Newport with 10 blocked shots during the season. That equaled the most by a Captain in two years. Six of her rejections came as a centerpiece on CNU's penalty corner defense, which successfully handled 94 percent of the opposition's attempts during the year, including 27 straight from September 28 to November 15. That stretch covered a 10-game span and featured five tilts against top-25 teams.

Among her defensive highlights, Hughlett blocked a pair of rips during a 1-0 win against Messiah on September 20, including a game-saving deflection on a corner in double-overtime. She also silenced a corner and turned away two total rockets in a 3-0 shutout against No. 14 Rowan on October 25. Overall, six of her blocks came in top-25 battles, including a fourth-quarter stuff against No. 5 Johns Hopkins on August 31 and a first-half stop in the Elite Eight against No. 3 Salisbury on November 16.

Hughlett's efforts helped the Captains hold the opposition to a microscopic .068 shooting percentage during the year, which was the lowest in program history and the second-finest mark in the entire NCAA. Additionally, Christopher Newport limited opponents to an average of 3.15 shots-on-goal per game over the course of the season. That was the third-best rate in the country. Incredibly, CNU accomplished all of that despite playing nine games against opponents that ranked in the top-25 nationally in scoring offense, including four of the country's top-10 attacks.

On the other end of the field, Hughlett was equally effective. The third-year star handed out 15 assists, which set a new school record and marked the fifth-most by any player in the nation. Honored as the NFHCA Region VI Player of the Year, she set a new career-high with six goals and ranked third on the team with 27 points. Remarkably, 13 of those points came against nationally-ranked foes, including a two-goal eruption against No. 5 Johns Hopkins on August 31. For her performance against the Blue Jays, she was named the Synapse Sports National Offensive Player of the Week on September 3.

Consistent throughout the year, Hughlett collected at least one point in 13 of her appearances and had two or more on eight occasions. Seven of her assists came on game-winning goals, including the overtime clincher against No. 17 Lynchburg in the national playoffs on November 15. She also assisted on the opening goal in that contest and was selected to the NCAA All-Tournament Team for her postseason heroics.

Aided by her work during the year, Hughlett concluded her junior campaign as the program's all-time leader with 34 career assists.

Polishing off one of the most renowned tenures of any goalkeeper in NCAA history, Kerr punctuated her career with another stellar campaign. During her senior season, she posted a 0.37 goals-against-average, which set a new program record, led the NCAA, and ranked 13th on the all-time Division III leaderboard. Her .870 save percentage also placed her third on the national charts, while her nine 60-minute shutouts established a new single-season school standard.

Suffocating the competition throughout the year, Kerr held the opposition scoreless in 15 of her 20 appearances, including four-save shutouts against No. 11 Williams on October 12 and No. 14 Rowan on October 25. Later, she matched that performance with four more stops during a 1-0 victory over No. 3 Salisbury in the NCAA Elite Eight on November 16, which vaulted the Captains into the Final Four for the second time in school history.

Stepping up against top-25 foes throughout the year, Kerr also pocketed five saves against that same Salisbury squad during a 2-1 win on October 8. Earlier in the season, she set aside five on-target rips in a triumph over No. 5 Johns Hopkins on August 31 as well. Meanwhile, she snatched a season-high six saves and turned away four attempts during an overtime shootout in a 1-0 win against Messiah on September 20. Overall, the fourth-year phenom finished the campaign with 47 total saves, including four or more on eight occasions.

Compiling a 19-1 record during the year, Kerr wrapped up her career with 64 victories, which equaled the seventh-most by any goalkeeper in Division III lore. Her 0.58 goals-against-average over the past four seasons also marked the 13th-best rate by any goalie from any level in NCAA history. Additionally, her .889 winning percentage vaulted her to eighth in Division III lore, and her 27 shutouts established a new program record.

Incredibly consistent, Kerr started 74 straight games to end her career, which marked the third-longest "Iron Man" streak in program history and the finest run by a goalie.

A well-rounded offensive force, Caroline Hughlett picked apart the opposition during an electric junior campaign. During her third year in Newport News, she established a new career-high with nine assists, which also placed her in the top-50 on the national charts. Just as effective as a finisher, she deposited seven goals while compiling 23 total points. Three of her strikes came on penalty strokes, which equaled the fifth-most by a Captain in school history.

Kicking off the year in historic fashion, Hughlett dished out four assists in the opener against Bridgewater on August 29. That equaled the second-highest single-game total in program lore. Later in the year, she also added another four-point eruption in a win at Montclair State on September 27 before notching her third career multi-goal effort with a pair of tallies against St. Mary's (Md.) on October 22.

Along with her high-volume outbursts, Hughlett was at the center of some of the squad's most memorable moments during the 2025 campaign. On October 8, she drove home a last-second, double-overtime dagger to topple No. 3 Salisbury during a wild regular-season marathon. One month later, she sank the Sea Gulls again with an assist on the lone goal during a 1-0 triumph in the NCAA Elite Eight on November 16. Additionally, she added three points in a win at No. 13 York (Pa.) on October 4 and secured the lone goal in a victory at New Paltz on October 14.

Overall, Hughlett produced three game-winning goals during the year and assisted on two other clinchers. She also converted a game-saving penalty stroke during the shootout against Messiah on September 20, which led to a 1-0 victory. On the other end of the field, she also served as a key member of the penalty corner defense and blocked shots in wins over Ohio Wesleyan on September 13 and No. 11 Williams on October 12.

In just three years with the Captains, Hughlett already ranks fifth in program history with 22 assists and nine game-winning goals. Her seven penalty strokes are also the second-most by a Captain, while her 68 points rank 13th on the all-time charts.

Christopher Newport eventually finished the fall with a 19-1 record, including eight victories over top-25 competition. Along the way, the Captains spent seven weeks ranked first in the NFHCA National Coaches Poll, including six as the unanimous top team in the country.

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