GREENWOOD, Ind. -- Three members of the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team earned Academic All-District honors on Tuesday afternoon as Brett Kelley, Daniel Siaton, and Jamie Smith were recognized by the College Sports Communicators for their efforts both on the field and in the classroom.

In order to be eligible for the award, student-athletes must have at least a 3.50 cumulative GPA while serving as a starter or key reserve. The All-District honor is the prerequisite for All-American accolades, which will be voted on by a national committee later this month.

Founded in 1952, the CSC (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-American program recognizes standouts from all sports across all divisions of the NCAA. There are over 20,000 total nominations every year with fewer than 10 percent of those student-athletes receiving the nation's highest academic honor.

Taking over as a starter on the defensive unit during his second year in Newport News, Kelley rewarded the Captains with an outstanding sophomore campaign. During the season, he produced 20 takeaways, including two or more in six of his appearances. In his very first start, he established a new career-high with six caused turnovers against Hampden-Sydney on February 8. For that performance, he was named to the USILA National Team of the Week.

Just as effective throughout the year, the business major was especially dominant against top-flight competition. In the regular season, Kelley had a pair of strips in wins over No. 18 Stevenson on February 22 and No. 16 Lynchburg on March 15. He came back in the postseason with two more takeaways against Lynchburg in the Sweet 16 on May 11 before adding his final caused turnover in the NCAA Quarterfinals against No. 8 Bowdoin on May 17.

A dynamic presence as a short-stick specialist, Siaton made a consistent impact on both ends of the field during his junior campaign. On the defensive side, he pocketed 34 ground balls and picked up two or more on 10 occasions. He also chipped in with nine takeaways, including a pair of strips against No. 1 Tufts on March 20. Later, he was equally effective in the postseason and earned a spot on the Coastal Lacrosse Conference All-Tournament Team for his efforts.

Along with his work on the back end, the accounting major served as a key cog on Christopher Newport's clearing unit, which ranked 20th in the NCAA with a stellar .878 conversion rate. Torching the opposition in transition, Siaton eventually produced nine points during the season, including four goals. His offensive efforts included a strike at No. 18 Stevenson on February 22 and an assist in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Grove City on May 10.

Rewriting the record books during a fantastic junior season, Smith quickly solidified his spot among the nation's elite offensive contributors. A consensus All-American, he led the NCAA with 84 goals, which also established a new single-season school standard and was the 19th-highest total in Division III history. He also tied the program record and ranked first in the country with 13 man-up tallies. Overall, his 90 points marked the fifth-finest effort by a Captain.

Honored as the Coastal Lacrosse Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year for his work as a business major, Smith had at least two darts in 21 of his 22 appearances during the season. Incredibly, he landed 18 hat-tricks, including an eight-goal eruption against Hampden-Sydney on February 8. That equaled the third-largest outburst in school history. He also scored at least twice in all nine games against top-25 foes, including a pair of five-goal explosions in the NCAA Tournament.

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