NEWARK, N.J. --- Women's Soccer senior defender Nicole Loehle was honored by the New Jersey Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (NJAIAW) as NJIT's Woman of the Year, the organization announced during a virtual ceremony Wednesday. 

The NJAIAW recognizes the athletic, academic, and community contributions of outstanding female student-athletes from the Garden State's high schools, junior colleges, and four-year colleges and universities.

On the pitch, Loehle has been an integral part of the Highlanders' defense. She has started 41 of 46 games on the back line - including 34 of 35 over the last two seasons - and helped NJIT set several school records, including fewest season goals allowed (18, 2019), shutouts (9, 2018), and longest shutout streak (3 games, 2018). Loehle's efforts also contributed to NJIT's highest win total and record (11-5-2, 2018) and a pair of trips to the ASUN Conference semifinals (as a No. 2 in 2018, after a first-round win as a No. 6 seed in 2019). Loehle was named to the ASUN Second Team in 2018 and the ASUN All-Tournament team in 2019.

Academically, Loehle - a Chemical Engineering major - is a three-time member of the ASUN Academic Honor Roll (2017-20) and a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society. 

She spent last summer doing a remote internship with Sabre Systems, Inc., a defense and civil agency contractor specializing in Information Technology, Engineering, and Program Management. During the internship, Loehle worked on Sabre's Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) programs that are used on the new USS Gerald R. Ford Class of aircraft carriers.

Loehle also spent time during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic helping the NJIT community by assembling masks and personal protective equipment (PPE) at NJIT's Makerspace.