KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Becoming the first defender in program history to earn first team All-America honors, Christopher Newport University junior Reanna Slater made history on Thursday afternoon when the United Soccer Coaches announced her selection among the Division III honorees. 

Slater is one of only four defenders named a first team All-American as voted by the national coaches association. She becomes the 10th player in program history to garner an All-America certificate and only the second defender, joining 2021 and 2022 pick Jill McDonald. 

Earning first team honors, Reanna Slater joins Gabby Gillis (2017, 2018), Riley Cook (2018, 2021), and Sarah Smih (2022) as the only players in the 26-year history of the program to collect first team All-American plaudits from the coaches association.

In her third season as a member of the lock-down defense at Christopher Newport, Slater extended the programs dominant run on the back line by starting all 22 games for the Captains. She was one of the most reliable players in the nation, appearing on field for a team-high 2,014 of a possible 2,040 minutes (98.73 percent of possible on-field time). Playing at center back, Slater had a breakout campaign while leading the nation's top defense, statistically, ranking first in the nation in goals-against average with a 0.221 mark. 

The Keswick, Va. native was named the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and went on to collect first team All-Region honors. Slater was named the league's Defensive Player of the Week three times while putting together a complete effort from the start of the season through the final whistle in the NCAA Division III National Quarterfinals. The Captains' defense allowed a record-low five goals in 2023, with three coming on penalty kicks, as CNU led the nation in GAA and ranked second nationally in shutout percentage (.818) and save percentage (.915). 

The suffocating defense, led by Slater, allowed the Captains' 22 opponents just 59 total shots on-goal during the 2023 season for an average of 2.68 per game. The defense surrendered just 5.82 shots per game and gave up fewer than two corner kicks per game as the Captains shattered every defensive record in the book this season. With 18 shutouts, Slater's defense bested the previous mark by two games while also piecing together longest run of consecutive minutes without allowing a goal (1,146:55), obliterating the previous record. 

With Slater patrolling the back line, the Captains finished 19-0-3 for the second straight year after winning the conference regular season and tournament championships. For the third consecutive season, the Captains advanced to the NCAA National Quarterfinals before falling in a PK shootout, 4-3, to Cal Lutheran after a 1-1 draw. The Captains are now undefeated in all three of Slater's seasons at Christopher Newport and boast the second longest unbeaten streak in NCAA Division III history at 67 consecutive games (60-0-7) heading into next year. 


 

2023 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division III Women's All-Americans    
        

First Team

Pos Name Class School Hometown K Sidney Conner Sr. Washington University (Mo.) Valley Cottage, N.Y. D Sam Crawford GR-5 Virginia Wesleyan University Bensalem, Pa. D Piper Dean Jr. Carleton College Arlington, Va. D Aniya Hartzler G5 Case Western Reserve University Goshen, Ind. D Reanna Slater Jr. Christopher Newport University Keswick, Va. M Kristina Akselsen* Jr. Messiah University Wall, N.J. M Ellie Arndt* Jr. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Appleton, Wis. M Ella Endo Jr. Pomona-Pitzer Colleges Minneapolis, Minn. M Gabriella Funk GR-5 New York University Fremont, Calif. F Claire Grover Sr. University of Rochester Barrington, R.I. F Savannah Johnson Sr. Loras College Wauconda, Ill. F Patience Kum* Jr. Amherst College Takoradi, Ghana F Cassie Nash* GR-5 Simpson College Lincoln, Neb. F Katie Sullivan** Jr. Johns Hopkins University Yardley, Pa. F Elle Sutter Sr. North Central College Peoria, Ill.

Second Team   Pos Name Class School Hometown K Bre Atwood Sr. University of Southern Maine Franklin, Mass. D Katrine Berg GR-5 William Smith College Charlottesville, Va. D Spencer Deutz Jr. Pomona-Pitzer Colleges Moraga, Calif. D Ally Hackett Sr. Washington University (Mo.) Charlotte, N.C. D Charlotte Huang Jr. Amherst College Arlington, Mass. D Alexis McMahon* Jr. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse San Jose, Calif. D Caitlynn Owens GR-5 Carnegie Mellon University Middleton, Wis. M Victoria D'Imperio Jr. The College of New Jersey Bordentown, N.J. M Niamh Healy Sr. University of Scranton Orangeburg, N.Y. M Cate Patterson GR-5 Carleton College Racine, Wis. M Eden Quiroz GR-5 California Lutheran University Newbury Park, Calif. M Ava Ruppersberger Sr. William Smith College Pittsburgh, Pa. F Sarah Andrey Sr. North Central College St. Charles, Ill. F Ari Green Sr. St. Catherine University Hastings, Minn. F Kelli Keady Sr. New York University Los Gatos, Calif. F Meagan Rowlett Sr. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Dana Point, Calif. F Emma Sweitzer** Sr. Misericordia University Dallas, Pa.

Third Team

Pos Name Class School Hometown K Morgan Murphy So. Westminster College (Pa.) Yardley, Pa. D Julia Beck Jr. Misericordia University Langhorne, Pa. D Lindsay Carr Jr. Centre College Charleston, W.Va. D Julia Chen Sr. Massachusetts Institute of Technology San Diego, Calif. D Ava Curtis Jr. The College of New Jersey Hillsborough, N.J. D Emily DeRoehn Jr. Johnson & Wales University (R.I.) Old Lyme, Conn. D Annie Isphording* So. Johns Hopkins University Cincinnati, Ohio D Jenna Skurcenski* Sr. Messiah University Mechanicsburg, Pa. M Greta Farkas* Sr. Bowdoin College Chevy Chase, Md. M Jessie Gomez Sr. Rochester Institute of Technology Silver Spring, Md. M Jaquelin Nordhoff Sr. Williams College Seattle, Wash. M Jessica Weinoldt Jr. McDaniel College East Petersburg, Pa. M Kelsey White Sr. University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Keller, Texas F Elis Aires So. Tufts University Westborough, Mass. F Aileen Cahill* Sr. Montclair State University Little Egg Harbor, N.J. F Beth Cook Jr. Hanover College Goshen, Ohio F Brianna Fee Jr. Sewanee-University of the South Lee's Summit, Mo. F Emma Herrmann Jr. Grove City College Hilton, N.Y.

* - Denotes previous selection