ASHLAND, Va. -- Six Christopher Newport student-athletes were named to the 2020-21 Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) Academic All-State team on Thursday, headlined by repeat selection Dylan Rice from the Captains' men's lacrosse program. Rice earned his second straight selection and was one of six seniors picked for the Captains, including three male and three female from six different sports. 

Joining Rice on the Academic All-State squad in 2021 were Conner Clark (Baseball), Kara Ferner (Women's Tennis), Shreya Ganta (Women's Golf), Davis Pillow (Men's Soccer), and Zoe Stauffer (Women's Track & Field). 

Following outstanding efforts both in and out of the classroom during the unprecedented challenges of the 2020-21 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...)
 
Conner Clark - Senior - Baseball - Chesapeake, Va.
 
Leading off the Captains lineup for the fourth straight season, Clark has put together one of the most impressive resumes in Christopher Newport baseball history. This season, the Chesapeake, Va. native broke the career record for stolen bases while entering his name into the top ten of several offensive categories in CNU baseball lore. He ranks second all-time in runs scored and tenth in total hits. 
 
The 2019 All-Region outfielder carried a 3.85 cumulative GPA through his fourth year at Christopher Newport. Working toward a degree in Accounting, Clark has been a three-time Conference All-Academic Team selection. In 2021, he helped lead CNU to the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Championship Series and finished third on the team with a .317 average. He scored 35 times, ranking second on the team and swiped 17 stolen bases in 19 attempts. 

Kara Ferner - Senior - Women's Tennis - Wilmington, N.C.
 
Ferner put together one of the finest academic careers for any CNU student-athlete as she wrapped up a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA and was named one of the Gregory Klich Academic Achievement Award recipients. The award is presented at Commencement to the graduate with the highest GPA among the senior class. That honor came after Ferner was named a Goldwater Scholar and earned national Alpha Chi honors. Ferner double majored in Applied Physics and Computational & Applied Mathematics and will be moving on to pursue a PhD in mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.

In addition to her standout performance in the classroom, Ferner was also named the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women's tennis, an honor which combines the student-athletes academic and athletic successes. The team captain fro CNU women's tennis, Ferner led the team in victories with eight in singles and seven in doubles during her final season. 

Shreya Ganta - Junior - Women's Golf - Ashburn, Va.
 
Following an exceptional year on the golf course, Ganta qualified for the NCAA Division III Women's Golf National Championships in just the fourth year of the program. With her performance throughout the year, Ganta earned Honorable Mention All-America plaudits from the Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) and was also selected an All-Region pick. She became the second player in the four-year history of CNU women's golf to qualify for the national championship and enjoyed a career-best showing on the course with a 78.5 stroke average over 14 rounds of play. 

Her effort out of the classroom was mirrored by success inside as the Cellular, Molecular, and Physiological Biology major wrapped up her third year in Newport News with a 3.92 GPA. She is the lone junior selected to the VaSID Academic All-State team for CNU this year and is a three-time Academic All-Conference pick. 

Davis Pillow - Senior - Men's Soccer - Smithfield, Va.
 
Despite not having a season in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Pillow continued to excel as a member of the CNU men's soccer team both on and off the field. Proving a leader in restricted workouts and throughout the spring exhibition season, Pillow solidified his spot as one of the team captains. Prior to this season, the senior defender was recognized as an All-State selection in 2019 and was a Division III Scholar All-Region First Team pick as well. Led by Pillow, the CNU Men's Soccer Team earned the Team Academic Award from the United Soccer Coaches in 2019-20. 

Pillow posted a 3.89 cumulative GPA through his senior year and graduated with a degree in Finance. The senior defender plans to return to campus this Fall and join the Captains on the field as they look to return to the NCAA Tournament under head coach Justin Chezem. Pillow has started 53 of his 55 career games played and has 19 points on seven goals and five assists. 

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

Inarguably one of the most dominant players in program history, Dylan Rice has completely rewritten the record books for men's lacrosse at Christopher Newport University. This season, he established the school's career goals record with his 127th score and also set the program mark for points with his 234th in the Final Four at No. 2 Salisbury on Mary 23.

The three-time All-American was named the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year for men's lacrosse after continuing his excellence in the classroom as well. The Finance major has a 3.91 cumulative GPA after four years at Christopher Newport while registering eye-popping numbers on the field. He scored at least one point in every game during the season while posting 11 hat tricks. During the Captains' memorable run in the postseason, Rice scored at least three goals in each of the team's three NCAA Tournament games. 

Zoe Stauffer - Senior - Women's Track & Field - Spring Grove, Pa.

Selected as the Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference, Zoe Stauffer solidified her position as one of the finest scholar-athletes in CNU history. The multi-talented veteran collected All-Region accolades after ranking third in the South/Southeast with a score of 3,990 in the heptathlon, placing her among the top-50 nationally. She also garnered All-Conference accolades in the 400-hurdles and scored in three other events at tthe conference championships with a third place finish in the javelin and sixth place showing in the long jump and 100-hurdles. 

Along with her strong competitive season, Stauffer continued to shine in the classroom as well. A CoSIDA Academic All-American in 2020, Stauffer graduated with a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA in Cellular, Molecular, and Physiological Biology. A perennial Academic All-Conference honoree, Stauffer has also been named an Academic All-Region performer in her career.