NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. -- Hope Hunter, Julia Iapicca, Kendall Krause, and Riley Rafterry-Lee were all named to 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.

Krause and Rafterry-Lee were named to the Honor Roll for the second straight year, while Hunter and Iapicca were honored for the first time. In order to receive the academic award, student-athletes must be either a junior, senior, or graduate student with a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher.

Along with the individual honorees, the entire team was selected as an Academic Honor Squad for the sixth time since 2016. That national distinction is bestowed upon programs that posted at least a 3.2 GPA during the academic year.

A perennial Academic All-Conference honoree as a political science major, Hunter has been a standout member of Christopher Newport's midfield unit over the past three years. Although her junior campaign was cut short by an injury in the season opener, she has appeared in 26 games with 24 starts since 2020. During that time, the Bowie, Maryland native has chipped in on both ends of the field with 16 points and 16 caused turnovers while also collecting 32 ground balls.

A marketing major and three-time Academic All-Conference selection, Iapicca was also limited last year following a preseason injury but has been an impactful midfielder since arriving in Newport News. During her two seasons on the field, she has 24 appearances and 18 starts. A lethal force on the offensive end, the Frederick, Maryland native has 35 career points, including a 25-goal season in 2021. Meanwhile, she also had 23 takeaways during her sophomore campaign.

Earning national academic honors for the second consecutive season, Krause is a decorated midfielder while also starring as a marketing / management major. She is coming off of an All-American campaign in which she slotted second in the league with 33 ground balls and sixth with 38 goals. During the course of her career, the Ellicott City, Maryland native is eighth in program history with 61 caused turnovers while boasting a pair of All-Region honors and three All-League citations.

Honored as the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Women's Lacrosse Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Rafterry-Lee served as a team captain for the third straight season while also excelling as a political science major. A consistent presence on the back line, she started all 19 games last year and ranked seventh in the league with 28 ground balls. Overall, the Bowie, Maryland native has started 46 of her 51 career games while notching 27 takeaways.

Aided by the academic honorees, the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team shined both on and off the field last year. The squad climbed as high as 22nd in the IWLCA National Coaches Poll and advanced to the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Championship for the second straight season. Meanwhile, 14 members of the program were named to the Academic All-Conference Team for their academic efforts as well.

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