NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. -- Three members of the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse program hauled in All-American honors from the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association as Brookelyn Morrison received first-team accolades, while Faith O'Connor and Gabby Saia picked up third-team citations from the national organization on Friday morning.

Coupled with her third-team award in 2025, Morrison became just the fourth multi-time All-American in school history, joining CNU Hall of Famer Meaghan Galvin (2016-17) and longtime legends Kelsey Winters (2021-24) and Julia Iapicca (2023-24). She also joined Winters as the only first-team selections in program lore.

Along with Morrison's second honor, O'Connor and Saia were both celebrated for the first time. Saia became the first defender in school history to earn national accolades from the IWLCA, while O'Connor joined Galvin, Winters, and Sarah Culver as the only attackers to receive the recognition.

Overall, the three All-Americans marked the program's highest total in a single season. Previously, two Captains were honored by the organization in 2023 and 2024.

Becoming the first consensus first-team All-American in school history, Morrison was previously a first-team selection by USA Lacrosse Magazine last week. Also a first-team All-Conference and All-Region honoree, the fourth-year phenom pieced together a season for the record books in 2026. 

Among her efforts, Morrison set the school record - and ranked 12th in the NCAA - with 58 caused turnovers. Equally effective in the center of the field, she pocketed 131 draw controls, which also established a new program standard and placed her 13th on the national leaderboard. Remarkably well-rounded, she set career-highs with 50 goals and 53 ground balls as well.

Putting her diverse skill set into perspective, Morrison became just the ninth collegiate lacrosse player from any level of the NCAA since 2020 to finish a season with at least 50 strikes, 50 rollers, 50 takeaways, and 100 draws.

On the offensive end, Morrison eventually concluded the year with 80 points, which was the third-highest total by a midfielder in program history. She also deposited 16 free-position goals. That marked the fourth-most in school lore. Overall, she scored at least once in 21 of her 23 appearances while registering eight hat-tricks, including a nine-point eruption against Meredith in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on May 9. That was the highest total by a Captain in the history of the national playoffs.

In addition to her offensive highlights, Morrison had multiple takeaways in 15 of her appearances, including eight strips against Berry in the opener on February 13. That tied the single-game school record. Meanwhile, she had at least five draw controls in 17 games. Her finest effort of the year came against Lynchburg when she collected 12 draws on March 7, which matched the eighth-most by a Captain.

For her performance during the year, Morrison was celebrated as the USA Lacrosse National Player of the Week on February 17, the IWLCA National Defensive Player of the Week on March 24, and the IWLCA National Offensive Player of the Week on May 12. She was the only player in the country to receive both the offensive and defensive honors in the spring.

Aided by her work in 2026, Morrison punctuated her tenure as the program's all-time leader with 372 career draw controls, 178 caused turnovers, 169 ground balls, and 84 appearances. Meanwhile, her 233 points placed her eighth on the school's all-time leaderboard.

One of the most lethal offensive contributors in program history, O'Connor orchestrated a breakout campaign in 2026. After earning All-Region honors last spring, the junior star took her game to new heights this season. In addition to her All-American citation, she was previously recognized as a first-team All-Conference and All-Region performer.

During her third year with the Captains, O'Connor scored 72 goals, which marked the fourth-highest total in school history and placed her 19th on the NCAA leaderboard. Along with her finishing skills, she also established a new career-high with 16 assists, while her 88 total points equaled the 11th-most by any player in program lore.

Tormenting the opposition with regularity, O'Connor notched at least one point in 22 of her 23 appearances. Among her efforts, she established a new single-season school record with 16 hat-tricks, breaking the old mark of 15 set by CNU Hall of Famer Kaitlin Quigley in 2010. Meanwhile, she scored at least three goals in seven straight games from February 13 through March 14, which equaled the second-longest streak by a Captain.

O'Connor concluded her historic early-season run with a career-high six strikes against Ursinus on March 14. Later, she matched that effort in wins over Kenyon on March 29 and Randolph-Macon on April 15. For those outbursts, she was recognized as the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week on March 16 and April 21.

Just as effective against nationally-ranked competition, O'Connor had four points, including three goals, in top-25 match-ups against No. 11 Washington and Lee on March 4, No. 23 Haverford on March 11, and No. 6 York (Pa.) on March 21. Then, in the postseason, she had a hat-trick in a win over No. 6 Denison in the third round of the NCAA Tournament on May 16 after opening the playoffs with four points in a triumph over Meredith on May 9.

Along with her offensive efforts, O'Connor ranked eighth in the conference with 50 draw controls, including nine in the win over No. 23 Haverford on March 11. She also came down with seven snags during the win at No. 6 York (Pa.), including five in the second quarter as the Captains flipped an early deficit into a come-from-behind victory.

Equally relentless on the defensive side, O'Connor frustrated her opponents in the clearing game. During the season, she set a new career-high with 12 caused turnovers, which matched the most by an attacker since 2018. Her work helped limit teams to a combined .761 clearing percentage, which was the lowest rate by CNU's opposition in eight years.

Solidifying her spot among the top defensive standouts in the country, Saia earned universal praise for her performance in 2026. Previously, she was hailed as a third-team All-American by USA Lacrosse Magazine after garnering first-team All-Conference and All-Region plaudits. The awards rolled in after she completed a historic junior campaign.

During her third season in Newport News, Saia collected 52 caused turnovers. That marked the third-highest total in program history and ranked 20th on this year's NCAA leaderboard. She also established a new personal-best with 42 ground balls, which placed her 20th on the school's all-time single-season charts.

Suffocating the competition, Saia forced a turnover in 21 of her 23 games and tallied two or more on 13 occasions. Her finest performance came against Lynchburg on March 7 when she secured a career-high seven strips. That equaled the fourth-highest total in program history. Remarkably, she followed up her historic outing with four takeaways in each of her next two appearances against No. 23 Haverford on March 11 and Ursinus on March 14.

Along with her regular season work, Saia enhanced her reputation as one of the finest postseason performers in school history. During the league playoffs, she notched five caused turnovers against Mary Wahsington on April 29, which equaled the third-highest total by a Captain in a postseason game. For that showcase, she earned a spot on the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference All-Tournament Team for the third consecutive season.

Later, in the NCAA Tournament, Saia continued to quiet the opposition while posting seven caused turnovers during the national playoffs. She had two takeaways, including key fourth-quarter strips, during back-to-back wins over No. 11 Washington and Lee on May 10 and No. 6 Denison on May 16. Then, she wrapped up the playoffs with two more caused turnovers in the final stanza of the NCAA Quarterfinals against No. 3 Salisbury on May 17.

Overall, 17 of her caused turnovers during the year came against nationally-ranked competition, including three at Salisbury during the regular season on April 25. She also established a new career-high with four ground balls during the overtime win at No. 11 Washington and Lee in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

In addition to her work against the Generals in the playoffs, Saia collected at least one ground ball in all but two games during the season. She also hauled in multiple rollers in 14 contests, including five straight from April 4-25. Meanwhile, she was equally crucial on the squad's transition unit, which ranked 24th nationally in clearing percentage with a tremendous .852 rate.

Led by the All-Americans, Christopher Newport eventually finished the spring with a 16-7 record while advancing to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time in school history.

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