FLORENCE, Ala. (March 24, 2026) – The University of North Alabama women's basketball team received three selections to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team announced Tuesday in forwards India Howard, Sofia Ceppellotti and Venla Ulander.
Women's Basketball adds to its 2026 postseason tally with its most selections to the team in Division I program history. Howard nabs the second selection of her career, while Ceppellotti and Ulander land their first. Howard is majoring in Engineering Technology with a 3.91 GPA, and Ceppellotti has a 3.87 GPA majoring in Professional Management. Ulander also majors in Professional Management with a 3.88 GPA.
Howard earns her second-straight selection to the team after being receiving the honor following the 2024-25 season. It also marks her second academic postseason award this season and fourth of her career. The forward is a two-time Atlantic Sun Conference All-Academic team honoree for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons.
Howard was a solid contributor and a veteran presence on the team. The Coppell, Texas native appeared in all 31 games, averaging 8.1 points on 60 percent shooting with 5.3 rebounds per game. She scored in double figures 14 times, scoring a season-high 18 points twice against Queens on Feb. 7 and March 3.
Howard's defensive presence was a big part of the Lions' success this season. She ranked seventh in the ASUN averaging 1.1 blocks per game. The senior tallied at least one block in all but six games this season, and her 33 total blocks ranked her eighth among the top 10. She had a season-high four blocks against West Georgia on Feb. 27, 2026.
Ceppellotti had a career year with 11.5 PPG this season, finishing 15th in the ASUN. She scored in double digits 17 times this season and set a career high with 21 points at Bellarmine on Feb. 18. The Ruda, Udine, Italy native also ranked in the ASUN fifth in minutes played per game (33.8 in 27 games), 15th in defensive rebounds per game (4.1), tied for 17th in three-pointers made per game (1.4), tied for 22nd in blocked shots per game (0.5) and 24th in rebounding (4.9 per game).
Ceppellotti secured her first career double-double with 19 points and career-high 13 rebounds at Samford on Dec. 7, 2025. She registered two games with 10+ rebounds (13 at Samford on Dec. 7, 2025 and 10 at North Florida on Jan. 15, 2026).
Ulander's first season of action saw the forward play in 29 games and average 2.9 PPG in 10.4 minutes per game. The Espoo, Finland native scored in double-figures three times on the season, including a career outing on Dec. 7, 2025 with 21 points on 80 percent shooting with 10 rebounds against the Southern Conference champions Samford. She additionally totaled 49 rebounds on the campaign with 19 assists, five steals and one block.
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