Although the 2023-24 school year provided much excitement on the field and on the court, Northwest student-athletes also have a lot to celebrate from the classroom.
Three Northwest teams - baseball, football and volleyball - were named as MACCC Academic Teams of the Year, the conference announced Tuesday morning. Northwest and East Mississippi were the only two schools with three of its teams earning Academic Team of the Year distinction, with Coahoma, Copiah-Lincoln, Mississippi Gulf Coast and Pearl River finishing with two apiece.
Coach Mark Carson's baseball squad went back-to-back in MACCC Academic Team of the Year recognition, continuing a rising trend over the last four years. Northwest posted a 3.61 team GPA for the 2023-24 academic year, rising from last year's conference-topping 3.59 GPA. Two years ago, the Ranger baseball program finished with a 3.41 GPA, up from the previous average of 3.38 for the 2020-21 academic year.
For football, coach Benjy Parker's team finished with a 3.16 team GPA, earning MACCC Academic Team of the Year honors for the first time since the 2021-22 school year. This marks the third time in the last four years that the Rangers have earned the highest GPA among MACCC football programs, as Northwest also collected Academic Team of the Year honors for the 2020-21 school year.
In volleyball, Northwest reclaimed MACCC Academic Team of the Year honors after previously winning the award for the 2021-22 school year. This season, coach Allison Burchyett's squad posted a 3.60 team GPA.
Despite not earning MACCC Academic Team of the Year accolades for this season, six other Northwest teams also finished with 3.0 GPAs or higher. Softball, which finished with the highest GPA in the conference for 2022-23, collected a 3.65 team GPA this year, finishing second only to East Mississippi.
Additionally, Northwest women's soccer compiled a 3.72 team GPA, finishing third in the MACCC to Pearl River and East Central. Women's tennis (3.56), men's tennis (3.42), men's soccer (3.26) and women's basketball (3.08) round out the academic highlights for Northwest.
Under the guidance of first-year athletic academic advisors Charlesy Kennedy and Tori Fugatt, Northwest student-athletes have had a strong year in the classroom. A total of 175 Rangers earned recognition to the Fall 2023 Athletic Director's Honor Roll last fall, with 142 being selected for the Spring 2024 semester. Additionally, 146 Northwest student-athletes were named to the President's or Vice President's lists for the Fall 2023 semester, with 117 earning similar recognition for the spring.
