CASTINE, Maine – Maine Maritime's Zeb Dufresne (Gray, Maine) and Sam Nichol (Concord, N.H.) have been named to the 2025 New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA) All-Academic Team.
Dufresne, a Marine Engineering Operations major, started in 14 games for the Mariners this season. In those 14 games, the senior defenseman scooped up 12 ground balls and caused nine turnovers, helping lead the Mariners to their third North Atlantic Conference Championship in four years. Dufresne finished his career ranked ninth all-time in program history in caused turnovers (58).
Nichol, a Marine Systems Engineering major, started in all 16 games for the Mariners this season. In those 16 games, the senior midfielder recorded 49 goals and nine assists for a total of 58 points, helping lead the Mariners to their third North Atlantic Conference Championship in four years.
Nichol finished his career ranked second all-time in program history in points (238), third in goals (163), fifth in assists (75), and second in man-up goals (29). A two-time team captain and four-time All-Conference honoree, he was also named the 2025 NAC Senior Scholar-Athlete, the 2023–24 and 2024–25 Mariners Athletics Male Leader of the Year, and the 2024–25 Mariners Athletics Senior Scholar-Athlete.
Following the season, Nichol was selected for both the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA) East-West Senior All-Star Game and the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Senior North-South All-Star Game.
Members of the NEILA All-Academic Team are nominated by head coaches in Divisions I, II and II, and are student-athletes who have excelled both in the classroom and on the field over the course of their men's lacrosse career. Nominees must have senior or graduate student standing, a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale, and be an impact player for their team.
The duo are two of 229 Division III players across 39 different institutions to receive this honor.
Click
HERE to view the full teams.
