By Alexis Demopoulos
It has been a great two-year career for forward Ryan Kearney with the P.A.L. Islanders. He has found so much success with the club – including All-Star honors and the Atlantic Division Rookie Of The Year Award in 2023-24 – and now he has earned himself an NCAA Division III commitment to Williams College for the 2025-26 season.
The Kings Park, N.Y., native put up amazing numbers in his first season with the P.A.L Islanders during the 2023 24 season, where he had 49 points (17 goals, 32 assists) in 52 games. It was a no-brainer for him to re-sign with them this season and he picked up right where he left off. In 44 games so far, Kearney has 45 points (15G, 30A). He was also a member of the Atlantic All-Stars in January and had a goal and an assist in two games played.
“I think P.A.L. is a great organization,” said Kearney. “They do a great job recruiting and creating an identity/standard for the team to follow. Everything P.A.L. stands for and offers made me want to stay. It feels like home and we have an extremely close team. The coaching staff has given me so much support throughout my two years. The facilities we have are an added bonus. Plus we have the best trainer in the league, Bryce, helping us stay healthy.”
Kearney started communicating with head coach Bill Kangas and assistant coach Vincent Caligiuri at Williams College last summer after the 2023-24 season ended. Kearney explained that both coaches liked “my offensive abilities and how I read the play.”
The academics at Williams College really intrigued him as well as the culture that coach Kangas has built.
“Williams’ academics interested me because of the deep alumni connections and because of their great academics,” said Kearney. “It has a lot of rigor with plenty of choices to major in. Also, Coach Kangas has been there for 35 years building a program with plenty of culture that comes with it.”
It was an easy decision for Kearney to make once he stepped on the campus and got an inside look at student life.
“Once I stepped foot on campus it felt like Williams could be a home away from home,” said Kearney. “The campus has everything I was looking for in a school with so much history behind its modern look but watching the students’ life from the outside drew me in. Plus the golf course was pretty nice.”
Before he gets to Williams next season, Kearney is continuing to work on his offensive game as well as his ability to bring more grit and passion to the defensive zone. His main goal though is to bring a Dineen Cup home with his teammates.
“We all want to win the Founders Cup (regular season championship), but more importantly, the Dineen Cup,” said Kearney. “PAL won it the year before I arrived and we want to bring another one home.”
The NCDC congratulates Ryan Kearney, his family, the P.A.L Islanders and Williams College for his commitment.
