General - Celebration
Sydney Smith

Women's Lacrosse

No. 22 CNU Women's Lacrosse Battles Meredith in Opening Round of NCAA Tournament on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Lexington, Virginia

Live Stats // Video Stream

LEXINGTON, Va. --
The 22nd-ranked Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team will make its return to the NCAA Tournament on Saturday at 1 p.m. when the Captains square off with Meredith in a first-round battle at Washington and Lee's Alston Parker Watt Field.

Entering the national playoffs, CNU sits at 13-6 on the season, including 4-5 away from Newport News. Meanwhile, Meredith is 17-4 with a 7-2 ledger on the road.

For those fans unable to attend the game, live stats and a video stream of the action will be available at NCAA.com. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the schedule page.

The winner of Saturday's contest will advance to the second round of the tournament for a showdown with No. 11 Washington and Lee on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Generals earned an opening round bye after claiming the program's 16th consecutive Old Dominion Athletic Conference crown last week.

Christopher Newport secured an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the past four years after finishing second in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference. In the league championship last Saturday, the Captains dropped an 11-9 decision at No. 3 Salisbury. During the title bout, Kate Webb notched her second hat-trick of the season, while Faith O'Connor and Elle Roberts had two goals apiece.

In addition to the offensive stars, Brookelyn Morrison registered eight draw controls against the Sea Gulls. That bumped her season total to 110, which established a new program record. Former standout Sam Wettengel set the previous standard with 106 draws in 2021.

Morrison's work last Saturday added another chapter to a historic 2026 campaign for the Captains. Morrison also has 49 caused turnovers this season, which is five shy of matching her own school record set last spring. Meanwhile, Gabby Saia is third in program lore with 45 takeaways this year. As a team, CNU is averaging 13.11 strips per contest, which is the highest rate in school history.

Equally impressive between the pipes, Hadley Chadwick leads all active goalies in the country with 4,181 minutes of action in her career. That stands as the 13th-highest total by any keeper in Division III history. Remarkably, she is just 66 minutes away from passing Babson legend Kathleen Murphy for a spot in the top-10 on the NCAA charts.

On the offensive side of the ball, Elena Sorkin ranks fifth on Christopher Newport's all-time single-season leaderboard with 65 goals, while O'Connor is sixth with 64. Meanwhile, Webb slots 12th on the program's assists list with 35 helpers. That total also stands as the highest by a first-year Captain in school history. The junior spent her first two collegiate campaigns at Duquesne before arriving in Newport News this season.

Among other approaching milestones, Morrison is two ground balls away from tying CNU's career record. Entering the weekend, the reigning All-American has collected 162 rollers during her career. Previously, longtime standout Monica Evans hauled in 164 from 2010-13. Additionally, Morrison has appeared in 80 career games at CNU, which is also two shy of equaling the program mark set by Kendall Krause from 2019-23 and matched by Kelsey Winters from 2020-24.

As a team, Christopher Newport enters the NCAA Tournament ranked 10th in the country in free position percentage (.564) and 18th in both clearing percentage (.863) and draw controls per game (15.11). The squad is also averaging 15.00 goals per contest, which is the 26th-best mark in the NCAA.

Equally lethal on the offensive side, Meredith ranks first in the country with an 18.76 goals-per-game average. Dominant in all facets of the game, the Avenging Angels are also fifth nationally in both scoring defense (5.24 goals-against-average) and draw control percentage (.659).

On an individual level, Reese Walker leads the NCAA with 158 points and 86 assists, while Kenzie Todd is second in the country with 93 goals and 139 points. Meanwhile, in the crease, Delaney Posehn boasts a 5.37 goals-against-average. That is the fifth-best mark in the nation.

Saturday's game will be a rematch of a regular-season battle that saw the Captains post a 15-7 win at Meredith on April 11. During that tilt, Chadwick matched her season-high with 11 saves, while O'Connor deposited seven points, including five goals. For the Avenging Angels, Posehn collected 16 stops in the cage, and Bailey Swails landed a hat-trick.

In eight previous meetings between the two programs, Christopher Newport holds a 7-1 edge in the series. Saturday's clash will be the first meeting in the postseason.

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Players Mentioned

Hadley Chadwick

#34 Hadley Chadwick

GK
5' 7"
Senior
Maryland United
Brookelyn Morrison

#1 Brookelyn Morrison

M
5' 6"
Senior
Virginia Metro
Faith O

#14 Faith O'Connor

A
5' 7"
Junior
Pride Black
Gabby Saia

#28 Gabby Saia

D
5' 2"
Junior
SJ Shamrocks
Elena Sorkin

#22 Elena Sorkin

A
5' 4"
Senior
Yellow Jackets South
Elle Roberts

#7 Elle Roberts

A
5' 6"
Freshman
M&D Shore
Kate Webb

#21 Kate Webb

A
5' 10"
Junior
M&D Red

Players Mentioned

Hadley Chadwick

#34 Hadley Chadwick

5' 7"
Senior
Maryland United
GK
Brookelyn Morrison

#1 Brookelyn Morrison

5' 6"
Senior
Virginia Metro
M
Faith O

#14 Faith O'Connor

5' 7"
Junior
Pride Black
A
Gabby Saia

#28 Gabby Saia

5' 2"
Junior
SJ Shamrocks
D
Elena Sorkin

#22 Elena Sorkin

5' 4"
Senior
Yellow Jackets South
A
Elle Roberts

#7 Elle Roberts

5' 6"
Freshman
M&D Shore
A
Kate Webb

#21 Kate Webb

5' 10"
Junior
M&D Red
A