FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – Christopher Newport senior cross country/track & field runner Jeff Dover (Moyock, N.C./Currituck County) was honored by the Capital Athletic Conference athletic directors as the 2017-18 Male Athlete of the Year. 

The Male 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 his team.

A cross country standout and distance runner for the Captains' track & field team, Dover became the first runner in CAC history to reach six straight title meets in cross country and track & field, as he recently took part in his sixth consecutive national championship competition at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He is also one of just four current student-athletes across the country to compete in the cross country, indoor, and outdoor nationals during each of the past two years. At his final collegiate meet, Dover put an impressive punctuation mark on his stellar career, finishing ninth in the 1500 meters (one placing shy of All-America honors) at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships just weeks after having his appendix removed. 

Dover is the first CNU student-athlete to earn All-American honors in each of the three athletic seasons. He compiled a long list of accolades and records throughout his career. This past fall, he helped lead CNU to a third-place team finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships by placing 21st individually. He holds the CAC and CNU records in the indoor mile (4:07.77), the CNU school record in the indoor 3000 meters (8:20.46), the CAC and CNU records in the outdoor 1500 meters (3:47.81), the CNU record in the outdoor 5000 meters (14:21.61), and ranks second in the CAC record books by 0:00.02 in the 5000 (two one-hundredths of a second.)

A United States Track & Field / Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-American in cross country, the indoor mile and indoor 3000 meters, Dover collected a plethora of national, regional and conference awards throughout the year. He was named the USTFCCCA South/Southeast Region Men's Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, and USTFCCCA All-South/Southeast Region in cross country, the indoor mile, indoor 3000, indoor distance medley relay, outdoor 1500, and outdoor 5000. On the conference level, he was the CAC Men's Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year, and first-team All-CAC in cross country and the indoor 3000. 

Capital Athletic Conference Male Athletes of the Year