NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Four Captains have been appointed to leadership positions on the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team as Molly Campbell, Sam Manico, Gabby Saia, and Emilie Shoults were selected as team captains for the upcoming 2027 campaign.

Shoults will serve as a captain for the third straight season, while Campbell and Saia are back for the second consecutive year. Meanwhile, Manico will hold the position for the first time in her career.

Earning All-Conference honors for her work on the midfield unit, Campbell ranked seventh in the league with 42 ground balls and eighth with 28 caused turnovers. Registering at least one takeaway in 13 of her appearances, she came through with a season-high six strips against Roanoke on February 21, which earned her the league's Defensive Player of the Week award. Meanwhile, on the other end of the field, the Cockeysville, Maryland native pitched in with 19 points while slotting sixth in the conference with six free-position goals.

In her career, Campbell has seen action in 36 games and earned 23 starts over the past two seasons. During that time, she has averaged nearly a takeaway per game while adding 46 ground balls and 20 points.

Carving out a role on the defensive unit in her second year with the Captains, Manico took part in 12 games and earned six starts during her sophomore campaign. Making contributions on the back end, she posted eight caused turnovers, including five against Mary Washington in the semifinals of the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament on April 29. That equaled the third-highest total in a postseason game in school history. Later, the Roanoke, Virginia native added another strip in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament against Meredith on May 9.

Along with her work on the field, Manico has also starred in the classroom during her time at Christopher Newport. In her first two years, she is already a two-time Academic All-Conference honoree for her scholarly endeavors.

Solidifying her spot as one of the nation's top defensive standouts, Saia earned third-team All-American honors from both the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association and USA Lacrosse Magazine in 2026. Also a first-team All-Conference and All-Region performer, the Monroeville, New Jersey native ranked 20th in the NCAA with 52 caused turnovers during the year. That also marked the third-highest total by any Captain in program history.

Entering her senior season, Saia already ranks eighth on the school's all-time career charts with 81 caused turnovers. A two-time All-Conference and All-Region performer, she is also a two-time member of the Academic All-District Team.

One of the league's elite draw control specialists, Shoults earned All-Conference nods as a sophomore and continued to control possession throughout her junior campaign. During the year, she saw action in 16 games and hauled in 29 draws, including five in the league semifinals against Mary Washington on April 29. The Warners, New York native eventually had a draw in 11 games, including three bouts against nationally-ranked competition.

In her career, Shoults has appeared in 45 career games and already ranks in the top-25 all-time with 78 total draw controls. Meanwhile, her 1.73 draws-per-game average is the 16th-highest in school history.

All four captains were instrumental in guiding the program to its first appearance in the NCAA Quarterfinals during the spring campaign. Along the way, Christopher Newport compiled a 16-7 record and knocked off four nationally-ranked opponents before finishing 2026 slotted 12th in the final IWLCA National Coaches Poll.

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