Christopher Newport's Briana Sutton Honored as CAC Female Athlete of the Year
YORK, Pa. – Christopher Newport University junior volleyball/track & field standout Briana Sutton (Williamsburg, Va./Jamestown) was selected by the Capital Athletic Conference athletic directors as the 2015-16 Female Athlete of the Year. Sutton is the inaugural recipient of the award.
The Female Athlete of the Year Award is presented to the CAC student-athlete who garnered superior athletic recognition and achievement, either individually or in conjunction with her team.
Sutton put together standout campaigns in both volleyball and track & field for CNU in 2015-16, helping the Captains to a trio of CAC Championships in volleyball, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field.
On the volleyball court, Sutton earned first team All-America honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and was named the CAC Player of the Year after leading the Captains to their third straight CAC crown. She was a first team AVCA All-Region selection, first team All-CAC pick, and was named the Virginia State Player of the Year in addition to earning first team VaSID All-State honors. She secured multiple Player of the Week honors, claiming AVCA National Player of the Week accolades and twice earned the CAC’s weekly award.
Sutton was one of only 16 players across all three NCAA divisions to finish with a .300 hitting percentage and 4.00 kills-per-set average. She finished in the top-five in the CAC in kills (391), kills-per-set (4.12), hitting percentage (.313), points (421.0), and points-per-set (4.40). She posted 24 double-digit kill efforts, including six matches with at least 20 kills.
In track & field, Sutton earned all-region accolades during both the indoor and outdoor seasons from the United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), and secured second team All-CAC honors in the long jump during the indoor campaign. She qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the pentathlon, finishing 10th at the national meet. At the CAC Indoor Championships, she placed second in the long jump and sixth in the shot put.
In outdoor track & field, Sutton ranked second in the conference in the heptathlon, third in the javelin, and ranked top-10 in the 100-meter hurdles, long jump, and shot put. She also concluded the outdoor season among the top-50 nationally in the heptathlon.
For her volleyball career, Sutton is now a two-time CAC Player of the Year (2013, 2015), two-time All-America (2014, 2015), two-time all-region (2014, 2015), and three-time all-conference (2013-2015) selection. In her track & field career, she is a two-time national qualifier in the pentathlon (2015, 2016), and two-time all-conference honoree (2015, 2016).