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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- After claiming the Coastal Lacrosse Conference regular season championship, the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team jumped to third in the latest USILA National Coaches Poll while preparing for a semifinal showdown with Mary Washington in the league playoffs, which will take place on Wednesday at 1 p.m. at Jennings Family Stadium.

After spending the past six weeks ranked fourth by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association, CNU moved up one spot after securing 461 points in Monday's poll. Just ahead of the Captains, Bowdoin garnered all 26 first-place votes, while Tufts was slotted second in the rankings.

Following Christopher Newport, Babson and Salisbury rounded out the top-five.

Six of CNU's regular season opponents earned a spot in the latest USILA National Coaches Poll. Earlier in the year, Christopher Newport posted wins against No. 5 Salisbury, No. 9 Gettysburg, No. 15 Washington and Lee, and No. 20 Amherst. Meanwhile, the squad's two setbacks came against No. 2 Tufts and No. 7 Lynchburg.

Overall, CNU sits at 15-2 on the year, including 10-0 at Jennings Family Stadium. The program's 17-game home winning streak is currently the second-longest active stretch in the nation. Only Rivier has a longer run as the Raiders have captured 19 straight bouts at Joanne Merrill Field.

Along with their success at home, the Captains also finished the regular season with a pristine 4-0 record in Coastal Lacrosse Conference action. For that performance, CNU earned the No. 1 seed in the league playoffs for the second time in school history. Previously, the team also won the regular season conference championship in 2022.

Christopher Newport will open up the playoffs on Wednesday against Mary Washington, who secured the No. 4 seed in the tournament. The Eagles earned a spot in the semifinals after knocking off Kean, 12-7, in a first-round battle in Fredericksburg on Sunday. That triumph bumped UMW to 8-8 on the season and was the squad's first playoff victory since a first-round win against Frostburg State during the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament on April 19, 2017.

For those fans unable to attend Wednesday's game, CNU will provide a broadcast of the contest 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.

Wednesday's showdown will be a rematch of a regular season contest that saw the Captains notch a 21-7 win in Fredericksburg on April 1. With the game knotted at two after the first quarter, CNU outscored the Eagles, 8-1, in the second stanza to pull away for the win. That was Christopher Newport's 12th consecutive victory against Mary Washington dating back to 2016.

The midweek match-up will also be the fifth all-time postseason meeting between the two programs. During the league playoffs, the squads have split the previous four showdowns with CNU winning in 2018 and 2019 after Mary Washington notched triumphs in 2014 and 2015.

Coming into Wednesday, Kevin Miller is on the cusp of history. The third-year star has 161 career assists, which is tied with former legend Coby Auslander for the most in program history. That is also the fourth-highest total among all active players in the NCAA, trailing only Salisbury's Connor Herraiz (207), Syracuse's Joey Spallina (179), and Goucher's Jacob Morgan (163).

Among other approaching milestones, Mason Bellinger is 11 saves away from reaching 500 for his career. He would become just the fourth Captain to hit that mark, joining former legend Andy McGregor as well as fellow All-Americans Zac Hanway and Matt Hayden. Meanwhile, AJ Rosacker is four caused turnovers away from his 100th career strip. Only Phoenix Hines, Max Wayne, Ryan Young, and Drew Cornell have hit the century mark for the Captains.

So far this season, Bellinger ranks 19th in the NCAA with 231 saves. Additionally, on the offensive end, Jamie Smith is second in the nation with 73 goals, while Miller is fourth nationally with 58 assists. Miller is also 19th with 87 points, and Smith is 21st with 85. CNU is one of only four teams in the nation with a pair of 80-point scorers, joining Bowdoin, Greensboro, and SUNY Oneonta.

On the other side, Mary Washington features one of the nation's most accomplished faceoff specialists. A four-time All-Conference selection, Jacob Fowler ranks 17th among all active players in the nation with 612 career faceoff wins and 375 ground balls. This season, he boasts a .558 faceoff percentage while winning at least 50 percent of his battles in 11 of his 14 appearances.

Along with Fowler, the Eagles feature two other All-League honorees. Tanner Boone leads the squad with 40 points, including 26 goals, while Ryan D'Angelo has starred in the crease. The senior boasts a .547 save percentage and 11.67 goals-against-average in 16 starts this year.

During the regular season battle with Christopher Newport, D'Angelo finished the game with 16 saves, while Boone had two goals. For CNU, Smith led the victors with seven points, while Ryan Miller chipped in with five. Overall, 17 different Captains collected at least one point, including the second goal of the season for both Brady Mitchell and Luke Solomon.

The winner of Wednesday's game will advance to the Coastal Lacrosse Conference Championship, which will be held on Sunday at the highest remaining seed. On the other side of the bracket, second-seeded Salisbury will host third-seeded Stockton on Wednesday at 5 p.m.

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