Colleges, student-athletes honored for academic success with Halbrook Awards

Written on 11/08/2024

Caleb Salers

At this year’s annual Halbrook Award ceremony, student-athletes from Mississippi’s public, private, two-year, and four-year postsecondary institutions were recognized for their achievements in the classroom.

Colleges and universities that achieve and maintain high academic standards for student-athletes, while simultaneously promoting high graduation, rates were also honored.

The award was endowed by former state lawmaker David Halbrook Sr. and his brothers in honor of their parents. The awards were announced during the annual business meeting of the Mississippi Association of Colleges and Universities, which brings together presidents and chancellors of the state’s postsecondary institutions.

The David M. Halbrook Trophy awards are presented to the colleges and universities with the highest percentage of academic achievement for the women’s and men’s divisions. This year’s recipients include:

Community College Men’s Division — Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Community College Women’s Division — Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Independent College and University Men’s Division — Belhaven University
Independent College and University Women’s Division — William Carey University
Public University Men’s Division — Delta State University
Public University Women’s Division — Alcorn State University

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 in the percentage of athletes graduating over the previous year. This year’s recipient was Hinds Community 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.

David M. Halbrook Certificate for Academic Achievement Among Athletes – Public University Division
*Institution*	*Male Recipient*	*Female Recipient*
Alcorn State University	Kole Williams	Arene Iyekekpolar
Delta State University	Jesse Cole Kirk	Raegan Paige Stafford
Jackson State University	Cameron Lewis	Trinity Bryant
Mississippi State University	Clifford Clegg	Madelynn Anderson
Mississippi University for Women	Andrew Shepherd	Camryn Johnson
Mississippi Valley State University	Antonio Walker	Stormy Green
University of Mississippi	Lukas Engelhardt	Olivia Womack
University of Southern Mississippi	Matt Adams	Hannah Borden
Independent College and University Division
*Institution*	*Male Recipient*	*Female Recipient*
Belhaven University	Judah Jordan	Ashaunti Barnes Jones
Millsaps College	Graham Harrison	Molli Perry
William Carey University	Warren Alex Beeler	Kinley Hogue
Community College Division
*Institution*	*Male Recipient*	*Female Recipient*
Coahoma Community College	Reginald Rodges, II	Halie Barrett
Copiah-Lincoln Community College	Jordan McKenzie	Zykeria Cole
East Central Community College	Jeffrey Parker Martin	Lauren Dunbar
East Mississippi Community College	Trace Beard	Kylah Bell
Hinds Community College	Jayden Averhart	Lucy Warner
Holmes Community College	Cole Moudy	Lillian Harvey
Itawamba Community College	Benjamin Orr	Lauren Brown
Jones College	Hilton Banks McNair	Annalyn Housley
Meridian Community College	Issac James	Phallyn Clark
Mississippi Delta Community College	John Paul Allen	Katelyn Coleman
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College	Joseph Bradford	Kendall Burn
Northeast Mississippi Community College	Guy Gillespie	Ellen Kelley
Pearl River Community College	Tucker Smith	Jessica Lawrence
Southwest Mississippi Community College	Jackson Stanford	Kaitlyn Williams

The Halbrook Award for Academic Achievement Among Athletes was established in 1984 through the passage of House Concurrent Resolution No. 88.