LORMAN, Miss. – Amidst a mid-semester pandemic that shifted all classes to be taught online, 39 student-athletes from the Alcorn State University department of athletics posted a perfect 4.0 grade point average (GPA) from the spring 2020 semester.
The 39 student-athletes represented 11 different sports.
It marked a significant increase from last year when 29 student-athletes submitted 4.0 GPAs in the spring of 2019, and 26 in the fall of 2019.
"I am extremely proud of the performance of this special group of student-athletes given the current environment they are challenged with. These young men and women, not only performed well in their chosen athletic field, but they are at the top of their class in academia. They exemplify what it means to be a Brave student-athlete, and the sacrifice it takes to be an exceptional scholar at the collegiate level. They are to be commended for their stellar performance in the classroom," said assistant vice president for athletic compliance and academic services Cyrus Russ.
The football team tallied seven 4.0 GPAs
in the spring after winning the SWAC
Championship in the fall. Softball registered six perfect GPAs, men's track & field recorded five, while soccer, volleyball, men's basketball, women's basketball, men's tennis, women's tennis, baseball and women's track & field were also represented.
Individually, scholar student-athletes Kiana Allen from women's track & field and Malea Dickerson from softball maintained cumulative 4.0 GPAs in their careers.
"Achieving a 4.0 GPA is a challenging task for a student-athlete in any given semester, but to do it in the middle of a global crisis is incredibly impressive," said director of athletics Derek Horne. "This is a remarkable accomplishment by our student-athletes who stayed the course and showed a true commitment to their studies. To see our academic numbers continue to increase speaks volumes to the jobs our student-athletes, coaches and academic staff are doing."
2020 Spring 4.0 GPAs
Women's Soccer
Benedicta Amankwah (Applied Science)
Gemma Dunn (Health and Physical Education)
Sarah-Joy Romain (Electro-Mechanical Engineering)
Women's Volleyball
Simone Barren (Biology Pre-Physical Therapy)
Jasmine Chambers (Health and Physical Education)
Mae Lewis (Social Work)
Singryd Valadares (Psychology)
Football
Mohamed Bakayoko (Electro-Mechanical Engineering)
Macarius Blount (General Studies, Biology Health Science)
Kahleab Hill (Biology Pre-Physical Therapy)
Noah Johnson (Sports Management)
Colten Menges (General Studies, Sports Management)
Solomon Muhammad (Recreation)
Darius Smith (Agricultural Economics)
Men's Basketball
Devin Wade-Henderson (Biology Pre-Physical Therapy)
Women's Basketball
Jamaysha Bernard (Elementary Education)
Kirdis Clark (Biology Pre-Physical Therapy)
Jada Hargrove (Biology)
Men's Tennis
Kareem Bowe (Electro Mechanical Engineering)
Lucas Dini (Electro Mechanical Engineering)
Women's Tennis
Sofia Ievleva (Biology Pre-Professional)
Alessandra Maganuco (Business Administration)
Veronika Pytilkova (Accounting)
Baseball
Edward Jackson (Agricultural Economics)
Andrew Meadows (Mathematics)
Jaden Smith (Business Administration)
Softball
Teona Bowles (Biology Health Science)
Malea Dickerson (Accounting)
Lindsey Eldridge (Business Administration)
Simone McKinney (Psychology)
Kiri Parker (Biology Pre-Professional)
Amari Ramsey (Biology Pre-Professional)
Men's Track & Field
Kamathe Daniel (Electro Mechanical Engineering)
Ashton DeFreeze (Biology Pre-Physical Therapy)
Elliott Pak (Computer Science)
Bralon Robinson (Biology Pre-Physical Therapy)
Marcus Sims (Sports Management)
Women's Track & Field
Kiana Allen (Biology Pre-Professional)
Shameka Grover (Biology)
#FearTheBrave | UnitedAsOne
