Montclair, NJ- Announced on Tuesday afternoon by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) organization, the Montclair State University women's basketball team saw four of its student-athletes get named to the Academic All-District list for their performances on and off the court this season.
The 2025-26 Academic All-District® Women's Basketball teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes women's basketball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA.
In order to be eligible for the Academic All-District team, a student-athlete must have a sophomore or higher class standing, hold a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher, and have either played in 90% of games or started 66% of them this season.
Representing the Red Hawks in 2026 were
BELLA BRUCE,
SHANNON HUGHES,
SAMANTHA PHILIPP, and
ALEXIS STROLLO.
Bruce holds a perfect 4.0 GPA as a justice studies major and started 19 of 24 games played for Montclair this season. She averaged 10.3 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game to go along with 42 assists, 29 blocks, and 21 steals. She played a big role down the stretch, scoring double-digit points in each of her last five contests.
Hughes started all 26 games for Montclair this season while holding a 3.79 GPA as a physical education major. In her final collegiate year, she averaged 6.8 points per game and tallied 101 rebounds, 31 assists, 20 steals, and 20 blocks. Her highlight performance of the season came during a win against New Jersey City on February 11, where she totaled a season high 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting, including 6-for-8 from deep.
Philipp, a psychology major with a 3.78 GPA, played in all 26 games and made 13 starts this season. She had a breakout season in 2025-26, averaging 7.2 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game while tallying 25 assists, 23 steals, and a block. Her highlight performance came on December 30, 2025, when she dropped a career-high 22 points on 9-for-13 shooting.
Strollo rounds off the list as a 26-game starter and has a 3.83 GPA as a Family Science and Human Development major. She had a stellar final collegiate season, averaging 12.3 points per game while shooting .466 from the field. She also totaled 87 assists, 80 rebounds, 35 steals, and eight blocks. Strollo tied for the second-best free-throw percentage in the league at .808, while her 87 total assists ranked among the conference leaders. She was named the inaugural NJAC Defensive Player of the Week and also earned NJAC Player of the Week honors this season. She adds this accolade to the Second Team All-NJAC recognition she earned earlier in the year.
Hughes and Strollo earn Academic All-District for the second-straight year, while Bruce and Philipp earn this honor for the first time.
Montclair State women's basketball finished the season with a 15–11 overall record and an 11–7 mark in NJAC play. The Red Hawks entered the NJAC Tournament as the fifth seed but fell to fourth-seeded Stockton, 67–60, in the quarterfinal round.
