TRENTON, NJ- Christopher Newport University Director of Athletics R. Todd Brooks today announced the university's football program, along with four others from the Capital Athletic Conference, will become associate members of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC). The Captains will begin play in the NJAC in the 2015 football season.

"This is an exciting time for CNU football," Brooks said. "We are thrilled to be joining the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football, and look forward to building some fantastic rivalries with the conference's membership."

Christopher Newport will align with Capital Athletic Conference programs Wesley, Frostburg State, Salisbury and Southern Virginia as well as five current members of the NJAC; Rowan, William Paterson, Kean, the College of New Jersey, and Montclair State. The institutions will form the new ten-team NJAC football league beginning in 2015.

The Christopher Newport football program began play in 2001, and has enjoyed remarkable success over its first 13 seasons. The Captains, who have been coached by Matt Kelchner since the program's inception, have compiled an all-time record of 90-47 for a winning percentage of .657. CNU has won nine conference titles in its first 13 seasons, recorded a conference record of 71-16 (.816), and has advanced to the NCAA Tournament nine times, including the first four years in program history.

"We've had a tremendous run in the USA South and established some strong rivalries and relationships," Kelchner said. "Now, we will continue to work hard and strive for even more success in the New Jersey Athletic Conference. The teams in this new league have produced a combined total of 31 NCAA playoff teams in the last ten years, which I feel will make this one of the top conferences in all of Division III."

CNU football began play as a member of the Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 2001. The Captains have continued as a full member since the league changed its name to the USA South Athletic Conference in 2003, and will conclude its affiliation with the USA South following the 2014 season.

The bulk of CNU's varsity athletic programs, with the exception of football and sailing, switched to the Capital Athletic Conference from the USA South in the fall of 2013.