NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. -- Kendall Krause, Riley Rafterry-Lee, and Gracie Sanders all earned a spot on the IWLCA National Academic Honor Roll, while the entire Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team was celebrated as an Academic Honor Squad by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association on Tuesday afternoon.
 
Leading the award-winning contingent, Sanders was celebrated for her efforts as a senior, while Krause and Rafterry-Lee were junior honorees. In order to receive the national academic honor, student-athletes must be either a junior, senior, or graduate student with a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher.
 
Sanders capped off her collegiate career in the spring with another exceptional season. During her senior campaign, the Manchester, Maryland native collected second-team All-Conference honors while anchoring the midfield unit. A disruptive force on both sides of the field, she ranked second in the league with 25 takeaways, which also marked the eighth-highest single-season total in program history. Meanwhile, she added 26 points on the offensive end and became just the fourth Captain to finish a year with at least 20 goals, 20 draws, 20 ground balls, and 20 caused turnovers.
 
A psychology major, Sanders was a perennial Academic All-Conference honoree and served as a team captain during each of her final three years with the program.
 
Continuing her decorated career in 2021, Krause picked up first-team All-Conference and second-team All-Region accolades for her work during the year. The Ellicott City, Maryland native ranked fifth in the league with 34 ground balls, eighth with 18 caused turnovers, and ninth with 29 goals. Her .580 shooting percentage also was the highest in the league and the sixth-best mark in program history. Tormenting nationally-ranked competition throughout the year, she posted 13 strikes against top-25 opponents, including a hat-trick in a win over No. 20 St. Mary's (Md.) and a six-point eruption at No. 4 Salisbury.
 
A marketing major, Krause has picked up Academic All-Conference nods in each of her three seasons with the Captains.
 
Although an injury sidelined her early in the 2021 campaign, Rafterry-Lee bounced back midway through the season and helped solidify the defensive unit. Appearing in the final eight games while earning starts in the last six, the Bowie, Maryland native was especially effective in the postseason. She collected four of her six ground balls in the Coast-to-Coast Conference Tournament while adding a takeaway in the semifinal victory at No. 24 Mary Washington. She also caused turnovers in back-to-back nationally-ranked bouts with No. 4 Salisbury and No. 22 St. Mary's (Md.) during the regular season.
 
A political science major, Rafterry-Lee has served as a team captain since 2020 while earning Academic All-Conference nods during each of her three seasons.
 
In addition to the individual honorees, the Captains were also named an IWLCA Academic Honor Squad for the fifth time since 2016. The national distinction is bestowed upon women's lacrosse teams that posted at least a 3.2 GPA during the academic year.
 
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