NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Guided by their efforts on and off the field, Dylan Rice and Max Wayne will return as team captains for the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse program, while fellow seniors Phoenix Hines and Andrew Clark have been selected as assistant team captains for the upcoming 2021 campaign.
 
For the third straight year, Rice will be a member of the team's leadership core after previously serving as a team captain in 2019 and 2020. Meanwhile, Wayne will also continue serving in a leadership capacity after being an assistant team captain last season.
 
In addition to the returners, Clark and Hines will join their classmates as leaders on and off the field after being chosen as assistant team captains for 2021.
 
"When this senior class first arrived on campus in the fall of 2017, it was hard not to think about what they would be like as seniors," said head coach Mikey Thompson. "Now that time has come and they have exceeded those expectations as a group. To be selected as captains by their teammates for this year is an especially high honor due to the strong leadership across the board. This group is driven to do big things, and their leadership is extremely important during these uncertain times!"
 
Serving as a foundational piece of the program since arriving in Newport News, Rice has excelled across the board during his time with the team. A two-time All-American, he currently ranks second in program history with 123 career goals and third with 166 points. Equally effective off the field, he became the program's first-ever CoSIDA Academic All-American last spring while remaining a perennial Academic All-Conference and All-District honoree.
 
"Dylan has done everything there is to do as a student-athlete at the highest level of excellence," said Thompson. "He is one of those guys that leaves a program in a better place than he found it. I can't really even put into words how much he's done for CNU Lacrosse."
 
Wayne has remained one of the team's cornerstones on the defensive side of the ball throughout his tenure. Frustrating the opposition as a lockdown defender, he is a two-time All-American and three-time All-State performer. Splashing his name throughout the record books, he already sits third in program history with 94 career caused turnovers while boasting three of the top-six single-game efforts.
 
"Max's evolution as a leader has been amazing to see," said Thompson. "He's always been one of our hardest workers, but he now focuses his efforts on making his teammates around him better. He's done some amazing things off the field as well and become one of the great leaders on CNU's campus."
 
Seeing action as both a starting goalkeeper and valuable reserve, Clark has found success in a variety of roles during his time with the program. In 20 career appearances, he boasts an 8.57 goals-against-average, which ranks as the second-best mark in school history. Unfazed by top-flight competition, he has already battled four nationally-ranked foes in his career, including a starting nod at No. 18 Roanoke during his freshman season.
 
"Andrew Clark is our living definition of 'Grit' - passion and perseverance for long term goals," said Thompson. "He's worked extremely hard and supported all of his teammates every step of the way. We all know he's due for a big senior year in the cage!"
 
One of the most dominant long-pole specialists in the nation, Hines has carved out a role as an electric contributor on the defensive side of the ball over the past three seasons. Honored as an All-American for his efforts in 2020, he is also a two-time All-State performer. He already owns the program's single-season record for caused turnovers with 57 in 2019, while his 99 career takeaways are just three shy of matching the all-time school standard.
 
"I still don't think people outside of our program realize how good Phoenix really is," said Thompson. "It's like our entire sideline expects a caused turnover anytime he's on ball. He's the kind of player people come to see play live and can't stop watching. He truly loves the game and loves his teammates."
 
Over the course of the last three years, Clark, Hines, Rice, and Wayne have helped Christopher Newport compile a 32-13 record while becoming a fixture in the USILA National Coaches Poll. Since the arrival of the 2021 senior class, the Captains have shattered nearly every school record while advancing to the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history in 2018.
 
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