The National Junior College Athletic Association has released its 2024-25 All-Academic Team that features a pair of Jackson Parish natives in John Tyler “Ty” Simonelli and Emma Kate McBride, who competed for South Arkansas (SouthArk) College in El Dorado, AR.

Simonelli earned the First Team All-Academic designation for maintaining a perfect 4.0 grade point average (GPA). The son of Michael and April Simonelli of Quitman, who graduated from Quitman High School in 2022, will play baseball for Northwestern State University in Natchitoches this coming school year.

McBride, who graduated from Weston High School in 2023, and is the daughter of Mike and Rebecca McBride from Weston, was named to the All-Academic Second Team after compiling a 3.80 – 3.99 GPA. After two years of being on the SouthArk girls basketball team, McBride will play for Central Baptist College in 2025-26.