CHARLOTTE, N. C. – Northwest Mississippi Community College tennis coach Ryan Mounce had a pretty good first year on the Senatobia campus.  His women's team made the Region 23 semifinals in April and competed in May at the National Junior College Athletic Association's DII National Championships, where they finished 7^th in the nation.
 
His men's team finished 3^rd in Region 23, and also competed at the national tournament later in May, finishing 10^th overall.
 
In June, three of Mounce's sophomores were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® Team.
 
Earlier this month, his women's team was named the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference Academic Team of the Year.  The team's 3.85 grade point average put them in a great position to compete on the national level academically as well.
 
Tuesday afternoon marked another, and possibly the largest, milestone for the Ranger women's squad so far.  The NJCAA announced Northwest as the 2025-26 Women's Tennis Academic Team of the Year.  The ladies finished ahead of Coastal Alabama-North (3.78), Weatherford (3.73), Jones (3.71), and USC-Sumter (3.71) for the honor.
 
"I am so proud of this group of girls for being the top academic women's tennis team in the country," said Mounce.  "This is proof that our girls were completely bought in to our mission to not only be the best tennis players they can be, but also the best student-athletes they can be!"
 
This is the first time Northwest women's tennis has been awarded the NJCAA's Academic Team of the Year.  Northwest Athletic Director Jake Gordon said "I am proud of the tennis team being named NJCAA Academic Team of the Year.  They worked hard to improve and it showed in their collective GPA."
 
"Coach Mounce has always pushed his athletes to go above and beyond, and when you have a group of young women who are constantly putting the extra work in, you have no choice but to be successful," said Northwest Athletic Academic Advisor Charlesy Kennedy.

Earlier this month, three Northwest teams were awarded by the MACCC for having the highest team GPAs in their respective sports.  Women's tennis (3.85), volleyball (3.77), and women's soccer (3.73) were each recognized for their achievements. 

Although they did not earn NJCAA Academic Team of the Year accolades this season, every other Northwest team that competes in the NJCAA also finished with 3.0 GPAs or higher and was recognized by the organization.  Volleyball led the way with a 3.77 (8th), followed by women's golf 3.76 (3rd), women's soccer (4th) and softball (15th) at 3.73 each, and men's golf with a 3.71 (6th).

Men's tennis garnered a 3.44 (13th), while Northwest baseball posted a 3.34, followed by football at 3.16 (3rd), and women's basketball at 3.15.  Men's basketball, with a 3.10, and men's soccer at 3.03, round out the academic highlights for the Rangers.
 
Additionally, 102 Northwest student-athletes received individual All-Academic honors from the NJCAA, with 29 earning NJCAA All-Academic First Team nods. To be eligible, student-athletes had to achieve an overall GPA of 3.60 or higher for the 2024-25 academic year.
 
"We had a great year in the classroom and a hard-working group of athletes on campus this year.  It's a testament to the coaches and the standard they have set for their teams," said Kennedy.

Under the guidance of athletic academic advisors Kennedy and Tori Fugatt, Northwest student-athletes had a strong year in the classroom. A total of 196 Rangers earned recognition to the Fall 2025 Athletic Director's Honor Roll, with 157 being selected for the Spring 2026 semester.

The criteria for the three All-Academic teams are listed below:

• NJCAA All-Academic First Team: 4.00 GPA
• NJCAA All-Academic Second Team: 3.80-3.99 GPA
• NJCAA All-Academic Third Team: 3.60-3.79 GPA

To see the full list of NJCAA Academic Teams of the Year, click here. For a full list of student-athlete award winners, click here. 
 
 2025-26 NJCAA ALL-ACADEMIC SELECTIONS

VOLLEYBALL
FIRST TEAM:
Adalyn Callahan
Reese McIntosh
Ava Robbins
Talley Taylor
SECOND TEAM:
Saylor Bryant
Daylin Johnson
Aven Mathis
Chloe Rodriguez
Maddie Smith
Dallas White
THIRD TEAM:
Sailor Cole
Hassie Clare Thurman
 
WOMEN'S SOCCER
FIRST TEAM:
Emma Jensen
Joline Knevel
Lena Scholze
Allie Sifford
Molly Thompson
SECOND TEAM:
Savanna Blackford
Mary Logan Clark
Caroline Hamm
Lillie Grace McCutchen
Maggie Pace
McKenzi Rankins
Wenn Sanders
Lara Stevens
THIRD TEAM:
Ann Marie Barton
Ruby Barton
Olivia Miller
Jayden Newman
Darby Woolever
 
MEN'S SOCCER
FIRST TEAM:
Ben Marchetta
Audon Sammons
SECOND TEAM:
Cody Jones
Tendai Machingura
Tyler Starnes
THIRD TEAM:
Michael Sanders
Vaughn Stackhouse
 
FOOTBALL
FIRST TEAM:
Wyatt Bond
Hunter Holland
SECOND TEAM:
Drew Brewer
Neko Fann
Mason Holloway
M.J. Johnson
Jordan Knox
BJ Mix
Reginhard Pierre-Nau
THIRD TEAM:
Rase Jones
Marion Keyes
Myles Miller
Quincy Phillips Jr
Michael Pride, Jr.
Britten Traylor
 
MEN'S BASKETBALL
SECOND TEAM:
Chancellor Terry
THIRD TEAM:
Josiah Nelson
 
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
THIRD TEAM:
Zoe Metcalf
Alorian Story
 
MEN'S TENNIS
FIRST TEAM:
Holden Cooke
THIRD TEAM:
Luca Morris
Carlos Diaz
 
WOMEN'S TENNIS
FIRST TEAM:
Claudia Lopez Chaparro
Meg Daves
Skylar Ferrell
Brooke Kicker
SECOND TEAM:
Ava McCain
Lucy Grace Oliver
THIRD TEAM:
Ángela Ortiz-Sánchez
 
MEN'S GOLF
FIRST TEAM:
Matt Cummings
Caesar Ingendorf
SECOND TEAM:
Cole Elander
Jeremy Gibson
Landon Masterson
THIRD TEAM:
Logan Drumwright
Davis Wilkins
 
WOMEN'S GOLF
FIRST TEAM:
Addison Forbes
Bella McNeil
Sarah Niblett
SECOND TEAM:
Maddie Baker
THIRD TEAM:
AnaLeigh Little
 
BASEBALL
FIRST TEAM:
Corey Watkins
SECOND TEAM:
Tristan Baldwyn
Gideon Deaton
Will Howell
Preston Johnson
John Griffin Lane
South McCoy
Russell Robbins
John Whit Snopek
THIRD TEAM:
Evan Lightsey
Barrett McKenney
Tyler Sullivan
 
SOFTBALL
FIRST TEAM:
Londen Armstrong
Carleigh Calarco
Allyson Christmas
Emma Jennings
SECOND TEAM:
Catelyn Brown
Kate Johnson
Mary Madison Kelley
Sela Mancini
THIRD TEAM:
Meredith Dearman
Aubrey Massing
Handley McAtee
Ava Claire Rhoden