Two MCLA Women’s Basketball Players Earn CSC Academic All-District Honors

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.— Senior guard Lauren Kimball (Crown Point, NY) and sophomore forward Amare Williams (Woburn, MA) have earned All-District recognition by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American program.

This was the third CSC Academic All-American program designation for Kimball, who was recognized as a member of the women's soccer team each of the last two years, and the first for Williams. They join 13 student-athletes who earned the honor this fall, three men's basketball players who earned the honor this winter, and follow 30 athletes from the 2023-24 & 2024-25 school years. Prior to 2023, no MCLA athlete had been honored by CSC since 2019, when softball outfielder Kaitlyn Berghela was named to the Academic All-American Division III third team.

Kimball returned to the court this year after not playing since high school. The guard was almost always the first player off the bench for the Trailblazers and started one game out of her 19 appearances in MCLA's 20 games. Her best game came at Wentworth Institute of Technology on December 13^th when she scored six points, pulled down three rebounds, and came away with two steals. Kimball is a double major in Education and English who will graduate this spring.

Williams played her first full year with the Trailblazers during the 2025-26 season following the program's one-year hiatus. The forward from Woburn played in all 20 of MCLA's games this season, starting in 19 of them. She was second on the team with 31 assists and 23 offensive rebounds. The best showing for Amare came at Fitchburg State on February 18^th when she posted her first career double-double with 10 boards and a career-high 12 points. The sophomore forward crossed the double-digit threshold for rebounds with 12 against SUNY Delhi on December 1^st and 10 at Westfield State on February 7^th. Williams is a two-year member of the program and is majoring in English.

Per the College Sports Communicators (previously known as COSIDA) website, the Academic All-American is a title reserved for college student-athletes who perform at an elite level in their chosen sport and in the classroom. The all-time list of 44,000+ Academic All-Americans includes major sports stars and some of the world's most accomplished individuals in medicine, business, science, and the arts. Established in 1952 and selected by College Sports Communicators, Academic All-America is the longest-running and premier award for athletic and academic success across championship college sports at all NCAA levels, the NAIA, two-year colleges, and Canadian institutions. Teams are announced year-round and amplified by CSC member colleges, universities, and conferences on a wide local, regional, national, and even international scope.

To be eligible for consideration, student-athletes must demonstrate the best traits of a student-athlete, both on and off the playing field. Among the requirements are:

• Outstanding student-athletes are nominated for Academic All-District® recognition by communications directors and must have a minimum 3.50 GPA and meet high athletic standards. (over 30,000 nominations annually)
• A select group of student-athletes advances to the national ballot, where CSC members vote on Academic All-America teams. (approximately 2,000 selections annually)
• An Academic All-American Team Member of the Year is selected in each sport and division. (66 recipients)
• An Overall Academic All-American of the Year is selected as the top student-athlete across all sports in each NCAA and NAIA division. (4 recipients)

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