none 10.31254/sportmed.10101 BioMed Research Publishers BioMed Research Publishers 16195 200386067 314876 20260829180838891 10.31254 2026-08-29T18:08:43Z 2026-08-29T18:08:42Z 0 International Journal of Sport, Exercise and Health Research Int J Sport Exerc Health Res) 25814923 10.31254/sportmed https://www.sportscienceresearch.com/ 8 2026 10 1 Tara K. Whiton Department of Sport & Exercise Science, Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, Standish, ME 04084, USA https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0795-6493 Jocelyn Skane Department of Sport & Exercise Science, Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, Standish, ME 04084, USA https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8583-630X Zachary Adams Department of Sport & Exercise Science, Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, Standish, ME 04084, USA https://orcid.org/0009-0002-8945-8052 Madison Pelletier Department of Sport & Exercise Science, Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, Standish, ME 04084, USA https://orcid.org/0009-0003-1705-2085 Karen Croteau Department of Sport & Exercise Science, Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, Standish, ME 04084, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6980-5582 Nina B. Eduljee Department of Psychology, Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, Standish, ME 04084, USA https://orcid.org/0009-0005-2283-6102 Background: NCAA Division III (DIII) athletes often lack dedicated nutrition resources, increasing their risk of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S). This pilot study investigated energy availability (EA) and nutritional status of NCAA DIII female athletes (n = 20) over a 6-week training period. Methods: Using a repeated-measures design, 20 female athletes (20 ± 1.1 years) across nine sports were assessed at three time points (DC1, DC2, and DC3). Data collection included laboratory assessments of body composition, resting metabolic rate, and the LEAF-Q screening tool; following each lab session, participants completed 7-day remote dietary tracking via the Cronometer app and maintained training logs to calculate energy expenditure. Results: High protocol adherence was observed (95.2%). The most significant finding was the pervasive nature of low energy availability (LEA); mean EA remained consistently below the clinical threshold of <30 kcal/kg FFM/day at all time points (23.7, 18.3, and 18.9 kcal/kg FFM/day, respectively). By DC3, 70% of participants were in clinical LEA and 0% achieved optimal EA. While 85% met physiological criteria for LEA, only 33% were identified as “at-risk” by the LEAF-Q. Dietary analysis revealed severe inadequacies in carbohydrate (2.3–2.5 g/kg/day) and protein (1.0–1.1 g/kg/day) relative to sport nutrition guidelines. Conclusion: DIII female athletes in our study faced a chronic “LEA load” driven by macronutrient deficits. Athletics departments should implement a universal screening tool that pairs the LEAF-Q with EA calculations to detect metabolic conservation, and should provide targeted education on fueling density. 8 2026 1 6 1 10.31254/biomed-crossmark-policy www.biomedresearch.org false 10.31254/sportmed.10101 https://sportscienceresearch.com/articles/abstracts/965/year=2026&vol=10&issue=1