(Story courtesy of Salve Regina Athletics) 

NEWPORT, R.I. - Salve Regina University senior Shane Williams (Georgetown, Mass.) has been recognized as a standout on the diamond and in the classroom with his selection to the Second Team Academic All-America®, chosen by College Sports Communicators and announced today.

Williams becomes the first Seahawk athlete to earn Academic All-America® honors since his former pitching teammate Brayden Clark did so last year.  He's also the second Salve Regina baseball player to get the distinction since his head coach, Eric Cirella '05, was named the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America® of the Year 21 years ago. Williams joins Cirella, Clark, and Nicholas D'Amato '04 as the four Seahawk baseball players to earn Academic All-America® accolades.

The NEWMAC Player of the Year, Williams set or equaled program records in home runs (15), runs scored (66), runs batted in (65), and total bases (139) as the Seahawks clinched the top seed in the league for the third straight year.

He launched his career-best 15th home run of the season on Sunday, May 17, in the regional-clinching game against Ramapo College at DeSales University.

Recently, Williams had been named the Region I Player of the Year by both D3baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) before claiming Second Team All-American honors from both organizations.

"What a fantastic award to cap off Shane's amazing college career," said the three-time honoree Cirella. "He was truly a star on the field and in the classroom and exemplifies what it is to be a student-athlete. I can't wait to see what the future holds for Shane Williams."

Majoring in criminal justice (with a 3.63 undergraduate GPA), Williams had joined teammates Shea Donovan, Jake Harring, Nolan Romanowski, and Grady Schopps on the Academic All-District® list earlier this month.

For the complete listing of honorees, visit here - https://academicallamerica.com/sports/2025/11/24/AAAHonors20252026.aspx

About the NEWMAC

The NEWMAC is an association of 13 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Saint Anselm College (beginning reclassification process with NCAA in 2027-28), Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with eight Associate Members: Brandeis University (Women's Lacrosse, 2026-2027), New York University (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), SUNY New Paltz (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), and Vassar College (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), while sponsoring 21 sports.