Jett, Maupin grab academic awards at year-end banquet

Michele Jett and Anthony Maupin have distinguished themselves in the athletic arena for Southeast Missouri State over the past several years.

They also took just as much, if not more, pride in their classroom work.

That pursuit of academic excellence was recognized Tuesday night as Jett and Maupin earned the top individual honors during Southeast's annual All Sports Year End Celebration at the Show Me Center. The event was sponsored by Southeast Missouri Hospital.

Jett won the Trombetta Award and Maupin the Jewel Award, given each year to the graduating senior female and male athlete with the highest grade point average for their career.

"It means a lot to me. It's a great honor," Jett said. "Academics have always been important to me."

Jett left little doubt that she would have at least a piece of the Trombetta Award, which last year was shared by three senior female athletes who had perfect 4.0 grade point averages.

Jett, who has participated in track and field at Southeast the past four years, carried her 4.0 GPA to the podium all by herself Tuesday night.

"Having a 4.0 was a goal of mine, because I actually graduated high school with a 4.0," said Jett, who is from House Springs, Mo. "I'm very proud of that."

Jett is scheduled to graduate in December with a degree in nursing, and she plans to pursue a master's to become a nurse practitioner.

She said balancing her athletics and academics "has been very challenging. But it's been worth it."

And it's not like Jett has let her athletics slip while attaining a perfect GPA. She has already won four Ohio Valley Conference pole vault titles and will seek a fifth this weekend when Southeast hosts the OVC outdoor championships.

In addition, Jett will try to help lead Southeast's women to a seventh straight OVC title.

Maupin joked that he was somewhat embarrassed to hold his plaque next to Jett's, since his GPA paled in comparison to her perfect mark.

But Maupin, a pitcher for the baseball team, was more than happy to be rewarded for his 3.308 GPA in wildlife biology.

"I didn't expect it, but I'll take it," Maupin said. "It's a nice accomplishment."

Like Jett, Maupin said trying to attain a good balance between athletics and academics is not always easy, but it's something he has aimed for since coming to Southeast three years ago as a junior college transfer.

"It's what coaches want us to do, and it was important to me," Maupin said. "It gets a little crazy sometimes in the spring, but overall it's not too bad."

Maupin, a native of Milton, Fla., who will graduate this month -- he said he hopes to land a job with the Missouri Department of Conservation -- has battled his share of adversity while at Southeast.

After being one of Southeast's top pitchers in 2004, the right-hander missed virtually all of last season with an arm injury that required surgery.

But he has come back strong during his final campaign, leading the Redhawks in wins with a 5-4 record that includes a team-high five complete games.

"I feel pretty good about the way I've been able to bounce back," Maupin said.

Maupin acknowledged that he would feel much better if the struggling Redhawks could get hot down the stretch and qualify for the OVC tournament. They'll need a strong finish to accomplish it.

"We have a good chance of making it with a good finish," Maupin said. "I still think we've got a good team, we just have to put things together."

Also recognized Tuesday was soccer player Alaina Lacopo, the NCAA Foundation Leadership winner who has been selected to attend the 2006 NCAA Leadership Conference in Orlando, Fla.

Lacopo will join more than 300 student-athletes who have been tabbed as current or future leaders on their college campuses and were selected from a pool of more than 1,175 nominees.

Dustin Pritchett (baseball), Kendall Magana (football) and Alison Ezell (gymnastics) were recognized as Foundation Leadership finalists.

Awards were presented for each of the men's and women's sports at Southeast.