July 1 – Northeast Mississippi Community College concludes its 75th anniversary celebration with the recognition of the annual Tiger Award winners.
The Tiger Award is presented to an individual from each Northeast athletic program that consistently embodies positive attributes both on-and-off the field or court of competition.
Madison Burks (Baldwyn) was a member of Northeast’s most active cheerleading squad ever. They added home volleyball matches to their busy schedule, which already featured football and basketball games plus other institutional activities such as pep rallies.
Codey Cleveland (Red Bay, Ala.) posted an overall scoring average of 77.6 shots per round. He had a pair of top 10 showings, including a tie for eighth place in the Tigers’ season opener at West Point’s Mossy Oak Golf Club.
Madison Gardner (Saltillo) finished in the top five in the conference in both field goal percentage at 54.2 and blocks with a total of 53. The Shorter (Ga.) University women’s basketball signee also converted on a team-best 80.6 percent of her free throws.
Lee Ellen Kelley (Wheeler) rose from the bottom singles and doubles slots as a freshman to the number one position in the lineup at times during her final campaign with the women’s tennis team.
Kevin Kotzé (Johannesburg, South Africa) racked up 10 wins between singles and doubles play as the Tigers’ number one entrant. His efforts lifted the men’s tennis program to the postseason for the first time in its current format.
Ava Meeks (Kossuth) was part of the winningest sophomore class in Northeast softball history with 79 victories over two years. She was a two-way player that boasted an 8-5 pitching record and a .322 batting average offensively.
Caleb Parr (New Hope) earned a scholarship to Queens (N.C.) University after helping Northeast secure its eighth all-time men’s basketball conference championship. He tallied 16.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, which were all second best on the team.
Kristian Sprawling (Olive Branch) broke the baseball program record for most times hit by a pitch in a single season with 30. The Southern Illinois University signee also led the Tigers with a .326 batting average, .506 on-base percentage, 42 hits and seven stolen bases.
Holder Usry (Decatur) started in all nine football games at center. He blocked for an offense that averaged 312.2 yards and 27.2 points per contest, which was the most by any Northeast unit in more than a decade.
Kami Wilf (Amory) is the inaugural Tiger Award recipient for volleyball after serving as one of three team captains. She accounted for 653 assists, which was second best in the Magnolia State, along with five double-double performances.
