GORHAM, Maine  –  Graduate student Liz Cote (Conway, NH/Kennett), seniors Jaycie Christopher (Skowhegan, Maine) and Avah Ingalls (Hampstead, NH/Pembroke Academy) and sophomore Lucy Wiles (Glenburn, Maine/Hampden Academy) of the 2026 Little East Conference Champions University of Southern Maine Huskies' women's basketball team have earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors.  Christopher and Wiles have advanced to the national ballot for consideration of Academic All-American honors.
 
All four student-athletes are receiving Academic All-District recognition after distinguishing themselves athletically and academically as student-athletes at the University of Southern Maine. To be eligible for the accolade, student-athletes must be a starter or an important reserve with at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale), must have participated in at least 90 percent of the team's games, and must be at least a sophomore academically.  Graduate students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher as both an undergrad and graduate student-athlete. 
 
Joining the Huskies for the first time this season, Ingalls made an immediate impact playing and starting in all 30 games. The team's leader in offensive rebounds with 64, Ingalls averaged 7.8 points per game while shooting 44.7 percent (76-for-170) from the field.  She finished second on the team in assists (93), steals (43) and blocked shots (21) and was the team's third-leading overall rebounder (135).  Scoring in double-figures in eight games with a season-high of 15 in a win over VTSU-Castleton (January 10, 2026), Ingalls averaged 8.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists during the Huskies' NCAA tournament run.  Ingalls is completing her degree in Health Sciences.
 
One of the team's co-captains, Cote played and started in each of the Huskies' 30 games, and led Southern Maine in three-point field goals made with 69 while shooting 32.7 (69-for-211) from long-range.  Averaging 8.1 points and 2.3 rebounds per game, Cote scored in double-figures in 10 games with a season-high of 15 occurring three times, most recently in the Huskies' NCAA "Sweet Sixteen" game against Wisconsin La Crosse.  Playing in 84 career games, Cote finished her career with 786 points, 245 rebounds, 92 assists and 74 steals. A career 36.65 percent shooter from three-point range, Cote knocked down 206 threes, which is good for third in USM career records. Cote is working towards her Master's Degree in Leadership Studies.  A William B. Wise Scholar-Athlete and now a two-time Academic All-District selection, Cote completed her undergraduate degree in Business Management at Southern Maine.
Named D3hoops.com Second Team All-Region, New England Women's Basketball Association (NEWBA) Third Team All-Region, and a first team All-Little East Conference guard, Wiles completed a tremendous sophomore season averaging 16.7 points, 3.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.8 rebounds per game while shooting 44.5 percent (188-for-422) from the field and 42.4 percent (59-for-139) from three-point range.  Leading the team in steals with 55, Wiles scored in double-figures in 25 games and scored 20 or more points nine times, notching a career-high 32 in a win against UMass Dartmouth (February 14, 2026).  In 58 games over two seasons, Wiles has 867 points, 162 rebounds, 170 assists, and 98 steals in her career.  A William B. Wise Scholar-Athlete, Wiles is working towards a degree in Nursing.
 
 A 2026 Women's Basketball Coaches' Association (WBCA) All-American, Christopher racked up a long-list of post-season awards in her first season as a Husky.  In addition to her WBCA honor, Christopher was also named a D3hoops.com All-American (second team), and was previously honored as the 2006 D3hoops.com Region 2 Player of the Year, the New England Women's Basketball Association (NEWBA) Player of the Year, and the Little East Conference Player of the Year, and has earned first team honors from each governing body. Averaging a team-leading 18.9 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, Christoper is among the nations' leaders in NCAA Division III Women's Basketball. Shooting a remarkable 45.2 percent from three-point range this season (57-for-126), and 55.2 percent overall (196-for-355) the Huskies' 6-0 guard racked up 12 double-doubles this season. Scoring in double-figures in 29 of the Huskies' 30 games, with a career-high of 32, Christopher snagged at least 10 rebounds in 13 games, with a career mark of 16.
 
Southern Maine finished the 2025-2026 with a record of 27-3 (15-1 Little East Conference).  The Huskies claimed both the program's 22^nd regular season title and 21^st tournament championship, marking the first time the Huskies have finished atop the conference since the 2012-2013 season. Earning the LEC's bid to the NCAA tourney and its 27th overall appearance in the championship field, the Huskies advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the tournament for the first time since 2007.
 
Designated Academic All-District student-athletes are eligible for selection to the Academic All-America program. College Sports Communicators began the distinguished Academic All-America® program in 1952, and since then, has honored more than 38,000 deserving student-athletes from numerous sports across all divisions with these elite Academic All-America® scholar-athlete honors. Currently, CSC sponsors Academic All-America® programs for men's soccer, women's soccer, football, volleyball, men's basketball, women's basketball, men's swimming & diving, women's swimming & diving, men's tennis, women's tennis, baseball, softball and men's and women's track and field/cross country. Many other sports are eligible through the At-Large program, including USM sponsored sports field hockey, golf, ice hockey, and wrestling.
 
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