The Zone Announces 100 Women's College Sports Teams to Onboard This Fall, Fueled by Research Showing Measurable Mental Health Improvement in Female Athletes

NEW YORK, N.Y. — [April , 2026] — The Zone, a data powered mental performance and wellness platform serving collegiate and youth sports organizations, today announced that more than 100 women's sports teams have committed to onboard the platform ahead of the fall 2026 season — the company's largest single-sport expansion to date.

The surge follows the release of a research report authored by Roy Collins, MD, MPH, a sports psychiatrist and clinical faculty member at a major research university. The report analyzed 5,728 user entries from collegiate student-athletes and found that female users demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in mood after approximately 25 uses of the application (p < 0.05). Male users showed a more modest pattern of change that did not reach statistical significance.

The study also identified the most common mental health concerns reported by athletes on the platform: excessive worry, performance-related fear, and loss of energy — concerns that map directly to The Zone's core content modules. Among content types, cognitive restructuring and mindfulness-based programming showed the strongest associations with improved outcomes.

"As a former collegiate lacrosse player, I lived the gap this data is describing," said Janaya Reid, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of The Zone. "100 programs committing before the fall even opens — on top of the 230+ we're already serving, that's not a trend, that's a shift. The data told us where the need was sharpest and we listened. But this was never just about one sport or one gender. Every athlete carries this. We're building the infrastructure to actually meet them there and we're just getting started."

The 100+ organizations span NCAA Division I through Division III, HBCUs, and community colleges across sports including soccer, volleyball, lacrosse, swimming, basketball, and cross country. Programs will go live on the platform at the opening of fall camp.

About The Zone The Zone exists to make mental health a foundational part of athletic performance. Built by Ivan Tchatchouwo and Janaya Reid both former collegiate athletes — The Zone is a data - powered mental performance and wellness platform serving 230+ teams across collegiate and youth athletics. Learn more at itsthezone.com.

Media Contact: [Ivan Tchatchouwo] [Ivan@itsthezone.com]