DUDLEY, Mass. (6/16/2026) – Six Nichols College student-athletes from three different programs were selected to the College Sports Communicators' (CSC) Academic All-District At-Large team, which was formally announced on Tuesday at noon.
Making up the list of six is seniors
Conor Doherty and
Jonah Libby, juniors
Evan Sachs and
CJ Zezima, and sophomores
Luca Ricci and
Adam Vincent. Men's Hockey, men's lacrosse, and men's volleyball all received two representatives for the All-District team. All six student-athletes make their first appearance on the CSC Academic All-District team.
Nominated by CSC members, the Academic All-District teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performance both on the field and in the classroom. Selected students must be at least of sophomore status academically and athletically, maintain above a 3.50 cumulative GPA, and be considered a significant contributor to their respective sport, with base criteria ranging from sport to sport.
Doherty, the senior midfielder from the men's lacrosse program, appeared and started in 18 games, recording a team high 38 goals and 17 assists for 55 points. In his 18 games, he posted 11 multi-goal performances, including seven man-up goals and three game-winning goals throughout the season, highlighted by a career-high seven goals against Johnson & Wales University on March 28th. On April 4th, he registered his 100th collegiate point in a 23-10 win against Gordon College. Doherty earned New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA) Team of the Week honors during the season, and ended the year being honored on the Conference of New England (CNE) Second Team. The Billerica, Massachusetts native also owned a 3.65 GPA in the classroom, earning his finance degree this past May. sport to sport
Libby joins Doherty as the second representative from the men's lacrosse team. The attacker appeared in 18 games as a senior, making 11 starts. The native of Pomfret, Connecticut scored 17 goals, including four man-up goals, and 12 assists for 29 points, added 24 ground balls and eight caused turnovers. On March 21st, he scored a season-high three goals against Manhattanville in a 9-5 win. Libby ended his career as a two-time honoree of the Conference of New England Academic All-Conference and graduated this spring with a 3.90 GPA, receiving his degree in general business.
Ricci, a defenseman on the men's ice hockey team, earned Conference of New England All-Conference First Team after a strong performance in the 2025-26 season. Appearing in 27 games for the Bison this season, the sophomore from Montreal, Quebec scored three goals and added 16 assists, which was the most on the team, for 19 points. In the month of January, he recorded a five game point streak from SUNY Potsdam (1/3) to JWU (1/13), while achieving five multi-point games this season. His standout performance of the year came in a three point performance (1 goal, 2 assists) against Connecticut College to win the Boston Landing Collegiate Invitational, where he was placed on the Boston Landing Collegiate Invitational All-Tournament team. He paired his performance on the ice with a 3.95 GPA in pursuit of an accounting degree.
Zezima, a Norwalk, Connecticut native, played in all 27 games this season for the men's ice hockey team. He led the team in goals and points while setting career highs in goals with nine, assists with 11, and points with 20. Zezima recorded a four game point streak on two separate occasions in the season and recorded a four point weekend against Rivier and Roger Williams on November 7th and 8th. The junior received CNE All-Conference honors for the first time in his career, earning third team all-conference for the 2025-26 season. Off the ice, he graduated with a 3.71 GPA this spring and will be returning to complete his Master of Business Administration degree at Nichols.
Vincent, an outside hitter on the men's volleyball team, appeared and started in 29 matches, totaling a team-high 371 kills with a .203 hitting percentage. As a sophomore, he recorded the program's season-high 27 kills on two occasions, first against Penn State Behrend on January 24th and again against Russell Sage College on April 1st. Along with breaking the single-season program records for kills, he also finished the spring as the team leader in service aces with 35 and recorded three double-double performances while reaching double-figure kills in 20 matches. He was named New England Volleyball Conference (NEVC) First Team All-Conference and holds a 3.66 GPA as a finance major.
Bernardi is the final Bison on the at-large list after anchoring the back row for Nichols. Appearing in 30 matches, the libero recorded a team-high 306 digs, finishing in first in the category in the Conference of New England standings. The junior also averaged 2.81 digs per set while contributing 62 assists and adding 27 service receptions. The Rexford, New York native recorded 18 double-digit digs in multiple matches throughout the season and broke the single-season and career records for digs against Merrimack on March 25th. Bernardi recorded his season high of 20 digs against Curry College on February 20th. From the classroom, the Bison junior owns a 3.67 GPA in finance.
