Courtesy of CNU Athletic Communications

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- As the Christopher Newport women's soccer team continues it's historic season as a team, a pair of Captains made their own bit of history on Thursday night as sophomore Riley Cook and senior Gabby Gillis were named first team All-Americans by the United Soccer Coaches. During the NCAA Division III National Championship banquet, the Captains learned they each had earned All-American plaudits, marking the first time in CNU soccer history that a pair of Captains were named All-Americans in the same season. 

In addition to sharing history as the first pair to earn All-American honors in the same year, each also set a new standard of excellence at CNU individually. Gillis, just one year after becoming the program's first-ever First Team All-American, now becomes the first player in CNU history to earn All-American plaudits more than once in her career. Cook is the first Captain to secure first team honors as an underclassman and just the second sophomore ever to earn the All-American designation. 

The record-shattering season has been nothing short of remarkable for both players, who became just the second and third players in CNU lore to eclipse 40 points in a single season. Cook would go on to become the first to reach 50 points in a year, while both climbed the single season and career charts across the board. 

Gillis, the two-time Capital Athletic Conference Player of the Year, followed up her impressive junior campaign with an even more stellar senior season. One of the top players in the nation, the Captains' midfielder ranked second on the team in scoring with 41 points on 15 goals and 11 assists. She ranks in the top 40 nationally in total points while helping lead the Captains' 13th-ranked scoring offense. 

One of the most reliable players in the 22-year history of the program, Gillis has been a model of consistency for head coach Dan Weiler. She broke the program record for consecutive games played and started, and will match the overall record for games played with her appearance against Williams on Friday night. 

Playing at the top of the torrid Captains offense, Riley Cook has pieced together a mind-boggling offensive performance in her second season. One of only two sophomores honored as a first team All-American in 2018, Cook earned her spot by scoring 56 points on 25 goals and 6 assists. Those numbers shatter the Captains' single-season scoring records and vault her nearly to the top of the career charts as well. 

In just 40 games played, Cook already has scored 40 goals, ranking second all-time at Christopher Newport. She also has 90 points, which marks her fourth among every player who has donned a CNU uniform, despite just two years of action. One of the most impressive numbers this season is her 12 game-winning goals, launching her to the top of the single-season and career-charts at CNU while also leading the nation in winners. 

Bolstering her overall performance this season is a jaw-dropping point-scoring streak that has miniaturized the previous records at Christopher Newport. Cook has scored at least one point in 16 straight games, besting the previous record by seven games, and has registered a goal in 11 straight contests, marking the best performance by five matches. World champion Brandi Chastain was the first player in NCAA history to score in 11 straight games, doing so in 1990 for the Santa Clara Broncos; Cook is the most recent of just 26 players in NCAA history, across all three divisions, to accomplish the feat. 

Cook becomes just the sixth player in program history to collect All-American honors. Gillis, the team's first multiple-time recipient, preceded Cook with Natalie Stallings (2002), Emily Renkin (2005), Sam Ciaravino (2010), and Victoria Perry (2016). 

Both players started all 22 games this season and helped CNU set program records for wins in a season, with 21, and points scored in a year, with 223. Gillis and Cook have also been a factor defensively, as CNU has registered the lowest goals-against average in CNU history and one of the highest save percentage marks. 

Christopher Newport will continue their season in the NCAA National Semifinals on Friday night, taking on defending national champion Williams College at 7:45 pm.