MEDFORD, MA (May 21, 2026) – Tufts University senior
Nicola Donlan has won the NCAA Elite Scholar-Athlete Award for Division III Women's Lacrosse, presented to her today at the NCAA "Final Four" site in Rochester, New York where the Jumbos are preparing for their national semifinal game against Middlebury College tomorrow.
The NCAA Elite Scholar-Athlete Award, formerly known as the Elite 90 Award, is presented to student-athletes who achieve the highest cumulative grade-point average (GPA) among participants at the finals site of each NCAA championship across all three divisions (Division I, II, III) and 92 championship events.
A starting defender for head coach
Courtney Shute's Tufts women's lacrosse team, Donlan graduated from Tufts this past Sunday with summa cum laude honors. Earning a Bachelor of Science degree in cognitive brain science studies, Donlan graduated with a 4.0 grade point average.
On the field, Donlan's 35 ground balls and 19 caused turnovers are both the second-best totals on the team. She was selected to the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association All-Region 1 first team, and as a New England Small College Athletic Conference All-Conference second team honoree. Donlan also scored the first goal of her career this spring in a win over Williams College on April 1.
Donlan is a 2026 inductee into Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest academic honor society in the United States that recognizes excellence in the liberal arts and sciences. A Dean's List student every semester, she was a three-time NESCAC All-Academic Team member for carrying a grade point average of 3.50 or better. During her time at Tufts, Donlan worked as a research assistant in the Tufts Psycholinguistics and Linguistics Lab.
She is also the Tufts Women's Lacrosse team's Civic Life Ambassador, organizing and tracking team community engagement and community service events.
Donlan is the sixth student-athlete from Tufts to win the NCAA Elite Scholar-Athlete Award, and first since 2023. She is the Jumbos' first women's lacrosse recipient.
Tufts plays Middlebury in the national semifinals on Friday at noon at Rochester Institute of Technology.
--JUMBOS--
