AUSTIN, Texas - Northeast Mississippi Community College was well represented on the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America® teams.
Alexie Griffin, Ben Mauney and Carter Putt were three of just 22 total athletes that earned a spot on college division listing, which includes all two-year institutions, Canadian universities and senior colleges in the United States that are not members of either the NCAA or NAIA.
Northeast, which secured multiple Academic All-America® picks for the first time ever, was tied with Johnson County (Kan.) Community College and Jones College for the most college division selections for the 2022-23 school year.
Griffin is Northeast's inaugural female winner of this prestigious prize. She maintained a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) while starting at third base for the softball program.
The Atoka, Tenn., native was one of only two players to participate in all 54 games this season alongside Charly Clanton. She was at or near the top of each offensive statistical category for the Tigers as their leadoff batter.
Griffin scored Northeast's most runs with 46 and was tied for the team lead with 66 hits and 17 doubles. She had the second-best batting average (.391), on-base percentage (.449), RBIs (35) and homers (8).
She was the only Tiger to steal more than 10 bases without being caught once. Griffin had 19 multi-hit performances, including a season-best four base knocks in the nightcap of a home sweep over Southwest Mississippi Community College in mid-March.
"Griff is a remarkable young lady on a mission," said Northeast head coach Jody Long. "She has an amazing personality that draws people near to her. She has a bright future ahead of her and we look forward to following her successes."
Mauney and Putt allow the football program to boast of producing at least one Academic All-America® honoree for three consecutive years. Jamarcus Smith, who is now playing at the University of West Alabama, became Northeast's first repeat recipient from 2021-22.
Booneville's Mauney from his right guard slot anchored a group of offensive linemen that effectively blocked for Putt at the quarterback position. They both received all-conference accolades as sophomores.
"Both of them are like my own personal kids. I love them to death," Tigers headman Greg Davis said. "I'm so proud of Ben and everything he's accomplished because he stuck through all the hard times. He's reaping the benefits now.
"Carter put us in the right spots to make plays. He created leadership and an environment that guys wanted to rally around. He just brought the energy that we needed every day. He showed everybody what he can do."
Putt was able to set several modern day school records thanks in part to Mauney and his fellow protectors. The Columbus product became the first Tiger to throw for more than 1,000 yards in a season twice in their career.
He went on become Northeast's all-time passing leader with 2,680 yards in 16 contests. Putt also broke the mark for most completions (37) and attempts (54) in a single game against Holmes Community College last October.
Putt accounted for 1,584 yards through the air and 11 total touchdowns during his final campaign with the Tigers. He will help guide the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) through its transition to the American Athletic Conference (AAC) this fall.
The three new Academic All Americans had an extensive list of community service activities ranging from church events to volunteering at nursing homes and local Boys and Girls clubs to youth sports camps to food drives.
They each obtained multiple scholastic awards from the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) as well.