NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Christopher Newport standout Kevin Miller was recognized as the Virginia State Player of the Year and Jackson Platner was celebrated as the top freshman as eight Captains picked up All-State men's lacrosse accolades, which were announced by the Virginia Sports Information Directors on Wednesday morning.

Along with Miller and Platner, Mason Bellinger, Mark Davison, and Jamie Smith also garnered first-team nods, while Warner Cabaniss, Colin DeGrassi, and Brett Jackson secured second-team citations. Meanwhile, Mikey Thompson was honored as the Virginia Coach of the Year.

Making history with his award, Miller became just the second sophomore in Virginia history to receive the Men's Lacrosse Player of the Year honor. In that exclusive club, he joined former University of Virginia legend and current PLL All-Star Connor Shellenberger, who was recognized for his work in 2022.

Overall, Miller is the fourth Captain to receive the state's top plaudit, joining Matt Hayden (2017), Max Wayne (2022), and Andrew Cook (2023).

In addition to Miller's historic achievement, Platner became the fourth player in program history to earn the state's Rookie of the Year award, following Dylan Rice (2018), Alex Brendes (2020), and Warner Cabaniss (2022). Meanwhile, Thompson picked up his seventh career Coach of the Year honor, passing longtime Roanoke legend Bill Pilat for the most in Virginia history.

Along with the top individual honorees, Cabaniss also joined a historic club, becoming only the fifth four-time All-State selection in school history. With his fourth straight award, he placed his name alongside Coby Auslander, Phoenix Hines, Dylan Rice, and Max Wayne.

Overall, the eight honorees marked the third-most in program lore, trailing only the 2022 and 2023 squads.

Putting together one of the most incredible campaigns in CNU history, Miller tormented the opposition with a relentless assault. Establishing himself as one of the leading playmakers in the NCAA, he handed out 81 assists, which set a new school record, ranked first in the country, and placed him ninth on the all-time Division III single-season charts. It was also the 11th-highest total by any collegiate lacrosse player in the history of the sport.

A first-team All-American, Miller also led the NCAA and set a new program standard with 115 points. Consistently effective, he recorded at least one assist in all 22 contests, marking the longest streak in school history. During the season, he set new single-game records with eight helpers and 13 total points against Hampden-Sydney on February 8. Later, he also chipped in with five other six-assist efforts, which matched the fourth-highest total by a Captain.

Equally effective as a finisher, Miller landed 34 goals, including four hat-tricks. Among his finest performances, the Richmond, Virginia native posted four tallies against No. 18 Stevenson on February 22 and erupted for three strikes in a top-10 battle at No. 10 Washington and Lee on March 31. Later in the year, he added a dart in all five postseason games, including multi-goal efforts against No. 16 Lynchburg and No. 8 Bowdoin in the NCAA Tournament.

Establishing himself as one of the nation's top up-and-coming midfielders, Platner hauled in All-American honors and was celebrated as the Coastal Lacrosse Conference Rookie of the Year. Starting the final 19 games of the season, he collected 47 points, which was the third-highest total by a freshman in program history. Overall, he notched 24 goals and 23 assists, becoming only the third Captain with a 20-20 season in his debut campaign.

During the year, Platner registered a point in 20 of his appearances, including eight battles against nationally-ranked competition. Along the way, he had six hat-tricks, including three strikes against No. 8 Bowdoin the NCAA Quarterfinals on May 17. The Ijamsville, Maryland native also had a season-high four assists against No. 16 Lynchburg on May 11 after opening the postseason with four goals against Kean in the Coastal Lacrosse Conference Semifinals on April 30.

Honored as a third-team All-American, Bellinger was a steady presence between the pipes after taking over as the squad's starting goalie during his junior season. Splashing his name throughout the history books, he secured 241 saves and 17 victories during the year. Both of those totals ranked third in school lore. Meanwhile, his .555 save percentage placed him sixth on the program's all-time charts and ranked in the top-50 nationally.

During the season, Bellinger pocketed at least 10 saves in 13 of his appearances, including all five playoff games. Headlining his efforts, he snatched 19 saves at Roanoke on March 8 before matching that total in the NCAA Quarterfinals against No. 8 Bowdoin on May 17. Flashing his versatility, the Paramus, New Jersey native also contributed five points during the year, which equaled the combined total of every other goalie in school history.

Anchoring the defensive unit, Davison suffocated the competition while earning All-American honors for the first time in his career. During his sophomore campaign, he caused 32 turnovers, which equaled the 12th-highest total in program history. On March 5, he collected seven takeaways against John Carroll, tying the fourth-most by a Captain. Later, he notched six more strips against No. 1 Tufts on March 20.

Remarkably consistent, Davison had at least one takeaway in 14 of his appearances and notched two or more on eight occasions. Stepping up under the bright lights, he had multiple strips in all three games during the NCAA Tournament, including three against Grove City in the second round on May 10. Stuffing the stat sheet, the Vienna, Virginia native also hauled in 41 ground balls and deposited three goals and an assist on the offensive end.

Orchestrating one of the finest offensive seasons in school history, Smith hauled in All-American accolades while landing 84 goals, which led the NCAA and established a new single-season program record. It also was the 19th-highest total in Division III history. Additionally, he tied the school standard and ranked first in the country with 13 man-up missiles, while his 90 points marked the fifth-most by a Captain.

Torching the back of the net throughout the year, Smith sank at least two goals in 21 of his 22 appearances. Among those eruptions, he had 18 hat-tricks, including an eight-goal explosion in the opener against Hampden-Sydney on February 8. That equaled the third-most in program history. The Kent Island, Maryland native also scored at least twice in all nine bouts against top-25 foes, including five strikes against No. 16 Lynchburg and No. 8 Bowdoin during the NCAA Tournament.

Capping off his career as one of the finest faceoff specialists in collegiate lacrosse history, Cabaniss added a fitting punctuation mark to his tenure. The four-time All-American set a new school record with a .669 faceoff percentage. That also placed him 17th in the country. Meanwhile, his 164 ground balls and 281 total victories ranked third on the school's single-season charts and slotted him in the top-15 in the NCAA during the 2025 campaign.

Helping the Captains control possession, Cabaniss won at least 70 percent of his faceoffs in 13 outings, including three battles against top-25 competition. He also picked up at least 10 ground balls on five occasions. Aided by that performance, the Richmond, Virginia native finished his tenure with 1,108 total faceoff wins, marking the ninth-most in NCAA history. His 700 ground balls also set a new program record and placed him 11th in Division III lore.

A key cog on the back line, DeGrassi started all 22 games on the defensive unit and hauled in All-Conference, All-State, and All-American citations for his work. During his senior season, he tallied 30 caused turnovers, becoming just the 11th player in program history to reach that plateau. He also added his first career goal and secured 41 ground balls, which equaled the most by a defenseman during the 2025 campaign.

Stellar throughout the year, DeGrassi caused at least one turnover in 19 of his appearances and had two or more on eight occasions. Among his highlights, he kicked off the postseason with four strips against Kean during the league semifinals on April 30. The Vienna, Virginia native also had two caused turnovers in four outings against top-25 competition, including a pair of takeaways and four ground balls against No. 1 Tufts on March 20.

Capping off his tenure as one of the finest finishers in program history, Jackson earned his second career All-American honor after lighting up the opposition throughout the year. During his senior season, he sank 61 goals, which was the sixth-highest total by a Captain. Consistent throughout the year, he wrapped up his career with a goal in 23 consecutive games, marking the fourth-longest scoring streak in school lore.

During the season, Jackson contributed 17 multi-goal efforts, including seven daggers against No. 16 Lynchburg in the third round of the national playoffs on May 11. That tied the fifth-highest total in program history and the finest effort in a postseason bout. Aided by his work during the year, the Fairfax, Virginia native finished with 171 total goals, placing him fourth in school history. His 25 man-up tallies also tied the program standard.

After graduating 23 seniors last year, including eight starters and six All-Americans, Thompson's program did not miss a beat in 2025. Flipping the roster, he led the program to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the fifth straight year while producing an 18-4 record. Facing top-flight competition throughout the season, he won five games against nationally-ranked foes and nine bouts against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

Despite facing the toughest schedule in the country, Thompson's crew finished 14th in the nation in scoring offense, 18th in takeaways-per-game, and 23rd in faceoff percentage. Eventually, eight of his players hauled in All-American honors, including six first-time honorees.

2025 VaSID All-State Major Award Winners
Player of the Year: Kevin Miller, CNU
Defensive Player of the Year: Mike Allen, Randolph Macon
Rookie of the Year: Jackson Platner, CNU
Coach of the Year: Mikey Thompson, CNU

First Team
Attack: Hillis Burns, Washington and Lee
Attack: Kevin Miller, Chris. Newport
Attack: Jamie Smith, Chris. Newport
Midfield: Julian Kammerman, Roanoke
Midfield: Jackson Platner, Chris. Newport
Midfield: Jake Rust, Lynchburg
Defense: Mike Allen, Randolph-Macon
Defense: Mark Davison, Chris. Newport
Defense: Weston Hammond, Roanoke
GK: Mason Bellinger, Chris. Newport
LSM: Keegan Shipe, Mary Washington
SSDM: Elliot Cohen, Washington and Lee
Faceoff: Tyler Spano, Washington and Lee

Second Team
Attack: Brett Jackson, Chris. Newport
Attack: James Haley, Washington and Lee
Attack: Riley Hastings, Lynchburg
Midfield: Jack Elliott, Washington and Lee
Midfield: Joey Allen, Washington and Lee
Midfield: Will Robertson, Randolph-Macon
Midfield: Grant Sobel, Randolph Macon
Defense: Chris Datz, Washington and Lee
Defense: Jay O'Keefe, Washington and Lee
Defense: Colin DeGrassi, Chris. Newport
Defense: Cooper Hauser, Randolph-Macon
GK: Andrew Miller, Lynchburg
LSM: Brodie Kent, Randolph-Macon
SSDM: Parker Sealey, Lynchburg
Faceoff: Warner Cabaniss, Chris. Newport

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