Newport News, Virginia (WTKR) – The 757 could face their neighbors in the national quarterfinals this weekend.
Christopher Newport and Virginia Wesleyan will be in the NCAA Division III Sweet 16 on Saturday at the Captains’ home pitch.
CNU head coach Jamie Gunderson remembers holding the 2018 Elite Eights at Lynchburg College under the lights in front of a sold-out crowd. It was a great football environment, with the possibility of coming to the Newport News campus again on Sunday if the chips fell properly.
“I think with them on the other side of the ocean, it’s going to happen again,” he said of a potential matchup with the Marlins.
Both teams have taken different paths to get to this point. Christopher Newport was defending his national champion and brought a 43-game unbeaten streak to the Suite 16. The captain has 18 wins and 2 losses this season.
“We were there and we made it through,” said Gunderson. “Having that knowledge, being there and doing it makes a huge difference in knowing what we can actually achieve.”
“I was able to play in front of my home crowd on Saturday. Most of the other sports are over, so all my friends can come out,” added fifth-year Sarah Smith. I’m one of 16. How cool is that?”
On the other side of the water, Virginia Wesleyan are enjoying their first Sweet 16 since 2006 after being eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2021. 5 wins in a row.
“We’ve been to 13 or 14 NCAA tournaments since we got here,” said VWU head coach Jeff Bowers. “This is just one of the big games for us and we need to be ready to play and we think we can definitely compete with anyone in the country.”
“It’s a lot of fun,” said senior defender Sam Crawford. “Going as far as possible is always our goal and it is great to have reached Sweet 16.”
Christopher Newport will face Trinity University on Saturday while the Marlins will face Wisconsin La Crosse. In Sunday’s Elite Eight Game, the winner of Saturday’s game will take to the field and he’ll be battling it out at 3:00 for a ticket to the Final Four.
The two 757 opponents faced each other during the regular season, with the captain winning 2–1 on Sept. 7 at the Marlins’ home field.
