Kelsey Winters played on some powerful South River girls lacrosse teams loaded with top-tier talent who mostly would up playing at the Division I level. Winters ended up at Division III Christopher Newport, but ended her career leaving her name in the NCAA record books, becoming Division III’s all-time assist leader. At South River, Winters was somewhat of a late bloomer, improving dramatically between her sophomore and junior seasons while moving from junior varsity to varsity.
She scored two goals to help South River beat Dulaney, 11-9, to capture the Class 4A state championship as a junior in 2018. However, by the time coaches from Division I school discovered Winters, they had already filled up their recruiting classes. Christopher Newport coach Lisa Valentine was both surprised and thrilled when she spotted Winters at a Division III showcase event in Baltimore.
Valentine immediately put on a full-court press to land the Seahawks standout. “We quickly developed a really great connection and I think Kelsey realized she could be successful at CNU and help our program get to the next level,” Valentine said. Meanwhile, Winters visited the Division III school located in Newport News, Virginia, and fell in love with the beautiful campus.
“I wanted to be able to have a good balance between academics and athletics and I also wanted to go to a school where I could make an impact,” she said. Winters blossomed into a four-time All-American, earning second team honors as a .
