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.
The awards were presented during a recent virtual business meeting of the Mississippi Association of Colleges and Universities (MAC).
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 are usually presented 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 not held this year.
University of Mississippi Chancellor Dr. Glenn Boyce, who served as the 2019-2020 president of the MAC Board of Directors, presented 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:
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- (Tie) Itawamba Community College and
- Northwest Mississippi Community College
Independent College and University Division:
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- Millsaps College
Public University Women’s Division:
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- (Tie) Mississippi State University and
- The University of Southern Mississippi
Public University Men’s Division:
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- Alcorn State University
Student Athlete Certificate Recipients:
| Public Division | ||
| Institution | Male Recipient | Female Recipient |
| Alcorn State University | Troymain Crosby | Joda Hargrove |
| Delta State University | Zach Zediker | Olivia Dick |
| Mississippi State University | Curtis Thompson | Makayla Waldner |
| Mississippi University for Women | Jacob Thomas | Haley McMurphey |
| Mississippi Valley State University | Brandon Hawkins | Derica Pitters |
| University of Mississippi | Andrew Raspo | Emily Stroup |
| University of Southern Mississippi | Alex Nelms | Ashley C. Favors |
| Independent Division | ||
| Institution | Male Recipient | Female Recipient |
| Belhaven University | Mayowa “Mario” Asaggunla | Marie Blackwell |
| Blue Mountain College | James Shea | Aubrey Leah Johnson |
| Millsaps College | Brandon Beck | Payton Passantino |
| Mississippi College | Jonathan J. Jones | Emily S. McNair |
| Rust College | Saul Gonzale-Nucete | Miriah Medina |
| Tougaloo College | Ledarius Woods | Kayelyn Salley |
| William Carey University | Jacob Plocher | Mallory Thompson |
| Community and Junior College Division | ||
| Institution | Male Recipient | Female Recipient |
| Coahoma Community College | Tyler Berryhill | Skyler Sistrunk |
| Copiah-Lincoln Comm. College | Kylar Fielder | Katelyn Anne Hayman |
| East Central Community College | Dylan Barnett | Kailee Swindle |
| East Mississippi Comm. College | Josh Smith | Lillian Burton |
| Hinds Community College | David Millard Rimer | Johannah Grace Ballenger |
| Holmes Community College | Caden Pinnix | Ja’Laycia Brown |
| Itawamba Community College | Clayton O’Daniel | Grace Joyce |
| Jones College | James McWilliams | Araceli Figueroa |
| Meridian Community College | Bradley Wright | Racheal VanHorn |
| MS Delta Community College | Jackson Vance | Tyra Hudson |
| MS Gulf Coast Comm. College | John Hopkins | Chloe Fell |
| Northeast MS Comm. College | Carson Banks
Austin Shaw |
Katelin Senter |
| Northwest MS Comm. College | Gregory Smith | Lindsay Hall |
| Pearl River Community College | Ronald Baker | Zigi Ahortor |
| Southwest MS Comm. College | Ryan Black | Jade Laham |
The John C. and Ernestine McCall Halbrook Improvement Award is a cash award presented to a 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 Tougaloo 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.
