GREENWOOD, Ind. -- For their work both on and off the field, Maelyn Eversole and Gabby Saia represented the Christopher Newport women's lacrosse program on the Academic All-District Team, which was announced by the College Sports Communicators on Tuesday afternoon.

With the award, Eversole and Saia joined an exclusive list of standouts that have earned the prestigious honor. Only five previous Captains received the recognition, including current assistant coach Riley Rafterry-Lee, former All-Americans Julia Iapicca and Emma Jackson, and longtime standouts Eleanor Collins and Hope Hunter.

Making even more history with her award, Saia became the first sophomore in program history to secure the academic accolade.

In order to be eligible for the honor, student-athletes must have at least a 3.50 cumulative GPA while serving as a starter or key reserve. The All-District honor is the prerequisite for All-American accolades, which will be voted on by a national committee later this month.

Founded in 1952, the CSC (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-American program recognizes standouts from all sports across all divisions of the NCAA. There are over 20,000 total nominations every year with fewer than 10 percent of those student-athletes receiving the nation's highest academic honor.

Punctuating a stellar four-year career with the Captains, Eversole put together an award-winning senior season. During the 2025 campaign, she solidified her spot as one of the league's top playmakers while ranking third in the conference with 23 assists and fifth with 52 points. She also deposited 29 goals while boasting a .439 shooting percentage, which placed her sixth in the league. For her work, she was named a first-team All-Conference and All-Region performer while garnering a second-team All-State citation.

During the season, Eversole notched a point in 17 of her 19 appearances, including the final eight games of the season. Overall, she produced nine multi-goal efforts, including three against nationally-ranked competition. Among her finest performances, she sank four goals against No. 5 Salisbury on April 19 before matching that total against the Sea Gulls in the league championship on May 3. She also had four points, including three helpers, against No. 21 Denison on March 29.

Graduating with a near perfect GPA, Eversole received her degree in political science during the spring.

A stabilizing presence on the defensive unit, Saia stepped up with a remarkable year on the back line. After starting the final six games of her freshman campaign, including all four postseason bouts, she remained in the lineup throughout her sophomore season. Starting all 19 contests, she produced 22 caused turnovers, which ranked 11th in the league. Incredibly consistent, she forced at least one miscue in 14 of her appearances. Fittingly, she was a first-team All-Conference selection and a second-team All-State and All-Region pick.

Among her highlights during the year, Saia had multiple takeaways in seven games, including a pair of strips against Mary Washington and No. 7 Salisbury during the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference playoffs. For that performance, she was named to the All-Tournament Team. The second-year star also hauled in 22 ground balls during the year and had at least one in 10 straight outings from March 4 through April 5. That run included four bouts against top-25 competition.

Meanwhile, off the field, Saia continued to shine as a social work major while earning a spot on the Dean's List for her efforts.

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