DUDLEY, Mass. (6/16/2026) – College Sports Communicators (CSC) unveiled its 2026 Academic All-District Women's At-Large Team, recognizing six Nichols College student-athletes across four programs for their outstanding achievements in both competition and the classroom.
Representing the Bison on this year's team are graduate student
Merle Steinau, seniors
Taylor Breen and
Makala Dube, junior
Felicia Zander, and sophomores
Macy Abrams and
Isabella Fleury. Women's lacrosse, women's golf, women's ice hockey, and field hockey all placed two student athletes on the squad, with Breen representing both field hockey and women's ice hockey, while Zander represents both women's golf and ice hockey. Breen, Steinau, and Dube are repeat CSC Academic All-District honorees, while Fleury, Zander, and Abrams collect the recognition for the first time.
Nominated by CSC members, the Academic All-District teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances in competition and in the classroom. Student-athletes must be at least sophomores academically and athletically, maintain a minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA, and meet sport-specific participation requirements.
Zander, a junior from Orebro, Sweden, becomes a first-time CSC Academic All-District selection after contributing to both the women's golf and women's ice hockey programs. With the women's golf program, she competed in seven tournaments as a junior, averaging an 88.0 on the year, the second lowest on the team. At the Westfield State Invitational, she recorded a season-low 80 (+9), landing her in a tie for runner-up individually. On the ice, she appeared in 23 games this season for the Bison. Zander graduated this past spring in finance with a 3.96 GPA.
Fleury, a native of West Warren, Massachusetts, earned CSC Academic All-District honors following a standout season with the women's golf program. Competing in six tournaments as a sophomore captain, she ranked first on the team with an 86.1 average on the year and shot a career-low 80 (+8) in the opening round of the Inaugural CNE Women's Golf Championship, where she finished in 8th individually through both rounds. She won medalist honors at the home Bison Spring Invitational, carding an 83 (+11) for the first win of her collegiate career. A general business major, Fleury currently holds a perfect 4.0 GPA.
Breen, a senior on the field hockey and women's ice hockey programs, secures her second consecutive CSC Academic All-District honor. Serving as a captain for the field hockey team, she started in all 18 appearances, logging 10 points with three goals and four assists, earning Conference of New England (CNE) Third Team as a midfielder. On October 25th, she scored the game-winning goal against Gordon to help the team secure a postseason berth. On the women's ice hockey team, she appeared in 23 games for the Bison, recording 3 points including 2 goals and an assist. The Shrewsbury, Massachusetts native graduated with a 3.77 GPA in sport marketing & content creation.
Steinau, a graduate student from Essen, Germany, earns CSC Academic All-District recognition for the second straight year following another successful campaign with the field hockey program. A team captain, she tied her career-high 11 points with three goals and five assists, totaling four multi-point performances. She also led the Conference of New England in defensive saves with 9 on the season. After finishing her undergraduate degree at Nichols, she earned her Master of Science in Accounting with a 4.0 GPA.
Dube, a senior midfielder from Brooklyn, Connecticut, garners CSC Academic All-District accolades for the third consecutive season after another productive year with the women's lacrosse program. A four-year contributor and team leader, she capped her collegiate career by recording 17 assists and ranked third on the team with 20 points, adding three goals, 27 ground balls, nine caused turnovers, and five draw controls in 13 starts. Dube graduated this spring with a 3.81 GPA.
Abrams, a sophomore from Ellington, Connecticut, rounds out the Nichols selections as a first-time CSC Academic All-District honoree. One of the top offensive contributors for the Bison, she ranked second on the team with 28 points, recording 16 goals and 12 assists while adding 22 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers in 12 games. On March 17th, she posted a career-high six points with two goals and four assists in an 18-4 win against Gordon College. She currently holds a 3.81 GPA while studying criminal psychology.
