NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Christopher Newport Department of Athletics announced the Hall of Fame Class of 2025 today as the Captains prepare to enshrine five new members this Fall.
The Carl & Denise Farris Hall of Fame Class of 2025 includes legendary players from men's basketball, women's soccer, and baseball alongside longtime athletics administrator Cindy Sutphin who earned her spot among the program's elite after decades of dedicated service to the department. For the first time since 2016, a pair of Christopher Newport men's basketball stars will be inducted in the same year as first team All-Americans Marcus Carter and Tim Daly will join the elite list. One of the all-time great women's soccer stars at CNU, Gabby Gillis, is also set to be inducted, while the first All-American in baseball history, Tab Pabst, earns his spot after a tremendous career playing both ways for the Captains in the first decade of the program.
Along with the 2025 Hall of Fame Inductees, the committee has also announced the inaugural TEAM OF HONOR as part of the Hall of Fame festivities this year. The first Team of Honor to be recognized is the 1986-87 Women's Track & Field Team who captured the first NCAA Division III National Championship in CNU history.
Following today's announcement, the five Captains will be officially inducted and the Team of Honor recognized in a special Hall of Fame ceremony during Homecoming Weekend. The group will also be recognized during the football game against Kean University on October 18 at 1:00 p.m.
About the Inductees:
Marcus Carter
Men's Basketball (2014-19)
The driving force for Christopher Newport's ascension to the national elite in men's basketball, Marcus Carter helped deliver the Captains to the NCAA Division III Final Four in 2016 for the program's first ever national semifinals appearance. By the end of his career, Carter helped lead CNU back to the Final Four again in 2019 and led the team to three conference championships with a 10-3 record in NCAA Tournament play.
Carter became the first NABC First Team All-American for the Captains since 2001 and only the third player in program history to garner the impressive individual accolade, joining fellow Hall of Famers Lamont Strothers and Antoine Sinclair. He added a second team All-American certificate in 2019 and was a three-time NABC All-District selection. Carter was the 2016 NABC District Player of the Year and also hauled in CAC Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year honors during his tenure. Statistically, Carter scored 1,834 career points, still ranking fifth all-time, while setting a program record for games played with 125. He hauled in 820 career rebounds and became only the third player in program history to finish his career in the top ten in scoring and rebounding.
Tim Daly
Men's Basketball (2013-17)
A sensational senior season punctuated an outstanding career for Richmond native Tim Daly as the forward captured first team All-America honors from the NABC in 2017. The Capital Athletic Conference Player of the Year and NABC District Player of the Year, Daly joined his teammate and fellow Hall of Fame Inductee Marcus Carter as one of just four first team NABC All-Americans in program history. He was also a two-time NABC All-District selection.
Coming up with one of the most clutch shots in Captains' history, Daly sank a go-ahead 19-footer in the final seconds of the 2017 conference championship game to help CNU secure back-to-back conference crowns. He averaged a career-high 13.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game on the first NCAA Final Four team in 2016 and helped the Captains advance to the Sweet 16 in 2017. Daly ranks eighth all-time in rebounding with 805 caroms and graduated with 1,283 career points to rank in the top-15 all-time at CNU.
Gabby Gillis
Women's Soccer (2015-18)
Making history throughout her career as a Captain, Gabby Gillis put together one of the finest careers both on and off the field in Christopher Newport athletics history. Gillis became the first women's soccer player to earn first team All-America honors when she accomplished the feat as a junior. She repeated as a first team All-American in 2019 and was named the D3soccer.com National Midfielder of the Year, becoming the first female student-athlete at CNU since 2011 to earn National Player of the Year honors. Her senior season saw CNU Women's Soccer advance to the NCAA Division III National Semifinals for the first time in program history as she added another banner year.
Gillis was named the 2018-19 CAC Female Athlete of the Year after guiding the Captains to a record-breaking campaign as team captain. CNU was near-perfect with a 21-2-0 overall record including a 7-0-0 record in conference play while capturing a third straight conference championship. Graduating as the all-time leader in games played and started with 85, she helped CNU record 71 wins in her four-year tenure. She finished her final season with 41 points and concluded her career with 96 career points, ranking third all-time, and fourth in career goals, with 38. Off the field, Gillis was equally as dominant and was named the United Soccer Coaches Scholar Player of the Year. A double-major, she was a two-time USC Scholar All-America first team selection and was the conference nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year award in 2019.
Tab Pabst
Baseball (1990-91)
Despite only two seasons as a member of the Christopher Newport baseball team, Tab Pabst put together four years worth of accomplishments and statistical achievements as the legend played both ways for the Captains in 1990 and 1991. He became the first All-American in CNU baseball history when he collected second team plaudits from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) in 1990 as a starting pitcher. He so earned first team All-Region honors on the mound in 1990 before collecting first team All-State plaudits as a designated hitter in 1991.
Over two seasons, Pabst played in 73 games and started 72 offensively, hitting .379 and slugging .705 in 227 career at-bats. Over 30 years later, he still ranks second all-time in career slugging and fourth in batting average while posting the highest on-base percentage (.519) among players with at least 200 at-bats and holding the record to this day. On the mound, he appeared in 27 games with 17 starts and finished his tenure with a 16-6 record with four saves and a 2.54 career ERA. Pabst struck out 147 batters over 134.2 innings pitched. In an era when CNU still routinely played Division I opponents, Pabst was nearly unhittable against Division III foes and registered a 1.71 ERA over 116.0 innings pitched over two years. He finished his career as the all-time leader and still ranks fifth in career ERA and lowest batting average against. Courtesy of his performances, the Captains captured back-to-back 20-win seasons and logged the finest years in the first decade of CNU baseball.
Cindy Sutphin
Athletics Administrator (2002-25)
Immediately following her retirement from Christopher Newport University, Cindy Sutphin was selected to be enshrined with the most impactful Captains in department history for her dedicated service. Sutphin worked tirelessly to support the coaching staff and administration for nearly a quarter of a century, witnessing the growth of the department through three different Athletic Directors. She impacted the lives of countless individuals throughout her dedicated service including coaches, student-athletes, and alumni.
Sutphin served as program support for Christopher Newport coaches and administrators over the years in a wide variety of ways including travel planning, procurement, and assisting with internal operations. In the last few years of her tenure, she transitioned into the role of Athletics Travel Manager and helped coordinate all facets of road trips for CNU Athletics. She assisted coaches with scheduling itineraries, hotel arrangements, transportation options, and financial reimbursements. Sutphin was a fixture at numerous events including NCAA postseason action where she often assisted and coordinated the NCAA merchandise sales and inventory, including volunteering at the 2025 NCAA Division III Women's Golf National Championship this Spring.
2025 TEAM OF HONOR
1986-87 Women's Track & Field
The 1987 squad captured the first ever NCAA title when they scored 80 points to win the 1987 Outdoor National Championship by 22 points, which still ranks as the second largest margin of victory in CNU Track & Field history. The Captains kickstarted a run of six consecutive national championships from the 1987 Outdoor through the 1990 Indoor meets. In addition to winning the Outdoor title, the Captains also finished as national runner-up in the Indoor National Championship Meet.
The team included Lisa Dillard, who became the first Division III athlete to win three individual national championships in a single meet (100m, 200m, Long Jump) and remains one of only five athletes to ever accomplish the feat. The Captains also won the 400MR championship with Dillard joined by Michelle Dickens, Sandy Shelton, and Sheila Trice to post a clocking of 46.44. Claudia Stanley (Shot Put) and Shelton (400m) each recorded national runner-up finishes at the Outdoor meet while Dickens joined Dillard as a five-time All-American during the meet.
At the Indoor Championship, Stanley won her third career shot put title to highlight three more individual championship performances. Dillard won the 55m and the Long Jump and wrapped up her Hall of Fame tenure with eight All-American efforts and six national crowns. On top of the NCAA showings, the Captains won the first women's team Mason-Dixon Conference Championship and secured 10 individual conference championships.
Led by CNU Athletics Hall of Famer Vince Brown, the 1986-87 women's track and field team put the Captains on the map at a national level. Christopher Newport became just the fifth NCAA Division III program to hoist the walnut and bronze national championship trophy. The Captains would go on to win five outdoor titles in an eight-year stretch and, to this day, still ranks second all-time among Division III programs with six total titles.
