PITMAN, N.J. -- After leading the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team to a pair of victories last week, Brett Kelley was honored as the Coastal Lacrosse Conference Defensive Player of the Week, which was announced by the league office on Monday afternoon.

The league-wide award was the first of Kelley's career. Meanwhile, he became the second Captain to earn the accolade this season, joining senior goalkeeper Mason Bellinger, who was celebrated on February 9 and February 23.

During his two appearances last week, the junior defenseman led CNU with five caused turnovers while adding eight ground balls. His efforts helped hold Randolph-Macon and Grove City to a combined 13 total goals as the Captains rolled to a pair of wire-to-wire victories.

On Wednesday during a 14-6 triumph over Randolph-Macon, Kelley came through with two strips and four ground balls. Among his efforts, he tied up an attacker behind the crease and dumped him onto the turf in the final minute of the opening period before intercepting an errant feed on a failed clear in the second stanza.

Three days later, he was equally effective in a 10-7 win against Grove City on Saturday. During the contest, he had a game-high three caused turnovers while adding four more ground balls. In the first half, he stripped a streaker in the right alley on a fast-break clear in the 18th minute before unloading a violent trail-check on a midfielder that caused another turnover near the end of the second stanza.

Following the break,  Kelley knotted up an attacker along the center stripe and popped the ball loose during a failed clear in the 35th minute. 

Just as effective on the offensive end, the Herndon, Virginia native chipped in with a pair of points. He generated a fast-break score in the opening period after pouncing on a loose ball and sprinting 75 yards up the right sideline before connecting with Will Cramp on a tracer in transition.

Later in the game, Kelley did everything by himself in the fourth quarter. Following a foul on a faceoff, he took possession of the ball, sidestepped a long pole, and ran straight to the cage before unleashing a missile past the keeper for his third career goal.

With his offensive outburst, Kelley became the first CNU defenseman with two points in a single game since former legend Ryan Young had a pair against Colorado College on April 24, 2022.

So far this season, Kelley ranks second on the squad with 13 caused turnovers and 25 ground balls. In his career, the third-year star has 40 total takeaways, which ranks 22nd on the program's all-time charts.

Kelley and the rest of the Captains will return to action on Tuesday when Christopher Newport hosts Franklin & Marshall at 3 p.m.

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