NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Led by a trio of repeat selections, the Christopher Newport women's soccer team featured six total Academic All-District selections as announced by the College Sports Communicators on Tuesday afternoon. The list included three-time Academic All-District selections Kyleigh Gough, Hanna Heaton and two-time pick Katy Bronski alongside first time selections in juniors Amy Sidaway, Bella Ventimiglia, and sophomore Ellie Diehl. In total, over 1,300 Division III student-athletes earned recognition as Academic All-District picks. 

The 2025-26 Academic All-District® Men's and Women's Soccer Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.

Academic All-District® honorees were considered for advancement to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced on Dec. 17, 2025.

Heaton and Gough join Carson Pokorny (2017, 2018, 2019) as the only players in program history to garner the prestigious academic recognition three times in her career. Bronski joins Victoria Perry (2015, 2016), Ellie Cox (2023, 2024), Corinn Kulik (2023, 2024), and Nyah Savage (2023, 2024) among two-time honorees. 

Nominees must be at least a sophomore with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.50 or above while being a starter or important reserve on the field.

Heaton led the way for the Captains and was named a 2023 and 2024 CSC Academic All-American prior to this year. This season, the senior midfielder from Gloucester, Va. wrapped up her impressive three-year career as a Captain by climbing to sixth on the all-time scoring chart at Christopher Newport with 86 career points (29g, 28a). The Conference Offensive Player of the Year for a second consecutive season, Heaton finished the year with 21 points on eight goals and five assists. In the classroom, Heaton is working toward completing her degree in Cybersecurity with a near-perfect GPA. 

While Heaton led the offensive end, senior Kyleigh Gough helped lead one of the nation's top defensive units. Earning Academic All-District honors for a third time, Gough is double majoring in Psychology and Leadership Studies. Her performance at center back in 2025 helped CNU rank 11th nationally in goals-against average with just seven goals allowed in 19 games played. The 0.37 goals-against average ranks fourth best in program history while Gough's defense surrendered just 7.5 shots per game. 

Rounding out the repeat winners was senior midfielder Katy Bronski, who made a triumphant return to the pitch after her 2024 season was stopped short by an injury. Bronski was a major player in the Captains' offensive success in 2025 as she appeared in all 19 games with six starts. She scored the game-winning goal at Ohio Wesleyan and added three assists during the year. Off the field, Bronski is majoring in Cellular, Molecular, and Physiological Biology. 

Earning the Academic All-District certificate for the first time are Ellie Diehl, Amy Sidaway, and Bella Ventimiglia. Ventimiglia's team-high grade-point average comes while studying Psychology. She finished her junior campaign with 18 starts in 19 games played on the outside and added two assists for the Captains. Sidaway is a record-breaking netminder for the Captains and played all but 33 minutes in goal for CNU in her junior season. She ranked seventh in Division III with 11 shutouts while also posting a top-ten finish in goals-against average. In the classroom, Sidaway is majoring in Business Management. Finally, sophomore Ellie Diehl qualified for the recognition after participating in all 19 games with nine starts. She scored the game-winning goal at Southern Virginia and took 22 total shots in her second season. Diehl is majoring in Pyschology. 

Christopher Newport reached the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship for the ninth consecutive season after capturing the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Championship in thrilling fashion with an overtime gamewinner against UC Santa Cruz. CNU closed out the season with a 14-2-3 overall record.