Over 50 Northeast student-athletes get NJCAA academic honors

Aug 7, 2024- The Northeast Mississippi Community College athletic department has established a new standard of excellence in its coursework for a fifth consecutive year.

A total of 51 players representing each of Northeast’s competitive sports received All-Academic Awards from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).

A second record was tied as 16 Tigers maintained a flawless 4.0 grade point average (GPA) during the 2023-24 school year to secure the NJCAA’s first-team accolades.

Seventeen Northeast athletes earned second-team distinction with GPAs between 3.8 and 3.99 while 18 others obtained third-team honors for accumulating a GPA between 3.6 and 3.79.

In addition, seven programs were recognized as NJCAA All-Academic teams with overall GPAs greater than 3.0. Softball procured this decoration for a remarkable 11th straight season with a GPA of 3.64.

Women’s tennis had Northeast’s best GPA and the second highest in its respective sport at 3.79. The Lady Tigers finished just two hundredths of a point behind winner Copiah-Lincoln Community College.

Rounding out the list of qualifiers from Northeast are men’s tennis (3.43), baseball (3.39), volleyball (3.27), women’s basketball (3.25) and reigning conference champion men’s basketball (3.06).

Baseball and softball accounted for the most individual recipients with 13 apiece. That includes perfect 4.0s from Madison Bowman, Caitlyn Carnathan, Samuel Curtis, Olivia Gambill, Parker Hall, Jay Huggins, Colin Oswalt and Connor Timms.

Fifteen Tigers became two-time honorees. They are CJ Barney (football), Emma Callicutt (softball), Cameron Dill (football), Jordyn Foster (women’s tennis), Guy Gillespie (football), Lee Ellen Kelley (women’s tennis), Brodey Lentz (baseball), Natalie McKinney (softball), Harris McReynolds (baseball), Ava Meeks (softball), Janna Shaw (softball), Bowman, Carnathan, Huggins and Oswalt.

The following is the list in alphabetical order with sport and high school of the Northeast student-athletes that acquired NJCAA All-Academic first-team awards.

• Madison Bowman, Softball, Goodpasture Christian (Tenn.)
• Caitlyn Carnathan, Softball, Saltillo
• Samuel Curtis, Baseball, Corinth
• Cameron Dill, Football, Oak Hill Academy
• James Dukes, Men’s Basketball, Booneville
• Olivia Gambill, Softball, Wheeler
• Allie Beth Gillespie, Women’s Tennis, Booneville
• Guy Gillespie, Football, Booneville
• Parker Hall, Baseball, Hazel Green (Ala.)
• Jay Huggins, Baseball, Corinth
• Lee Ellen Kelley, Women’s Tennis, Wheeler
• Madeline Ledbetter, Volleyball, Red Bay (Ala.)
• Colin Oswalt, Baseball, Tupelo Christian
• Keaton Thomas, Football, Trinity Christian (Fla.)
• Connor Timms, Baseball, East Union
• Kami Wilf, Volleyball, Amory

The following is the list in alphabetical order with sport and high school of the Northeast student-athletes that acquired NJCAA All-Academic second-team awards.

• Skyla Adair, Volleyball, Tupelo
• Bryce Cooper, Golf, Booneville
• Hayden Donahue, Baseball, Booneville
• Jordyn Foster, Women’s Tennis, Booneville
• Chris Gilliland, Football, Northpoint Christian
• Anna Greene, Women’s Basketball, Kossuth
• Ella Jobe, Softball, Kossuth
• Natalie McKinney, Softball, Saltillo
• Harris McReynolds, Baseball, Starkville Academy
• Ava Meeks, Softball, Kossuth
• John Parker, Men’s Tennis, Corinth
• Ben Sandlin, Baseball, Booneville
• Janna Shaw, Softball, Hernando
• Amberianna Shorter, Volleyball, New Albany
• Jack Taylor, Baseball, Corinth
• Rylee Tittle, Softball, Deshler (Ala.)
• Olivia Walker, Women’s Tennis, Alcorn Central

The following is the list in alphabetical order with sport and high school of the Northeast student-athletes that acquired NJCAA All-Academic third-team awards.

• CJ Barney, Football, Madison Central
• Sydney Bean, Softball, Houston
• Emma Callicutt, Softball, West Union
• Annsleigh Fair, Women’s Tennis, Tishomingo County
• Hunter Griffin, Baseball, Falkner
• Sarah Hindman, Softball, Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.)
• Madison Holcomb, Softball, South Pontotoc
• Brodey Lentz, Baseball, Lauderdale County (Ala.)
• Brandon McGaughy, Men’s Tennis, Thrasher
• Madison Miller, Women’s Basketball, Nettleton
• Paris Morris, Volleyball, Tupelo
• Madelyn Savage, Softball, Lewisburg
• Brant Smith, Baseball, New Hope
• Anna Brooke Sullivan, Volleyball, South Pontotoc
• Eric Webb, Golf, Houston (Tenn.)
• RJ Whitehead, Football, Horn Lake
• JB Williams, Baseball, Northpoint Christian
• Jalik Yancey, Football, Campbell (Ga.)