NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — There are long time programs that have set the standard for success in college athletics in Division I. Examples are UCLA, Alabama, Oklahoma or North Carolina. At the Division III level, Hampton Roads can make a case for one school that continues to make a name for itself.
Christopher Newport Director of Athletics Kyle McMullin will be the first to tell you, he can't take credit for the sustained success of the Captains programs due to those before him like Bev Vaughn and former men's basketball coaching great, C.J. Woolum.
"We're very sensitive to the fact that we are the ones responsible for living through the legacy and the expectations they all put in place".
On Tuesday, the school announced they finished with a program best 7th place in the Learfield Directors' Cup Standings. Ahead of them, the likes of Johns Hopkins and MIT. CNU became just the third state school to finish in the top ten in the past decade.
"We're not a unicorn", said McMullin who's been with the school for 15 years and the last seven as director of athletics. "What it speaks to is when you're able to get alignment from your university administration and then support it".
The last few years has been special at Christopher Newport. In 2021, the women's soccer team captured its first national title. A year later, the softball team followed. Then this past season, the men's basketball team in the Division III national title game won over Mount Union 74-72 on game winning shot by Trey Barber.
Less than three months later, they were celebrated at the White House. The women's team reached the national final before losing and when you throw in the baseball team that made the region final, and you know they're a power to be reckon with.
McMullin understands the precious jewel he has in his hands.
"I was acutely aware of the fact that I had been given the opportunity to lead something special and it didn't need me to come in and completely reinvent the place."