ASHLAND, Va. -- Six Christopher Newport student-athletes were named to the 2024-25 Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) Academic All-State team in a release by the organization on Tuesday. Representing six different programs, three male and three female student-athletes were recognized by the statewide organization this year including one graduate student, four seniors, and one junior. 

This year, the Captains were led in the classroom by field hockey star Katie Abendschoen, baseball veteran Grant Hartman, men's soccer midfielder Matt Liss, softball legend Jamie Martin, women's soccer champion Nyah Savage, and men's tennis icon Vincent Truong. 

Following outstanding efforts both in and out of the classroom during the 2024-25 school year, the six CNU student-athletes were joined by over 200 others representing 36 colleges and universities from around the Commonwealth named to the All-State squad. In order to be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore academically while maintaining a 3.25 cumulative grade-point average. Each institution in Virginia is eligible to nominate up to six athletes for the All-State award. 

(CNU All-State picks in alphabetical order by last name...)

Katie Abendschoen - Senior - Field Hockey - Chester, Md.

Abendschoen added an impressive punctuation mark to her standout career while earning All-Conference and All-State accolades. She went on to earn second team All-Region honors while helping lead Christopher Newport to an NCAA National Quarterfinals appearance. On the field, she finished third on the team with five assists while also starring on the defensive end. She started all 75 games during her career, which equaled the longest "Iron Man" streak in program history. 

Off the field, Abendschoen earned the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. She was also named an NFHCA Scholar of Distinction and earned a spot on the organization's National All-Academic Squad for the fourth straight year. Her near-perfect GPA led to her earning Academic All-District accolades from the College Sports Communicators as a Psychology major. Abendschoen finished her career ranked in the top-20 all-time with 62 points, 24 goals, 14 assists, and 3,694 minutes of action. 

Grant Hartman - Senior - Baseball - Burke, Va.

After missing the entirety of his junior season to an injury, Hartman returned to the Captains lineup in 2025 and promptly contributed to the early season success of the CNU baseball team. He rapped an RBI single in his first game of the season and added a two-run double against St. Elizabeth later in the year. In the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Championship, Hartman delivered an RBI single in one at-bat against nationally-ranked Salisbury University. 

In the classroom, Hartman boasts the highest grade-point average among male seniors in 2024-25 while majoring in Finance. He also collected his fourth straight selection to the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference All-Academic Team. 

Matt Liss - Senior - Men's Soccer - Washington Township, N.J.

Liss flexed his academic acumen by graduating a year early with his sights on Law School. A two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selection, the New Jersey native also collected C2C All-Academic Team honors in each of his three seasons wearing the Royal Blue and Silver. Not only did he graduate early, but he graduated as a double major in Political Science and American Studies while also earning minors in U.S. National Security and Leadership Studies.

On the field, Liss had a standout final season with five points in 18 games played including five starts. He registered a pair of goals and one assist. His long throw was a dangerous weapon for the Captains' offense and helped trigger numerous attempts at the goal throughout his career. This year, he scored a pivotal game-tying goal against third-ranked Colorado College before adding a tally at Denison. In the C2C Championship against No. 1 Mary Washington, Liss assisted on the game-tying goal in the 89th minute to force overtime. 

Jamie Martin - Senior - Softball - Lorton, Va.

One of the most decorated Captains in CNU Softball history, Martin wrapped up her storied career with an exceptional final season. She was named the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for all sports after also earning the honor among softball student-athletes. She became just the second CNU student-athlete to garner the overall recognition after she also collected third team Academic All-America honors from the College Sports Communicators. 

In the pitching circle, Martin was named a second team All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA). She was awarded the Conference Pitcher of the Year honor in each of the last two seasons and was named first team All-Conference and All-Region. She earned C2C Pitcher of the Week honors five times and posted a record of 16-4 with a 1.66 earned run average. She appeared in the circle in 24 games, making 21 starts and threw nine complete games and five shutouts. Martin also recorded two saves and struck out 161 batters in 122 innings; she threw a five-inning perfect game versus Meredith that saw her strike out all 15 batters that came to the plate. 

Nyah Savage - Graduate Student - Women's Soccer - Urbana, Md.

A starter on the 2021 NCAA Division III National Championship women's soccer team, Savage started her career on the pitch and practically never left. The all-time leader in games started and games played at Christopher Newport, Savage has been one of the most consistent and reliable players for the nationally-ranked Captains since stepping foot onto campus. While she has provided All-Region caliber defense, the Captains ran off an impressive cumulative performance that concluded her five-year tenure with an overall record of 79-2-9. 

as a starting defender, she helped CNU post 65 shutouts in 90 career games played. Off the field, she was equally as formidable as a two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selection and a five-time C2C All-Academic Team pick. After securing her undergraduate degree in Accounting, she went on to earn her Masters in Financial Analysis this Spring. The two-time United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Region pick helped build the most dominant defensive unit in program history. 

Vincent Truong - Junior - Men's Tennis - Fairfax, Va.

This year, Vincent Truong followed up his standout sophomore season with another outstanding performance on the courts for CNU men's tennis. He earned first team All-Conference honors in both singles and doubles and was named one-half of the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Doubles Team of the Year. At the conclusion of the 2024-25 campaign, Truong and his playing partner Ashton Legum were ranked No. 27 in the final doubles rankings of the season, marking the highest finish since 2021. 

Off the courts, Truong earned Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Communicators for the second year in a row. Working toward a degree in Computer Engineering, Truong is a three-time Conference All-Academic Team selection. He helped lead the Captains to a banner season that saw Christopher Newport rank No. 17 in the nation in the final poll while capturing the second conference championship since joining the league in 2013-14.