DURHAM, N.C. -- After leading the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse program to its sixth straight appearance in the NCAA Quarterfinals, Mason Bellinger was hailed as a first-team All-American by the Intercollegiate Men's Lacrosse Coaches Association, while Kevin Miller hauled in second-team accolades from the national organization on Thursday morning.

Coupled with his previous citations from USA Lacrosse Magazine and the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association earlier this spring, Bellinger became just the third unanimous first-team All-American in program history. He joined former legends Max Wayne (2022) and Ryan Young (2023) as the only Captains to earn top accolades from all three organizations.

Meanwhile, Miller became just the fourth two-time IMLCA All-American in school history. After repeating as a second-team selection for the second straight year, he joined Young, Warner Cabaniss, and Andrew Cook as the only multi-time recipients.

Overall, the Captains have now had multiple players recognized as All-Americans by the IMLCA during each of the past five seasons.

Orchestrating one of the finest campaigns by a student-athlete in Christopher Newport history, Bellinger capped off his career with a sensational senior season. During the spring, he established a new program record with 286 saves, which also marked the third-highest total in the NCAA. His .593 save percentage also set a new single-season school record, while his 18 victories equaled the second-most by a Captain.

Suffocating the competition, the IMLCA Region 3 Defensive Player of the Year established a new program standard with 26 saves during a 12-9 win over No. 6 Salisbury on April 18. He also pocketed 20 stops in back-to-back outings against No. 14 Amherst on March 21 and Stockton on March 28. For that stretch, he was named the USA Lacrosse National Player of the Week on March 24 and April 22.

Overall, Bellinger recorded at least 10 saves in 16 of his appearances, including six straight outings from February 7-28. Just as dominant in the postseason, he set aside 16 shots against Salisbury in the Coastal Lacrosse Conference Championship on May 3 before adding 32 total stops during three games in the NCAA Tournament. That included an incredible double-save on back-to-back shots in the final seconds of a 13-12 win against No. 13 Washington and Lee on May 10, which capped off a heroic fourth-quarter performance in the third round of the national playoffs.

Rounding out his stat line from the season, Bellinger also nabbed nine caused turnovers and finished with 58 ground balls, which marked the second-highest total by a goalie in program history. He also chipped in with three points, including a goal in the win over No. 6 Salisbury and an assist in the NCAA Quarterfinals against No. 12 Wesleyan on May 16.

Aided by his work during the year, Bellinger concluded his tenure with a .574 career save percentage, which stands as the finest mark by a Captain in program history. He also sits third on the all-time charts with 35 wins and fourth with 544 total saves.

On the other end of the field, Miller continued to pick apart opposing defenses at a remarkable rate. The junior recorded 78 assists, which led the NCAA and marked the 15th-highest total in collegiate lacrosse history. Coupled with his record-setting 81 helpers last year, he became only the fourth player in Division III history to lead the country in assists in back-to-back campaigns.

Remarkably consistent, Miller handed out at least one assist in all 22 games. He registered multiple helpers in 20 of his appearances, including all five postseason tilts. Meanwhile, he had six assists in three straight contests from February 18-25, including a nine-point outburst against No. 17 Stevenson on February 21. That equaled the seventh-highest single-game total in school history.

Tormenting top-25 competition throughout the year, he had at least three points in nine of the squad's 10 battles against nationally-ranked foes. That included an eight-point showcase against No. 13 Washington and Lee in the NCAA Tournament on May 10. His eight points equaled the most by a Captain in the national playoffs in school history.

In addition to his work as a facilitator, Miller also established a new career-high with 35 goals. His 113 total points fell just two shy of his own school standard, which he established last season. During the spring, he had 12 multi-goal outings, including six hat-tricks. Just as relentless on the defensive side, he posted 14 caused turnovers, which equaled the most by an attackman in four years.

Through three seasons, Miller already owns the school record with 181 career assists, while his 278 points are the third-most in program history. He is also just three goals shy of becoming the 12th Captain to reach 100 career strikes.

Led by the work of Bellinger and Miller, Christopher Newport eventually finished the 2026 season ranked fifth in the final USILA National Coaches Poll after compiling an 18-4 record.

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