NEWARK, N.J. — A strong 2023 campaign for the NJIT women's soccer team was rewarded by the America East conference by way of a historic haul of individual accolades.

The league announced Tuesday afternoon four Highlanders - Madison Taibl, Briana Andreoli, Merle Hueser, and Gabby Zalot - combined for five different America East postseason honors. The number of individual award recipients and their total haul of laurels are both program highs for NJIT during their four-season tenure in the America East Conference (since July 2020).

Taibl and Andreoli earned NJIT's first-ever spots on the America East All-Conference First Team, Hueser was voted to the All-Rookie team, and Taibil paired with Zalot on the All-Academic team to give NJIT multiple student-athletes on the academic list for the first time in its league tenure.

TAIBL, a native of Jackson, made the most of her graduate year after having her senior season in 2022 shortened to three games due to injury. Taibl appeared in 17 of NJIT's 19 contests and started each match, recorded seven points on the year (her first three career goals and an assist) after only tallying two points on assists in four years prior, and helped anchor NJIT's traditionally strong backline to six shutouts and four shutout wins in 2023. 

In the classroom, Taibl is currently enrolled in the Masters of Science program for Civil Engineering. The six-time Dean's List honoree graduated Cum Laude last May with a Bachelor's degree in Forensic Science and a 3.65 GPA.

ANDREOLI, a sophomore product of Hawthorne, had a breakout year in her second season. She doubled her goal production from her freshman year (from a team-high-tying three to a team-leading six) while adding her first three career assists to tally a career-best 15 points. Entering the America East tournament, Andreoli's goal and point totals were tied for third in the conference. Her first career brace at Vermont on October 22 helped clinch NJIT's spot in this year's America East tournament and she scored once on four other occasions. 

Andreoli also had her first multi-assist game in 2023, setting up the game-tying and game-winning goals - after being denied a clear goal - in NJIT's 3-2 comeback win over FDU on September 3. In total, the Highlanders went 4-1-2 in matches where Andreoli registered at least one point. 

Andreoli was named America East Offensive Player of the Week on October 23 after her two-goal showing at UVM and she became the second NJIT player in the program's four-year America East tenure to have a Rookie of the Week and Offensive/Defensive Player of the Week honor on her ledger after teammate Corbin Reifschneider collected Rookie and Offensive POTW honors during the first week of the 2020/Spring 2021 season.

Taibl and Andreoli are the first NJIT women's soccer players and first duo to earn First Team All-Conference honors since former Highlanders Fiona Wright and Arianna Gerber were named to the ASUN First Team together in 2018. The two Highlanders also join former teammates Siani Magruder (2021 & 2022 Second Team) and Molly Saylor (2021 Second Team) as all-time America East All-Conference picks.

HUESER made the trek from Rheinstetten, Germany to Newark, N.J. and immediately stepped into a starting role along NJIT's backline in her first year. Hueser was one of nine players - and the only freshman - to appear in all 19 contests and was a Senior Day lineup away from starting every game. She finished second on the team in total minutes played (1600) after going the full 90 fourteen times and was one of only two players - captain and senior Emma Bitar (1679) being the other - to log 1600 or more minutes. 

While Hueser proved to be a stout defender, she also kicked off this year's offensive output by scoring the Highlanders' first goal of the season in its 7-0 rout of Saint Peter's on August 20. She was named America East Rookie of the Week on September 11 after not missing a minute of NJIT's draws against La Salle and Wagner.

Hueser is NJIT's third straight America East All-Rookie selection, joining Riley Jones (2022) and Caroline Caputo (2021).

ZALOT, a senior and native of Levittown, Pa., excelled on the field and in the classroom in 2023. She finished the year with nine points (2 G, 5 A) after only registering one assist and no goals across three previous seasons between NJIT and Valparaiso. Her 2023 account included a record-setting performance against Saint Peter's - a NJIT Division I single-game record six points (2 G, 2 A) in the 7-0 shutout victory - that helped earn her America East Offensive Player of the Week honors on August 21.

Zalot also added a pair of assists in the comeback win over FDU and helped set up the game-winning goal in the come-from-behind triumph at UMBC on September 28. In total, NJIT was undefeated (3-0) in matches where Zalot recorded a point.

Academically, Zalot sports a perfect 4.0 GPA as a Law, Technology and Culture major and has made the Dean's List four times.

Taibl and Zalot join former teammate Molly Saylor (2021) as NJIT's America East all-time All-Academic honorees and are the first Highlanders teammates to pick up conference All-Academic honors since Arianna Gerber and Noelle Batista claimed ASUN All-Academic honors in 2018.

Collectively, the quartet helped lead NJIT to its first record of .500 or better since 2018 (7-7-5 overall, 3-4-1 during America East regular season play), a third straight conference tournament appearance (first time since making four straight Great West tourneys from 2009-12), and the program's second-best finish in four years as an America East member (5th; finished 3rd in 2021).