Student athletes from Mississippi’s public, private, two-year and four-year postsecondary institutions were honored recently for their achievements in the classroom with the annual Halbrook Awards, presented at the Mississippi Association of Colleges and Universities (MAC) business meeting, held recently using an online meeting platform. The program recognizes colleges and universities that achieve and maintain high academic standards for student athletes, thus encouraging high graduation rates. The award was endowed by former Mississippi Representative David Halbrook Sr. and his brothers in honor of their parents.
The awards were announced during the annual MAC Conference, which brings together attendees from across the state serving in postsecondary institutions in roles including presidents and chancellors, chief academic officers, chief student affairs officers, chief financial officers, admissions officers, institutional effectiveness officers, faculty and administrators. Due to COVID-19, the MAC Conference was held virtually this year.
Blue Mountain College President Dr. Barbara McMillin, who served as the 2020-2021 president of the MAC Board of Directors, announced the awards.
The David M. Halbrook (traveling) Trophy awards are presented to the colleges and universities with the highest percentage of graduating student athletes. This year’s recipients include:
- Community and Junior College Division: Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
- Independent College and University Division: Mississippi College
- Public University Women’s Division: Mississippi State University & The University of Southern Mississippi (Tie)
- Public University Men’s Division: Alcorn State University
Student Athlete Certificate Recipients
Public University Division
| Institution | Male Recipient | Female Recipient |
| Alcorn State University | Jarius Colley | Kiana Allen |
| Delta State University | Giulio Brugnoni | Lucia Martelli |
| Jackson State University | Charles C. McClelland | Kayla Owens |
| Mississippi State University | Gary Griffin Agent | Elanor Grimwood |
| Mississippi University for Women | Coleman Suber | Anna Kate O’Bryant |
| Mississippi Valley State Univ. | Mychael Jamison | Tiara DeRosa |
| University of Mississippi | Tim Elko | Madeleine King |
| University of Southern Mississippi | Swayze Bozeman | JoAnnie Ramos Aleman |
Independent College and University Division
| Institution | Male Recipient | Female Recipient |
| Belhaven University | Reed Vincent | Ellie Brooker |
| Blue Mountain College | Owen J. Hill | Annie Lusby |
| Millsaps College | Newlon Gillihan | Katelyn Norse |
| Mississippi College | Zach Jones | Alexa Laurendine |
| Rust College | Saul Gonzaez-Nucete | Tianna Smith |
| Tougaloo College | Tyler Hickman | Morgan Hunter |
| William Carey University | Magruder O’Bannon | McKinley Seal |
Community and Junior College Division
| Institution | Male Recipient | Female Recipient |
| Coahoma Community College | Charles Yates | Millay Lambert |
| Copiah-Lincoln Community College | William Lawson Harkins | Morgan Alexandria McCray |
| East Central Community College | Robert Jonathan Holifield | Sidney Elaine Rone |
| East Miss. Community College | Ian Richard | Lillian Ramsey |
| Hinds Community College | Ethan Thomas Boyd | Rebecca Anne Blackwell |
| Holmes Community College | Edwin Herard | Laney Smith |
| Itawamba Community College | Noah Locastro | Hannah Henry |
| Jones College | Zachary Diaz | Katherine Wallace |
| Meridian Community College | John Etheridge | Sophie Roberts |
| Miss. Delta Community College | Tailor Anderson | Danielle Tedder |
| Miss. Gulf Coast Comm. College | Deon Travis | Kristina Georgieva |
| Northeast Miss. Comm. College | Austin Shaw | Williette Kingdom |
| Northwest Miss. Comm. College | Ryan Cade Spratlin | Katelyn Rock |
| Pearl River Community College | Graham Crawford | Sydney Runnels |
| Southwest Miss. Comm. College | Joshua Thomas Bailey | Anna Claire Crow |
The John C. and Ernestine McCall Halbrook Improvement Award is a cash award presented to the single college or university that has shown the greatest increase over the previous year in the percentage of athletes graduating. This year’s recipient is Rust College.
The David M. Halbrook Certificate for Academic Achievement Among Athletes recognizes the efforts of individual student athletes who excel in academics, leadership and service. Each college or university selected a male and female student athlete to receive this recognition.
The Halbrook Award for Academic Achievement Among Athletes was established in 1984 as a result of the passage of House Concurrent Resolution No. 88. The awards program is made possible through endowments from former Representative David M. Halbrook of Belzoni and his brothers, John C. and James G. Halbrook of Belzoni and J. A. Halbrook of Beaumont, Texas, in honor of their parents, John C. and Ernestine McCall Halbrook.
