Army senior Cole Christiansen enters his last season on the Lott IMPACT Trophy watchlist.

Former Nansemond-Suffolk Academy standout Cole Christiansen is making his way on preseason award watchlists. Christiansen is one of 42 candidates on the Lott IMPACT Trophy watchlist. The Lott IMPACT Trophy was named after Pro Football Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott and is awarded to the College Football Defensive Impact Player of the Year.

The award was founded in 2004 and has recognized players’ athletic performance as well as character attributes. Christiansen will be heading into his senior season as a two-time captain for the Army at West Point football team. He also is the leading tackler returning from last season.

The voting panel for the Lott IMPACT Trophy is made up of former winners and finalists, former coaches and players, members of the media and the Board of Directors of the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation. The Foundation has donated more than $1.5 million to various charities since its inception in 2004, including nearly $700,000 to universities.

The winner’s school receives $25,000 for its general scholarship fund, and three finalists receive $5,000 each for their schools. A Lott IMPACT Player of the Week is selected each week during the season, and $1,000 is awarded to the school of the player.

Christiansen is in line for a big season at Army. Last year, he helped the program finish with its best season in school history and ranked as a top 25 team in the country. Christiansen was named to the first team in the 2018 All-Independent teams.

It is possible the former NSA standout could play himself into the NFL. After last season, he said he’d welcome the opportunity, but if it conflicted with his obligation to serve his country, he put football to the side. The spring went well for him, and as the season begins in a couple of weeks, he feels like the team will pick up where it left off from last season.

At NSA, Christiansen helped his school win a state championship. He is also a two-time Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division III Defensive Player of the Year. He also was a two-time Conference Player of the Year as well. He finished his career at NSA among the leaders in stops in VISAA.