ELLISVILLE – Four Jones College athletes have been recognized with the highest academic honor a student can receive.
 
Tripp Alexander (men's soccer), Larissa Hubbard (women's basketball), Ridge Jones (men's tennis) and Sydney Clearman (cheer) have been selected as Tullos Scholars.
 
These are the first Bobcat student-athletes to be named as Tullos Scholars since softball player Kat Wallace in 2020.
 
Alexander, a defender from Gulfport, played in 15 games over his two-year Jones career. He helped a Bobcat defense that was involved in 10 shutouts this season. He was also NJCAA All-Academic First Team, Distinguished Academic All-MACCC and a two-time member of the school's President's List. 
 
"My time at Jones has been certainly amazing," Alexanders said. "I don't think words can describe what it has meant to me to be brought on board to such an amazing institution. Being able to balance my academics and competitive athletics was definitely a challenge, but one that the faculty, staff and coaches constantly supported me through. Between professors congratulating me on my performance and the win, to coaches constantly pushing me to be the best version of myself in the classroom."

Alexander has signed to play soccer at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Ala., where he will be a pre-medicine major. The Bobcats went 16-3-3 in Alexander's sophomore season, won the MACCC and Region 23 titles and advanced to the NJCAA Division II Tournament.
 
Hubbard, a forward from Harrison Central, was on the President's List every semester, earned NJCAA All-Academic Team and All-MACCC Academic Team honors. She was also a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.
 
Hubbard was an All-MACCC Second Team selection this past season as she helped the Bobcats to a 20-9 record and advance to the Region 23 Tournament semifinals. She averaged 11.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. She was named MACCC Player of the Week on Feb. 10.
 
"These last two years at Jones have been nothing short of amazing for me," Hubbard said. "In an environment like this, it's difficult not to want to succeed. Having teammates like mine and being surrounded by such wonderful faculty and staff pushed me to be the greatest version of myself. I've grown not only on the court, but in the classroom as well. Thank you, Jones College."
 
Hubbard has signed to play with Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, and will major in accounting.
 
Jones, who went to high school at Northeast Jones, helped the Bobcats to MACCC championships in 2025 and 2026, a Region 23 title in 2025 and appearances in the NJCAA Division I Tournament in 2025 and Division II Tournament in 2026. He was named All-MACCC in 2025 and 2026.
 
He was 22-8 in singles in 2025 and 19-10 in doubles as a freshman. This past spring, he was 19-2 in singles and 18-4 in doubles. 
 
Jones was selected as an ITA Scholar Athlete, was selected All-MACCC Academic and NJCAA All-Academic First Team and was on the President's List. He was a Bobcat Brigade member and was in PTK. 
 
"My two years at Jones have been so amazing," Jones said. "I couldn't have asked for anything better. I never really struggled balancing academics and sports because all of my teachers and coaches were always supportive and there to help me out in any way they could. My teachers would always help me when I had a tennis match or practice and always worked with me around my schedule. My tennis coach always held me accountable and stayed on top of me with my grades. I am so grateful for Jones College and I am going to miss being a Bobcat so much."
 
Jones plans to attend Southern Miss and major in Kinesiology and continue on to William Carey University and earn a master's degree.
 
Clearman, who went to Oak Grove High School, help the Bobcat cheer squad win the 2026 UCA Open Co-Ed national championship. 
 
She is involved with Bobcat Brigade, the Charles Pickering Honors Institute and PTK. She plans to major in biological sciences at Southern Miss and continue her education at UMCC Dental School.
 
"During Sydney's time at Jones, she has done an incredible job of balancing the demands of being a college cheerleader while also excelling academically in the classroom," head cheer coach Kate Ewing said. "Her selection as a Tullos Scholar reflects not only her hard work in the classroom, but also her discipline, leadership and commitment to everything she is involved in. She is truly deserving of this recognition and continues to make a positive impact on our program and campus community. We are very proud of the way she represents both our cheer program and Jones College."
 
A Tullos Scholar is someone who excels academically and is engaged in college activities, leadership positions and participates in community service. Each student receives a medallion and a $1,000 scholarship in recognition of being named after the scholarship donors, Gene and Nelda Tullos.