2 nominated for Bryant-Jordan Awards
RUSSELLVILLE — Russellville High School seniors Lakin Derrick and Bryson Cooper have been nominated for Bryant-Jordan Awards, a statewide program that recognizes high school seniors for achievement in academics, athletics and leadership.
“This is a nomination,” Jeremy Kinney, counselor at RHS explained. “They’re the Bryant-Jordan award recipients for our school. From there, the process moves to the region level and then to the state.”
The Bryant-Jordan Student-Athlete Program includes two categories the scholar-athlete award and the achievement award, each with distinctive criteria.
“The scholar athlete award honors high school seniors who are both superior athletes and outstanding students,” Kinney said. “We consider their scholastic standing, their sports improvements, their athletic honors, student leaderships, and civic and church leaderships,” he said.
Kinney said the achievement award recognizes similar areas but includes an additional focus.
“The achievement award honors senior student athletes who have achieved success relative to their ability, who have overcome an unusual hardship,” he said.
Derrick has been nominated for the Bryant-Jordan achievement award.
Jermaine Groce, head varsity girls basketball coach at Russellville High School, said Derrick has played a leadership role on the tennis team.
“She serves as a leader on the tennis team and brings a positive attitude, strong work ethics and consistent dedication to both competition and practice,” Groce said. “Her leadership has contributed to the program’s success, including a 2025 tennis section runner-up finish, the 2024 section championship and state runner-up title, and the 2024 State Sportsmanship Award.”
Groce said Derrick has also earned individual recognition.
“Her individual accomplishments include being named the 2024 18U singles and doubles tournament champion and the 2023 15U singles tournament champion,” he said.
Cooper has been nominated for the Bryant-Jordan Scholar-Athlete Award.
Groce said Cooper is a two-sport athlete who has made a strong impact across multiple programs.
“He is a hardworking, respectful two-sport athlete with a strong commitment to his teams,” Groce said.
In football, Groce said Cooper has earned All-Region First Team and All-County Second Team honors as a receiver.
Cooper, Bryson
“He won the Iron Tiger Award for dedication in the weight room,” he said. “He helped lead Russellville to region championships in ninth and 10th grade, along with region runner-up finishes in 11th and 12th grade.”
In baseball, Groce said Cooper has received repeated recognition.
“He received the Our Kinda Guy Award in 10th, 11th and 12th grades,” Groce said. “He helped lead the team to an area championship as a 10th grader and an area runner-up finish in 11th grade.”
Kinney explained the next stages of the award process.
“Each school determines their nominees to be submitted for an area competition, and then a committee of school principals selects the area winners to be submitted for regionals,” he said. “School administrators in each region are responsible for determining the region winners, and then the region winners are put into competition before a selection committee determines the winner in each class.
“If you make it all the way to the state, then all the classes are put into a pot, and they select one scholar athlete and one achievement award for the state,” Kinney said.
