Krikorian joins D-III coaching exodus

May 05, 2026
 
d3photography.com file photo by Dave Hilbert
 


John Krikorian, who led Christopher Newport to four national semifinals and the 2023 national championship, has joined the list of Division III coaches making the jump to Division I.

The University announced that Krikorian is leaving Newport News to accept an associate head coaching position under Billy Taylor at Division I Elon. 

"When I first stepped foot onto campus in 2010, I was overwhelmed with excitement about the possibilities at CNU and for my family in Newport News," Krikorian said in CNU's release. "Over the last 16 years, this place has been the greatest home I could have ever asked for both personally and professionally. I have worked with incredible people and I am extremely proud of the memories we have created and shared both on and off the court."

Krikorian created a lot of memories and a lot of wins with the Captains, going 362-84 in 15 seasons. Combined with his 65-42 record at Merchant Marine, Krikorian was Division III's active leader for winning percentage (.772).

Under Krikorian, the Captains reached the NCAA Tournament 10 consecutive years and the national semifinals four times (2016, 2019, 2023, and 2026). Krikorian led CNU to the national title in 2023 when the Captains edged Mount Union at the buzzer, 74-72. Three seasons later, both coaches from that title game have left the Division with Mike Fuline leaving Mount Union for an assistant position at D-I Cincinnati. Other coaches making the move to D-I this offseason include Raul Placeres (Maryville to Tennesse Tech); Nick Nichay (F&M to Dartmouth); and Eric Brennan (Rowan to Air Force).

The school's release notes that Krikorian's teams at CNU won at least 18 games per season, and advanced to the conference championship game every year for the last 12 seasons in the Capital and Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conferences. His squads reached the NCAA National Quarterfinals in four consecutive seasons (2021-2024), becoming just the fourth program in Division III history to achieve that feat.

"John's impact on Captains basketball is hard to overstate and the impact he has had on our campus and the Peninsula community," Director of Athletics Kyle McMullin said. "While I am happy for my friend and the opportunities in front of him, he will be dearly missed. I have complete confidence that we will have a strong leader for Christopher Newport basketball in the near future who will build upon the sizeable foundation of success of the last 58 years."

Krikorian's ties to Taylor go back to their tenure as assistant coaches in the Patriot League, when Krikorian was at Lafayette and Taylor at rival Lehigh. Krikorian also spent time as a D-I assistant at Navy and his alma mater Penn.