Julie Nekolna Named NJCAA First-Team All-American

Julie Nekolna Named NJCAA First-Team All-American
April 10, 2025

TUSCALOOSA – Shelton State sophomore center Julie Nekolna was named to the 2025 NJCAA Division I First-Team All-American team on Wednesday afternoon.

 

Nekolna, who was named the 2025 ACCC Player of the Year, is the seventh Shelton State player to earn first team All American accolades. She joins Meghan Dunn, Tiyah Johnson, Cierra Johnson (two-time selection), Nya Valentine and Adrianna Jones as the first team honorees. In all, the Bucs have had 14 All-America selections under head coach Madonna Thompson.

 

Nekolna led the ACCC in scoring and field goal percentage during the regular season.

 

She started all 34 games and led the Bucs with 14.6 points and ranked third with 6.6 rebounds per game. She made 195-of-345 (.565) field goal attempts this year.

 

Nekolna posted 25 double figure scoring games, including two, 30-point games against Chattanooga State (32) and Lawson State (30). She also added five double doubles.

 

In ACCC play, she averaged 16.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

 

Nekolna led the Bucs to the 2025 NJCAA National Championship Game during the season. The runner up finish is the highest in program history. Shelton State (31-5, 15-0 ACCC) won its 11th consecutive regular season ACCC Championship this season. The Bucs had its astonishing 215-game winning streak against ACCC teams snapped in the conference tournament championship game.