GENEVA, N.Y. -- After rewriting the history books throughout the 2023 campaign, Abby Asuncion and Alexis Morales secured their place among the top field hockey players in the country as the two Christopher Newport standouts were honored as first-team All-Americans by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association on Tuesday afternoon.

With her honor, Morales became just the sixth Captain in program history to garner first-team accolades from the NFHCA. Meanwhile, Asuncion created a category of her own as the fifth-year phenom became the only player to earn a pair of first-team plaudits. She was previously celebrated as a first-team All-American in 2021.

Putting her accomplishment into perspective, Asuncion became just the 10th two-time first-team All-American in any sport in the history of Christopher Newport University. Overall, she punctuated her tenure as a three-time national honoree after also garnering second-team All-American nods in 2022.

Meanwhile, the two legends also became the first pair of teammates to earn first-team accolades in the same season.

Previously, both stars were named first-team All-Conference and All-Region performers earlier this fall. Asuncion was also the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference and Region VI Player of the Year, while Morales was the league's Defensive Player of the Year and the Conference Tournament MVP.

Polishing off a record-setting run at CNU, Asuncion was a dominant force throughout 2023. One of the nation's most lethal offensive contributors, she led the league with 33 points, while her 14 goals ranked second among conference competitors and marked the eighth-most by a Captain in school history. Additionally, her four game-winners placed her first in the league and seventh on the program's all-time single-season charts.

Making the most of her time on the field, Asuncion produced at least one point in 13 of her 17 appearances, including four multi-goal eruptions. Among her finest efforts during the year, she struck twice at Mary Washington on October 28, which capped off an undefeated run through the regular season while locking up the program's fourth outright conference championship.

Continuing her surge in the playoffs, she landed a second-half blow against No. 6 Salisbury on November 4, which earned her a spot on the All-Tournament Team and helped wrap up Christopher Newport's postseason title. Equally effective against top-flight competition throughout the year, she had eight points against nationally-ranked teams in 2023, including a pair of assists in a win over No. 19 Franklin & Marshall on September 3. 

Overall, Asuncion capped off her career as CNU's all-time leader with 52 career goals, 125 points, and 14 game-winners. Her 74 starts also rank third in school history.

Morales was equally prolific throughout the 2023 campaign while making an impact on both ends of the field. Anchoring the back line, she was one of the country's top defensive stalwarts while serving as a cornerstone on a unit that ranked third in the NCAA in scoring defense with a 0.55 goals-against-average. That also set a new single-season program record.

On an individual level, Morales blocked six shots during the year and added a defensive save at Susquehanna on October 10. Five of her deflections came on corner attempts as she led a group that brushed aside 98 percent of the opposition's corners in 2023. Overall, she ranked second on the team with 970 minutes of action, including 50 or more in 15 of her 18 outings.

Just as dominant on the other end of the field, Morales led the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference with 12 assists. That total also marked the second-most by a Captain in program history and placed her 11th on the national charts. Additionally, she deposited seven goals, including four against nationally-ranked competition and the game-winner against No. 6 Salisbury in the league championship on November 4.

After a successful three-year run at Syracuse, Morales concluded her two-year stint with the Captains as a two-time All-Conference and All-Region performer while starting all 39 games since 2022.

In the end, Asuncion and Morales helped guide Christopher Newport to an appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16 while finishing the year with a 17-1 record. The Captains eventually wrapped up the season ranked third in the NFHCA National Coaches Poll.

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