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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Jumping up one spot in the latest USILA National Coaches Poll, the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team earned a first-place vote and settled into the No. 2 position in the latest rankings while preparing for Tuesday's battle with Franklin & Marshall, which will begin at 3 p.m. at Jennings Family Stadium.

After spending the first three weeks of the regular season ranked third in the nation, CNU moved to second in the latest poll, which was released by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association on Monday afternoon. That marked the highest position attained by the program since the Captains were slotted first in the rankings on April 3, 2023. 

Remaining at the top of the poll, Tufts continued to hold down the No. 1 spot while securing the other 26 first-place votes. Bowdoin, York (Pa.), and Lynchburg rounded out the top-five.

Four of Christopher Newport's upcoming opponents earned a spot in the top-20. At the Mustang Classic next week, the Captains will square off with No. 5 Lynchburg and No. 1 Tufts. Later in the year, CNU will also battle No. 16 Amherst on March 21 and No. 6 Salisbury on April 18.

In addition to the upcoming foes, the squad already holds wins over No. 10 Gettysburg and No. 13 Washington and Lee. Christopher Newport has also defeated Stevenson, Hampden-Sydney, and Grove City, who all received votes in the latest poll.

Continuing to test themselves against the top programs in the nation, the Captains will welcome Franklin & Marshall to town on Tuesday. The Diplomats earned 20 points in Monday's poll and were slotted just outside of the top-20.

For those fans unable to attend Tuesday's contest, Christopher Newport will provide a live broadcast of the game with Andy McGregor and Jake Myers calling all of the action. Live stats will also be available at CNUsports.com. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the schedule page.

Boasting one of the most aggressive defensive units in the nation, CNU currently ranks 12th in the country with a 14.71 takeaways-per-game average. The Captains have posted at least 15 caused turnovers in each of their last five games. That stands as the program's longest streak since the team had nine straight contests with at least 15 takeaways from February 15 - March 21, 2019.

Among the squad's top individual performers, Mark Davison is averaging 2.14 strips per contest, which ranks 83rd among all players in the NCAA. Meanwhile, Brett Kelley has 13 caused turnovers, including at least one in all seven games. Armer Harrison, Colin DeGrassi, AJ Rosacker, and Garrett Bralley all have at least half-a-dozen takeaways as well.

Along with their work on the back side, the defensive stars also helped out on the offensive end against Grove City on Saturday. During the contest, Kelley became the first defenseman to post two points in a game since All-American Ryan Young had a goal and an assist against Colorado College on April 24, 2022. Short-stick specialist Will Cramp also had a goal in transition during the 10-7 triumph.

Among the team's usual offensive standouts, Jamie Smith extended his streak to 25 straight games with at least two goals after planting a hat-trick against Grove City. That is easily the longest run in program history, topping the 15-game stretch by perennial All-American Dylan Rice from April 24, 2021 through March 18, 2022.

In addition to Smith, Kevin Miller extended his school-record run to 12 straight contests with at least three assists after dishing out three helpers against the Wolverines. Remarkably, the junior star has 134 career assists, which ranks third among all active players in the NCAA. He sits just behind Salisbury's Connor Herraiz (164) and Syracuse's Joey Spallina (149).

Adding more context to that note, Miller has played 10 fewer games than Spallina and 17 less than Herraiz, who are both competing in their senior campaigns.

After suffering the squad's first setback of the season in a tight 9-8 loss against No. 4 York (Pa.), Franklin and Marshall rebounded with a 14-7 triumph over Ohio Wesleyan on Friday. Jumping out to an early lead, the Diplomats scored the first three goals of the game and carried a 9-2 edge into halftime before rolling to the win. Ben Dale led the victors with five points, including four assists, while Mason Montrella added a hat-trick. Teddy Scarborough also nabbed 13 saves, and Owen Hire had three takeaways on the defensive end.

A reigning USA Lacrosse Magazine All-American, Scarborough ranks third among all active goalies in the NCAA with a career 7.75 goals-against-average. So far this season, he has allowed just 6.20 goals per contest while boasting a .685 save percentage, which ranks 14th in the country. Aided by Scarborough's work in the cage, Franklin and Marshall has killed each of its opponents' 16 extra-man opportunities this season. The Diplomats are one of only 14 teams in the country with a perfect 1.000 man-down defensive rating.

On the offensive side, Dale leads F&M with 18 points, including 11 assists. Preston Blue also has 10 points, including seven against Messiah on February 17. Additionally, the Diplomats have won 52 percent of their faceoff attempts this year, including a 14-for-23 performance by Owen Krause.

Tuesday's showdown will serve as the first meeting between CNU and F&M in program history.

Following the midweek test against the Diplomats, Christopher Newport will conclude its six-game homestand on Sunday when the Captains welcome Ohio Northern to town for a 1 p.m. showdown.

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