North Tidewater News

Four Captains Secure USA Lacrosse Magazine Preseason All-American Honors; Auslander and Young Pick Up First-Team Nods

 Four members of the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team secured Preseason All-American honors from USA Lacrosse Magazine as Coby Auslander and Ryan Young picked up first-team plaudits, while Zac Hanway was a second-team selection and Warner Cabaniss garnered third-team nods.

The four honorees equaled the most in program history, matching the haul by the 2022 squad. Meanwhile, Christopher Newport was one of only four teams in the nation to have at least four Preseason All-Americans this year, joining Salisbury, Tufts, and York (Pa.).

Celebrated as a first-team USILA All-American last year, Auslander established himself as one of the nation's leading playmakers. The senior set a new school record with 46 assists in 2022, while his 76 points marked the most by a midfielder in program history. A consistent threat on the offensive end, the Pennington, New Jersey native posted at least one point in all 20 games and had two or more on 19 occasions.

A bruising presence on the defensive end, Young has garnered All-Conference accolades during each of his two seasons with the Captains after spending his freshman campaign at UMBC. The senior standout finished last year with 34 caused turnovers, including eight at Randolph-Macon on February 19, which equaled the single-game school record. The Broadlands, Virginia native also ranked second among league defensemen with 50 ground balls in 2022.

Suffocating the competition from his perch between the pipes, Hanway secured honorable mention All-American accolades for his work last year. During his junior campaign, he finished with a sparkling 8.09 goals-against-average, which set a new school record and ranked 13th in the NCAA. An All-Conference and All-State selection in 2022, the Ocean City, Maryland native also established a new program standard with 18 wins while compiling a .540 save percentage.

Bursting onto the scene with a record-breaking debut campaign, Cabaniss was a second-team USILA All-American in 2022 while securing Rookie of the Year accolades from the conference and state. Helping the Captains control possession throughout the year, he set a new single-season school record with a .651 faceoff percentage while hauling in 135 ground balls. The Richmond, Virginia native eventually finished with 228 faceoff wins, which marked the second-highest total by a Captain.

Aided by the four Preseason All-Americans, Christopher Newport enters 2023 with high expectations. The Captains were slotted second in the USA Lacrosse Magazine Preseason Poll and fourth by Inside Lacrosse. The squad will open up the season on February 18 with a noon showdown against Grove City at Jennings Family Stadium.

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