RICHMOND, Va. -- Headlining an impressive collection of award-winning honorees, Christopher Newport senior standout Brookelyn Morrison was named the VaSID All-State Women's Lacrosse Player of the Year, while Gabby Saia was celebrated as the Defensive Player of the Year and Lisa Valentine was recognized as the commonwealth's top coach by the Virginia Sports Information Directors.

Receiving the state's highest honor for the second straight season, Morrison became just the fourth women's lacrosse star in Virginia history to earn a pair of Player of the Year awards. In that exclusive club, she joined former Captains Kelsey Winters (2022, 2023, 2024) and Meaghan Galvin (2016, 2017) as well as National Lacrosse Hall of Famer Amy Appelt, who was celebrated twice for her work at the University of Virginia in 2004 and 2005.

Saia made some history of her own as the junior became the first Captain to be named the state's Defensive Player of the Year. She also became just the second non-senior to receive the recognition in Virginia history, joining Washington and Lee's Eugenie Rovegno, who was honored as an underclassman in 2022 and 2023.

Rounding out the individual honorees, Valentine was named the Virginia State Coach of the Year for the first time in her career. She became the second Captain to earn the award, joining former legend Carolyn Raveia, who was honored in 2013.

Along with Morrison and Saia, Faith O'Connor also received a spot on the first-team All-State squad, while Kate Lamendola and Elena Sorkin were second-team selections.

With her award, Morrison joined Galvin and Winters as the only four-time All-State picks in program history. Meanwhile, Lamendola, O'Connor, and Saia were celebrated for the second straight year, while Sorkin hauled in her first career award.

Concluding her career as one of the most decorated student-athletes in Christopher Newport history, Morrison became the program's first unanimous first-team All-American after receiving top accolades from both the IWLCA and USA Lacrosse Magazine. A first-team All-Conference and All-Region selection as well, she established new single-season school records with 58 caused turnovers and 131 draw controls. On a national level, she ranked 12th on the NCAA leaderboard in takeaways, 13th in draws, and 11th with 16 free-position goals.

Equally impressive in all facets of the game, Morrison also slotted second in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference with 53 ground balls and fifth with 50 goals. Putting her well-rounded skill set into perspective, she became just the ninth collegiate lacrosse player from any level of the NCAA since 2020 to finish a season with at least 50 goals, 50 ground balls, 50 caused turnovers, and 100 draws.

Stellar throughout the year, Morrison contributed at least one point in 21 of her 23 appearances and had eight hat-tricks. She also had multiple takeaways in 15 of her outings and collected five or more draws on 17 occasions. Remarkably, she was named the IWLCA National Defensive Player of the Week on March 24 and the National Offensive Player of the Week on May 12, becoming the only competitor in the nation to earn both awards. Fittingly, she was also named the USA Lacrosse National Player of the Week on February 17.

Among her historic efforts during the year, Morrison kicked off the NCAA Tournament with four goals and five assists in a win over Meredith on May 9. Her nine points were the most by any player in the national playoffs in school lore. She also had nine points in the semifinals of the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament against Mary Washington on April 29 and landed six goals during a win over St. Mary's (Md.) on February 28.

Aided by her work at the beginning of the season, Morrison also converted 12 consecutive eight-meter attempts, which was the longest streak in program history.

In addition to her offensive eruptions, Morrison matched the single-game school record with eight caused turnovers against Berry on February 13, while her 12 draw controls against Lynchburg on March 7 equaled the eighth-highest total by a Captain. She also had five strips, four draws, and four ground balls during a well-rounded win at No. 6 York (Pa.) on March 21.

In the end, Morrison punctuated her tenure as the program's all-time leader with 169 career ground balls, 178 caused turnovers, 372 draw controls, and 84 appearances. She also finished eighth with 233 points and 157 goals. Overall, the three-time All-American became only the 29th player in Division III history to record at least 150 points, takeaways, draws, and ground balls.

Establishing herself as one of the nation's top defensive standouts, Saia secured third-team All-American honors from both the IWLCA and USA Lacrosse Magazine. She was also a first-team All-Conference and All-Region performer. Suffocating the competition throughout the year, the junior juggernaut recorded 52 caused turnovers, which placed her 20th on the national leaderboard and marked the third-highest total in program history.

Causing at least one miscue in 21 of her 23 appearances, Saia had multiple strips on 13 occasions. Her finest performance came against Lynchburg on March 7 when she posted a season-high seven takeaways, which marked the third-highest total by a Captain. Later, she kicked off an incredible postseason run with five caused turnovers against Mary Washington in the semifinals of the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament on April 29. That equaled the third-most in a playoff game in school history and earned her a spot on the league's All-Tournament Team.

In addition to her work in the conference playoffs, Saia had two takeaways in three straight games during the NCAA Tournament, including a pair of strips in wins against No. 11 Washington and Lee on May 10 and No. 6 Denison on May 16. Stepping up against top-flight opponents throughout the year, she caused multiple turnovers in five battles against nationally-ranked foes. Among her work, she had four caused turnovers against No. 23 Haverford on March 11 and three at No. 4 Salisbury on April 25.

Along with her 52 takeaways, Saia also ranked seventh in the conference with 42 ground balls. Cleaning up the turf, she grabbed two or more on 14 occasions, including the first three games of the NCAA Tournament. Shining in clutch situations, she pocketed a season-high four ground balls in the playoffs at No. 11 Washington and Lee on May 10, including two key fourth-quarter snags that helped lead the Captains to a thrilling 8-7 come-from-behind victory.

One of the most versatile contributors in the region, Lamendola ranked sixth in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference with 32 takeaways while adding 24 goals and eight assists. She was one of only two players in the league to record at least 30 points and 30 takeaways. She also slotted eighth among conference competitors with 39 ground balls while hauling in second-team All-Region accolades for her efforts during the spring.

Tormenting the opposition, Lamendola contributed at least one point in 20 games and forced multiple turnovers in 11 of her appearances, including four of the squad's six postseason games. Among her work in the playoffs, she had two takeaways, six ground balls, and three points during a win over No. 6 Denison on May 16, which catapulted the Captains into the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time in program history.

Locking up a spot among the top offensive standouts in the nation, O'Connor was a third-team IWLCA All-American during her junior campaign. A first-team All-Conference and All-Region selection, she ranked 19th on the national charts with 72 goals. That was also the fourth-highest total in program history. Equally effective as a facilitator, she handed out 16 assists and finished the season with a league-high 88 points.

During the year, O'Connor scored at least once in 21 of her 23 outings, including 19 multi-goal efforts. Stuffing the stat sheet, she opened the season with seven straight hat-tricks, which marked the second-longest streak in program history. Among her most lethal eruptions, she had nine points in a win over Randolph-Macon on April 15 after piecing together a pair of six-goal showcases against Ursinus on March 14 and Kenyon on March 29.

A first-team All-Conference and All-Region selection, Sorkin concluded her career as one of the program's elite scoring threats. During a sensational senior season, she wrapped up the spring with 73 goals, which ranked 14th on the national leaderboard and marked the third-highest total in school history. Eventually, she tied for the league-lead with 88 points while boasting a conference-high five game-winning goals.

Notching at least one strike in 22 of her 23 appearances, Sorkin collected 20 multi-goal efforts and 14 hat-tricks. She secured at least two tallies in 14 straight games from March 7 through April 29, which marked the longest run in program history. In the midst of that stretch, she had seven goals at No. 15 Rowan on April 4, which was the fifth-highest total in program history and the finest effort against a nationally-ranked opponent.

Guiding the Captains to the most successful season in program history, Valentine built a powerhouse that posted a 16-7 record while advancing to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time in school history. Along the way, CNU knocked off four teams that finished the season ranked in the top-25, including No. 6 Denison and No. 11 Washington and Lee during a miraculous run through the national playoffs.

Establishing a new benchmark for success, Valentine's crew eventually finished the spring slotted 12th in the final IWLCA National Coaches Poll, which was the highest ranking ever attained by the Captains.

2026 VaSID All-State Women's Lacrosse Honorees
 

Individual Award Winners
Coach of the Year:	Lisa Valentine	Christopher Newport
Player of the Year:	Brookelyn Morrison	Christopher Newport
Defensive Player of the Year:	Gabby Saia	Christopher Newport
Rookie of the Year:	Natalie Opatovsky	Shenandoah
First Team
Attack:	Maddie McDonald	Roanoke
Attack:	Faith O'Connor	Christopher Newport
Attack:	Hannah Van Son	Washington and Lee
Attack:	Lara Baki	Washington and Lee
Midfield:	Brookelyn Morrison	Christopher Newport
Midfield:	Neely Morris	Lynchburg
Midfield:	Paige Mayers	Bridgewater
Midfield:	Sadie Laughlin	Mary Washington
Defense:	Gabby Saia	Christopher Newport
Defense:	Dagny Tombaugh	Washington and Lee
Defense:	Jordan Wheeler	Roanoke
Defense:	Maddie Stauder	Mary Washington
Goalkeeper:	Iman Haddad	Washington and Lee
Second Team
Attack:	Elena Sorkin	Christopher Newport
Attack:	Lilly Fowler	Randolph-Macon
Attack:	McKenna Steinau	Lynchburg
Attack:	Mackenzie Morrissette	Marymount
Midfield:	Kate Lamendola	Christopher Newport
Midfield:	Betty Boatwright	Washington and Lee
Midfield:	Hailey Pierce	Randolph-Macon
Midfield:	Ellie Patterson	Southern Virginia
Defense:	Daelyn Gregory	Mary Washington
Defense:	Talia Maria	Shenandoah
Defense:	Megan D'Amore	Emory & Henry
Defense:	Taryn Moreno	UVA Wise
Goalkeeper:	Gillian Gladden	Randolph-Macon

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