Mississippi State has received an award from the state college boards for graduating the highest percentage of male athletes among public universities in Mississippi. Recipients of the Halbrook Awards for Academic Achievement Among Athletes were announced at the Mississippi Association of Colleges Annual Junior/Senior College Conference in October. MSU was the winner in the Public Universities Division.

Additionally, football team member Scott Woodson Westerfield and soccer player Anne Marie Pimentel were recognized for excelling in the fields of athletics, academics, leadership, and public service.

Administered cooperatively by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges, and the Mississippi Association of Independent Colleges, the purpose of the Halbrook Award is to recognize colleges and universities that maintain and achieve high academic standards for student athletes, thus encouraging high graduation rates.

The annual awards program was named in honor of its founder and endower, former Rep. David M. Halbrook of Belzoni and his brothers, John C., James G., and J.A. Halbrook.