Northwest Missouri State University junior Ryan Williams is the first Bearcat baseball player to capture Academic All-America® honors. 

Williams (Kansas City, Mo./Liberty HS) secured second-team status with a 4.0 GPA in public accounting. Overall, Williams is the 54th Bearcat in all sports to obtain Academic All-America® status.

Williams was also a D2CCA Third-Team All-America honors as a utility player for the Bearcats in the 2024 season. He led Northwest in batting average (.391), slugging percentage (.690), hits (72), runs (50), doubles (18), total bases (127) and walks (48). He also swatted 11 home runs to rank second on the team. Williams also secured first-team all-region honors and third-team all-MIAA status in 2024. Williams set the single-season Bearcat walks record when he surpassed the old mark of 45 that was held by Brandon Huske in 2013 and Nick Gotta in 2016. Williams earned 48 free passes this season, which ranked No. 16 in the nation. Williams ranked second in the MIAA in on-base percentage (.523). He ranked No. 22 in the nation in on-base percentage. Williams's 18 doubles tied for the fourth-most two-baggers in a single-season in Bearcat history. Williams ranked No. 6 on Northwest's single-season total bases list with 127. Williams posted 23 multi-hit games and 13 multi-RBI contests. Williams tallied eight three-hit games this year.

The Division II Academic All-America® program is financially supported by the NCAA Division II national governance structure to assist the College Sports Communicators with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2023-24 Division II Academic All-America® program.

Northwest Missouri State University has produced 54 Academic All-America® honorees beginning with Chip Gregory in football in 1981.
 
Northwest's All-Time Academic All-America® Selections
1981 – Chip Gregory, Football (First Team)
1984 – Betty Olson, Women's Basketball (Honorable Mention)
1985 – Marla Sapp, Women's Basketball (Third Team)
1989 – Bob Sundell, Track & Field (First Team)
1989 – Bob Sundell, Men's Basketball (Second Team)
1994 – Bill Bobo, Men's Tennis (Third Team)
1997 – Kathy Kearns, Women's Cross Country (Second Team)
1998 – Robby Lane, Men's Cross Country (Third Team)
1999 – Robby Lane, Men's Track & Field (First Team)
1999 – Robby Lane, Men's Cross Country (Second Team)
2000 – Kendra Smith, Softball (First Team)
2000 – Jill Quast, Volleyball (First Team)
2002 – Tucker Woolsey, Men's Track & Field (First Team)
2003 – Clint Prange, Men's Track & Field (First Team)
2004 – Josh Lamberson, Football (First Team)
2004 – Troy Tysdahl, Football (First Team)
2005 – Josh Lamberson, Football (First Team)
2005 – Clint Prange, Men's Track & Field (First Team)
2005 – Gena Lindsay, Women's Tennis (Second Team)
2006 – Zach Keith, Men's Tennis/Men's At-Large (Third Team)
2006 – Gena Lindsay, Women's Tennis (Second Team)
2008 – Myles Burnsides, Football (Second Team)
2009 – Myles Burnsides, Football (First Team)
2009 – Sean Paddock, Football (Second Team)
2010 – Jake Soy, Football (Second Team)
2011 – Trevor Adams, Football (Second Team)
2012 – Trevor Adams, Football (Second Team)
2012 – Nate DeJong, Football (Second Team)
2013 – Trevor Adams, Football (First Team)
2013 – Eric Reimer, Football (Second Team)
2014 – Eric Reimer, Football (First Team)
2016 – Kyle Zimmerman, Football (First Team)
2016 – Sarah Baldwin, Softball (Third Team)
2018 – Marqus Andrews, Football (Second Team)
2018 – Ryan Spelhaug, Football (First Team)
2019 – Marqus Andrews, Football (Second Team)
2019 – Ryan Spelhaug, Football (First Team)
2020 – Jackson Barnes, Football (Second Team)
2020 – Zach Howard, Football (Second Team)
2020 – Marcus Klein, Men's Track & Field (First Team)
2021 – Jackson Barnes, Football (First Team)
2021 – Zach Howard, Football (Second Team)
2022 – Marcus Klein, Men's Track & Field (Second Team)
2022 – Zach Howard, Football (Second Team)
2022 – Alyssa Rezac, Volleyball (Second Team)
2022 – Payton Kirchhoefer, Volleyball (Third Team)
2023 – Caroline Cunningham, Track & Field/Cross Country (First Team)
2023 – Kaylee Harp, Track & Field/Cross Country (Second Team)
2023 – Blake Morgan, Track & Field/Cross Country (First Team)
2023 – Reece Smith, Track & Field/Cross Country (First Team)
2023 – Dakota Schmidt, Track & Field/Cross Country (Second Team)
2024 – Kobe Clayborne, Football (Second Team)
2024 – Mitch Mascari, Men's Basketball (Second Team)
2024 – Ryan Williams, Baseball (Second Team)