GREENWOOD, Ind. - A group of Northeast Mississippi Community College sophomores have earned a special reward for standing out both in the realm of competition and in the classroom.
Eleven representatives from Northeast were honored with Academic All-District® distinction from the College Sports Communicators (CSC) organization.
Student-athletes securing this prestigious award maintained a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.5. They also had to meet certain sport specific participation criteria such as starting in 66-percent of an institution's games.
Softball had the most individual winners with three. Volleyball and women's cross country received the first all-district selections in the brief history of their respective programs.
Sophie Gant (Gardendale, Ala.) was a two-way performer for softball that obtained all-conference recognition. She tied for the most wins in the circle with 16 while breaking the program record for most RBI in a single season at 65.
Briley Lesley (Blue Springs) ran season-bests of 23:01.52 in the 5K at the regional championship and 27:52.91 in the 6K at the Firehawk Invitational. She helped the women's cross country team claim the region title as a freshman.
Conner McKnatt (Olive Branch) had a team-best 10 home runs to guide the baseball team offensively this spring. He also topped the Tigers with a .507 on-base percentage, which was fueled by 58 free passes between walks and hit by pitches.
Reese Moore (Iuka) concluded her lone year with Northeast's volleyball team with 423 kills, which shattered the previous program record. She had a season-best 22 kills in a neutral site win over Southwest Mississippi Community College.
Eva Null (Kossuth) ran in 13 races over Northeast's first two cross country seasons. She finished sixth individually at the regional championships in Huntsville, Ala., last autumn with a 5K time of 22 minutes.
Adin Shelton (Brighton, Tenn.) became the first Northeast softball player to hit four home runs in a single game when she did so against Pellissippi State (Tenn.) Community College. She batted .392 with 40 extra base hits and 58 RBI.
Ava Siegel (Tuscumbia, Ala.) excelled in both the front and back rows during her pair of volleyball seasons. Her career statistics at Northeast include 320 kills, 554 digs and 72 service aces.
Walker Thompson (Amory) started at center on Northeast's offensive line in eight of its nine football games last fall. The Tigers racked up 29.7 points per contest thanks in part to his leadership up front.
Leah Walker (Lewisburg) was the everyday starting shortstop for softball for the last two seasons. She broke the program record for most runs scored in a single season with 74 while stealing a team-best 29 bases.
Nakyiah Walker (Independence) was one of three women's basketball players to post double figures with 12.9 points per game. She scored a season-high 24 points in a road matchup against East Central Community College.
Matthew Windham (Booneville) suited up at guard on the offensive line during his final football season with the Tigers. His efforts helped Northeast average more than 320 yards per contest.