MARLBOROUGH, Mass. – The NEWMAC is happy to announce the seven males’s sport institutional nominees for the annual NEWMAC Student-Athlete of the Year Award. The award acknowledges student-athletes who’ve distinguished themselves by means of educational achievement, athletic excellence, management and repair.
An Awards Committee comprised of Athletic Communicators from throughout the convention evaluations the nominees yearly and selects the NEWMAC’s honorees. The convention workplace will announce the 2025-2026 NEWMAC Student-Athlete of the Year recipient(s) on Thursday, July 30. The recipient(s) of the 2025-2026 award will change into the NEWMAC’s nominee(s) for the Division III Commissioners Association Student-Athlete of the Year award.
2025-2026 NEWMAC Student-Athlete of the Year Nominees – Men’s Sports
Craig Connell – Springfield College – Football
Connell earned a Doctor of Physical Therapy diploma with a 3.749 GPA whereas excelling on the soccer discipline as a crew captain, All-American, and multiple-time Academic All-Conference and CSC Academic All-District choice. Leadership by means of the Student-Athlete Leadership Team, youth soccer clinics, and Revitalize Springfield mirrored Springfield’s Humanics philosophy. Connell’s determination to donate stem cells by means of the National Marrow Donor Program exemplified a dedication to serving others past athletics.
Lucky Deignan – MIT – Football
Deignan paired a 3.8 GPA in Computation and Cognition with excellent management on MIT’s soccer crew. A crew captain, Deignan helped set up a tradition of accountability that contributed to the program’s first successful season of a collegiate profession. Research in healthcare expertise, growth of open-source software program, and mentorship of teammates mirrored a dedication to utilizing innovation and management to positively influence others.
Everett Mosher – WPI – Cross Country & Track & Field
Mosher maintained an ideal 4.0 GPA in Civil Engineering whereas competing at a excessive degree in each cross nation and monitor & discipline. Leadership inside WPI’s program complemented success in the classroom and on the course. A civil engineering venture in South Africa that remodeled an deserted constructing right into a group library highlighted a ardour for making use of engineering abilities to create significant change.
Michael O’Gara – Wheaton College – Men’s Soccer
O’Gara graduated with a 3.95 GPA whereas incomes levels in Economics and Finance. A First Team All-NEWMAC and All-Region choice, O’Gara established a number of program data whereas serving to lead Wheaton’s males’s soccer program. Service as a educating assistant in the Economics Department and as a Wheaton Athletic Mentor demonstrated a dedication to serving to fellow college students succeed each inside and out of doors the classroom.
Dominic Reiter – Emerson College – Men’s Soccer
Reiter earned a grasp’s diploma in Political Communications with a 3.711 GPA whereas serving as captain of Emerson’s males’s soccer crew. Leadership on the discipline was matched by a dedication to civic engagement by means of environmental advocacy and work on a congressional marketing campaign. A ardour for public service and mentorship left a long-lasting influence on each the Emerson group and the folks served past campus.
Bennett Smith – Babson College – Men’s Lacrosse
Smith graduated with a 3.59 GPA in Finance whereas serving to lead Babson by means of one of the most profitable eras in program historical past. A crew captain and multi-time educational honoree, Smith earned All-Conference and CSC Academic All-District recognition whereas balancing excellence in the classroom and on the discipline. Leadership of Babson’s Team IMPACT partnership mirrored a dedication to mentorship, service, and making a significant distinction in the lives of others.
Shane Williams – Salve Regina University – Baseball
Williams earned an undergraduate diploma in Criminal Justice and Criminology with a 3.677 GPA earlier than finishing a grasp’s diploma in Cyber Threat Management and Response with an ideal 4.0 GPA. A crew captain, 2026 NEWMAC Player of the Year, and CSC Second Team Academic All-America choice, Williams helped lead Salve Regina to a number of NCAA Tournament appearances whereas serving the group by means of Team IMPACT, youth baseball, campus ministry, and literacy initiatives. Leadership rooted in service and mentorship left a long-lasting influence on teammates, youth athletes, and the Newport group.
About the NEWMAC
The NEWMAC is an affiliation of 13 selective educational establishments: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Saint Anselm College (starting reclassification course of with NCAA in 2027-28), Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, which might be dedicated to offering prime quality aggressive athletic alternatives for student-athletes inside an academic and respectful setting that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The convention additionally companions with seven Associate Members: 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), whereas sponsoring 21 sports activities.