FARMINGTON, Maine — The University of Maine at Farmington women's soccer team had six players receive College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors, the organization announced on Tuesday afternoon. Seniors Rita Benoit (Hallowell, Maine), Grace Dwyer (Manchester, Maine), Paige Gonya (Sabattus, Maine), and Kiley Meader (Oakland, Maine), along with juniors Emma Casavant (Farmington, Maine) and Emma Dunn (Farmington, Maine), earned the distinguished honor.
To qualify for the CSC Academic All-District Team, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore academically and maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.50 or higher. Athletes must also have competed in 90% of their team's games or started in at least 66% of the total games played.
Benoit just completed her third season, and it was arguably her best one yet. She finished the year with five goals and a team-high six assists. Earlier on Tuesday, Benoit was also named to the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) All-Conference Third Team—the first All-Conference recognition of her career. Benoit is a Biology/Pre-Med major, and this marks her first CSC Academic All-District honor.
Dwyer earned CSC Academic All-District honors for the third consecutive year. She originally expected to complete her degree in three years but elected to add a second major and return to use her fourth season of collegiate eligibility. Dwyer will graduate this spring with bachelor's degrees in Psychology and Health Promotion & Wellness. On the field, she finished the season with seven goals and three assists after transitioning from center back to center midfield.
Like Dwyer, Gonya received CSC Academic All-District honors for the third straight season. She will graduate in May with a bachelor's degree in International and Global Studies & Environmental Science. Gonya has served as Farmington's starting goalkeeper for the past four seasons, finishing her career with 70 appearances (69 starts), 419 saves, a 2.29 goals-against average, and a .733 save percentage. She was named to the NAC All-Conference Third Team earlier on Tuesday.
Meader earned CSC Academic All-District honors for the second straight season after appearing in all 19 games for the Beavers. Across her four-year career, Meader has made 69 appearances, including 44 starts, primarily as an outside back. She posted a strong senior season, scoring one goal and recording a career-high three assists. Meader will graduate in May with a bachelor's degree in Biology/Pre-Med.
Casavant, a Nursing major, appeared in 19 games and made 16 starts this season. She played both outside back and center back, logging 1,320 minutes. Casavant recorded one assist—a key contribution in a crucial NAC victory over Thomas College on September 23rd. This is her first CSC Academic All-District honor.
Dunn also earned CSC Academic All-District honors for the first time in her collegiate career. After transitioning to forward in 2025, she posted five goals and one assist in 17 appearances, including 16 starts. Dunn is an Early Childhood Education major and is on track to graduate in May 2027. She adds the CSC honor on the same day she received NAC All-Conference Third Team recognition.
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 performance 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. Student-athletes selected as CSC Academic All-America® finalists are denoted with an asterisk and will advance to the national ballot, to be voted on by CSC members. First-, second-, and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced on Dec. 16, 2025 (men) and Dec. 17, 2025 (women).
The Division II and III CSC Academic All-America® programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures. The NAIA CSC Academic All-America® program is partially financially supported through the NAIA governance structure.
Click here to see the full CSC release.
