NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Southern Connecticut women's basketball standout Rheyna Steinauer was named a 2025-26 Northeast 10 Conference Woman of the Year Nominee, as announced by the NE10 on Monday, May 11, 2026. The nominees and award winners are determined by the NE10 Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) Council. It is the second straight year that a SCSU women's basketball student-athlete has been nominated for this award, after Katie Williamson was nominated last year.

Each nominee is a senior student-athlete that has excelled in all areas of their collegiate careers – on the playing surface, in the classroom and in the community. The two winners are set to be announced at the NE10 Banquet, hosted by Saint Michael's College in early June.

Each NE10 institution nominates student-athletes for both Man and Woman of the Year. The 2025-26 academic year marks the 14th time that the league will award the NE10 Man of the Year honor, while the NE10 Woman of the Year honor has been awarded since 2005-06.

Rheyna Steinauer had an outstanding year, not only on the basketball court but in the classroom and in the community. On the court, Steinauer helped the Owls win their first NE10 championship since 2007, hosted the first NCAA East Regional since 2007, advanced to the NCAA East Regional Second Round and tied the most wins in a single season (25) since the 2011-12 season. She was named to the All-NE10 First Team, D2CCA East Region Second Team, NCAA East Region All-Tournament Team and WBCA DII All-America Honorable Mention. Steinauer was ranked in the top five in the NE10 in points per game, free-throw percentage, three-point field-goal percentage and field goal percentage. She recorded the most 30+ point performances in the NE10 this season, with three. Off the court, Steinauer was instrumental with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (S.A.A.C.) throughout the whole the year and played a pivotal role in organizing the 2026 Owl Awards. In the classroom, she was dedicated to her work as she earned Fall 2025 NE10 Academic Honors.