ASHLAND, Va. -- An esteemed collection of Christopher Newport student-athletes were honored by the Virginia Sports Information Directors on Monday afternoon as six Captains were named to the 2019-20 Academic All-State Team. Headlining the group were repeat selections and CoSIDA Academic All-Americans Carson Pokorny from the nationally-ranked women's soccer program and Ben James, an All-American defensive player from the Captains' football team.

Joining Pokorny and James from the senior class are Rachel Cooke (Field Hockey), Monica Lannen (Women's Cross Country/Track & Field), and Anna Patterson (Sailing) while one junior also garnered recognition in Dylan Rice (Men's Lacrosse).

Following outstanding efforts both in and out of the classroom during the 2019-20 school year, the six CNU student-athletes were joined by over 220 others representing 37 colleges and universities from around the Commonwealth named to the All-State squad. In order to be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore academically while maintaining a 3.25 cumulative grade point average. Each institution in Virginia is eligible to nominate up to six athletes for the All-State award.

(CNU All-State picks in alphabetical order by last name...)
 
Rachel Cooke - Senior - Field Hockey - Vienna, Va.
 
Wrapping up one of the finest careers in Christopher Newport field hockey history, Cooke was elite on and off the field for the Captains. For her work off the field, she became one of just three field hockey players in program history to earn a spot on the NFHCA All-Academic Team in each of her four seasons as a Captain. On the field of play, Cooke became the first CNU player since 2014 to earn All-American honors from both the NFHCA and Synapse Sports. 
 
In her senior year, Cooke led all midfielders in minutes played and helped solidify one of the toughest defensive units in the nation. During the year, the squad posted five shutouts and held their opponents to a .109 shooting percentage, leading the CAC. While anchoring the stalwart defense, Cooke also contributed offensively as the team's leader in assists with six, establishing a new career-high. The four-time All-Conference player wrapped up her career ranked second in minutes played (4,607), third in starts (73), and ninth in appearances (74). She also ranks seventh in career assists with 17. Cooke recently graduated the University with a degree in Economics after securing a 3.83 cumulative GPA.

Ben James - Senior - Football - Virginia Beach, Va.
 
After another standout season leading the Christopher Newport defense, James punctuated his career with a litany of individual accolades. Earning Academic All-State honors for the second time comes at the heels of collecting CoSIDA Academic All-America plaudits and becoming just the third male athlete in Christopher Newport athletics history to garner the national award. He carried a 3.82 cumulative GPA after a decorated four-year career as a Captain and earned a degree in Psychology.

In addition to excelling in the classroom, James also joined a select group of Christopher Newport standouts when he was named a D3football.com All-American defensive lineman in 2019. Just the 10th All-American in program history, James was also named the Co-Defensive Player of the Year by the New Jersey Athletic Conference and a repeat selection as the Touchdown Club of Richmond Defensive Lineman of the Year. He posted 59 tackles and recorded 5.5 sacks for the Captains this season while making 35 solo stops and 14.5 tackles for a loss.  

Monica Lannen - Senior - Women's Cross Country/Track & Field - Reston, Va.
 
Guided by her combined efforts both in and out of the classroom as an athlete committed to sports that compete throughout the duration of the entire year, Monica Lannen earned her first VaSID Academic All-State selection. She added her first CoSIDA Academic All-District selection to an ever-growing list of academic achievements as Lannen was also celebrated as a USTFCCCA National Scholar-Athlete for the fourth consecutive year.  

A dominant figure in the distance events, Lannen polished off her career with eight league championships, marking the second-highest total by a Captain since the program joined the CAC. She also earned seven All-Region honors for her work in track & field and qualified for the 2020 Indoor National Championships in the mile. Lannen also earned three All-Conference and two All-Region certificates for her performance on the cross country team. This year, she placed fourth at the conference championship meet to help the team claim their first title since 2015. Lannen graduated with degrees in Marketing & Business Management after posting a 3.89 cumulative GPA. 

Anna Patterson - Senior - Sailing - Hampton, Va.
 
One of the most decorated and accomplished women's sailors in program history, Patterson concluded her career this spring after having competed in over 40 regattas in her tenure. A versatile sailor serving as both veteran crew and skipper, Patterson sailed with the Captains in both women's and co-ed events over the last four years. This year, Patterson posted a top-ten finish in A division at the MAISA Women's Conference Championship and also steered the A division boat that finished third at the Webb-Woollum Regatta.

Off the water, Patterson was named to the Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (MAISA) All-Academic team two years in a row. Prior to kicking off her senior campaign, she was also named to the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) All-Academic team among over 200 selections nationwide. Patterson posted an impressive 3.95 cumulative GPA while studying toward a degree in Cellular, Molecular, and Physiological Biology. 

Carson Pokorny - Senior - Women's Soccer - Williamsburg, Va.

Inarguably one of the finest student-athletes in Christopher Newport athletics history based on her exceptional on and off field performance, Carson Pokorny punctuates her career with her second straight Academic All-State selection. During the 2019-20 academic year, Pokorny set a new standard for academic recognition at CNU as she added a bevy of individual honors to her trophy case. This spring, Pokorny earned one of the most prestigious honors awarded by the NCAA, a postgraduate scholarship, becoming the first Christopher Newport student-athlete to earn the $10,000 award.

Pokorny became the first Captain in any sport to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America honors three times in her career after collecting first team honors for the second straight year this season. She also added CAC Women's Soccer Scholar Athlete of the Year honors, four-time Academic All-Conference and three-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honors to her mantel. The 2018 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Elite 90 award winner also had a record-breaking career on the field, setting the program record for career assists with 32. She wrapped up her career with 72 points on 20 goals and 32 helpers, ranking eighth all-time in career scoring at Christopher Newport. She graduated with a 3.99 cumulative GPA while majoring in Biochemistry.

Dylan Rice - Junior - Men's Lacrosse - Mechanicsville, Va.

The lone junior to be selected to the VaSID Academic All-State team for the Captains this year, Rice separated himself with another impressive campaign on and off the field. This season, he became the first member of the Christopher Newport men's lacrosse program to collect CoSIDA Academic All-District honors and just the sixth in athletics history to earn the award in the highly-competitive "At-Large" category. During his three seasons at CNU, Rice has earned Capital Athletic Conference All-Academic honors three times. He is majoring in Marketing and carries a 3.98 cumulative GPA into his senior year next season. 

On the field, Rice continues to establish himself as one of the most dominant players in program history. This season he earned his second consecutive All-America plaque when "Inside Lacrosse" honored him following an exceptional start to the 2020 season. His name already appears up and down the men's lacrosse record book ranking second in program history with 123 career goals and third with 166 career points. His eight game-winning goals are tied for the most in program history and the highly-decorated offensive leader managed to rank second on the team with 21 points despite missing two contests to injury in 2020.