MANAHAWKIN, N.J. -- After guiding the Christopher Newport field hockey team to one of the finest seasons in school history, head coach Carrie Moura and her assistants were named the Region VI Coaching Staff of the Year by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association on Friday morning.

Moura shared the prestigious honor with assistant coaches Marlene Lichty, Alex Morales, and Maddison Steele. The regional award was the second for the Captains in the past three years after the program was previously recognized in 2023.

During the fall, Moura led CNU to a 19-1 record while advancing to the Final Four for the second time in program history. Along the way, the Captains were ranked first in the NFHCA National Coaches Poll for seven consecutive weeks before wrapping up the year as the unanimous top team in the country in the organization's final poll on November 11.

Facing one of the most challenging schedules in school history, the Captains posted eight victories against teams that finished in the NFHCA National Coaches Poll, including a 5-3 triumph against No. 2 Johns Hopkins and a pair of wins over No. 5 Salisbury. Additionally, Christopher Newport defeated eight conference champions and recorded nine triumphs against squads that advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

Overall, CNU's .696 strength-of-schedule rating was the highest in the country, and yet, the squad still managed to post the nation's top winning percentage with a .950 mark. Putting that into perspective, the Captains became the first team from any level of the NCAA to lead the country in both strength-of-schedule and winning percentage since North Carolina accomplished the feat in 2019. The last Division III program to rank first in both categories was Messiah in 2016.

Moura's squad also led the NCAA in scoring defense for the second straight year after compiling a 0.39 goals-against-average. Incredibly, that mark not only established a new single-season school record, but it was also the ninth-best in Division III history. Additionally, CNU ranked second in the country with 14 shutouts and third with a remarkable .875 save percentage.

Making the defensive domination even more noteworthy, the Captains accomplished all of that despite playing nine games against opponents that were ranked in the top-25 nationally in scoring offense, including four of the country's top-10 attacks. In those nine battles against the finest offenses in the NCAA, Christopher Newport surrendered just five total goals while registering four shutouts.

On the other end of the field, CNU was equally effective. The team finished the season ranked ninth in both assists-per-game (2.55) and penalty corners-per-contest (10.65). Overall, the Captains outscored their opposition by an average of 2.99 goals per game, which was the sixth-best mark in the entire NCAA.

Adding another layer to the program's accomplishments in 2025, CNU boasted one of the country's youngest rosters. The Captains were the only team in the nation to advance to the NCAA Tournament with fewer than three seniors on the squad.

Overall, Moura and her staff coached eight All-Region performers, including six first-team selections. No program in the country produced more regional honorees during the fall.

On an individual level, Moura also hit a milestone during the 2025 campaign. With a 1-0 victory over Washington and Lee on September 7, she became the 47th coach in NCAA history to reach 300 career wins and only the 17th to accomplish that feat at the Division III level.

Overall, Moura concluded the season with a 316-92 record in 23 years at Christopher Newport. Her .775 winning percentage stands as the 13th-highest in NCAA history among coaches with at least 10 years of service.

Along with her two regional honors, Moura was previously celebrated as the Virginia State Coach of the Year on six occasions while collecting four league-wide accolades. She was also named the National Coach of the Year by Synapse Sports in 2006.

In addition to Moura, Christopher Newport surrounded the Captains with an equally accomplished collection of assistant coaches in 2025. Headlining the group, Lichty has been an integral part of the team's success since she arrived on campus as a freshman in 2010. After wrapping up an All-American playing career that resulted in her induction into the CNU Athletics Hall of Fame, she immediately transitioned to the sidelines in 2014. Since then, she has solidified her spot as one of the most successful assistants in any sport in school history.

Over the past 12 years, Lichty has helped the Captains compile a 161-46 record, including six NCAA Tournament berths. Her tenure on the coaching staff has coincided with one of the most successful stretches of any program in CNU history, resulting in three Sweet 16 trips, an Elite Eight berth, and a Final Four run.

Carving out her own unique spot in the hallowed history of Christopher Newport athletics, Lichty became just the seventh Captain to reach the Final Four as both a player and coach after starring on the legendary 2013 squad before making her return trip this fall. In that club, she joined fellow Hall of Famers Kristen Rowe (softball) and Jessie Heavenrich (volleyball) as well Abby Harrigan (women's soccer), Mary Kennedy (softball), Nicole Mitchell (women's basketball), and Matt Rice (men's lacrosse).

Adding more veteran experience to the staff, Morales concluded her fifth year with the program after spending three seasons as an assistant and two as a player. A Yorktown, Virginia native, she returned home in 2021 after graduating from Syracuse following a successful three-year stint with the Orange. After concluding her time in New York, which included a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2019, she became a vital piece of CNU's last five postseason runs.

Along with her recent work as a coach, Morales became just the fifth player in program history to earn consensus first-team All-American honors after accomplishing the feat in 2023. During that season, she was also hailed as the Conference and State Defensive Player of the Year while ranking 11th in the nation with 12 assists.

Rounding out the staff, Steele began her coaching career this fall after punctuating a four-year run as one of the program's most dynamic offensive contributors. An All-Conference, All-State, and All-Region honoree, she finished her playing career ranked fifth in school history with nine game-winning goals, eighth with 32 total strikes, and 10th with 79 points. Unfazed by the bright lights, she scored seven goals against nationally-ranked competition, which still stands as the second-highest total by a Captain.

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