Ole Miss’ Shakira Austin, Jarkel Joiner Named 2021-22 Senior CLASS Candidates

Seniors Shakira Austin of Ole Miss women’s basketball and Jarkel Joiner of Ole Miss men’s basketball have both been named as candidates for the 2021-22 Senior CLASS Award on Tuesday.

Ole Miss is the only SEC school to have candidates on both the women’s and men’s lists, as well as just one of four schools nationally alongside BYU, Michigan and Virginia Tech. Austin and Joiner are among 60 candidates chosen from NCAA Division I basketball for the Senior CLASS Award, which is given out annually to student-athletes who excel both on and off the court.

To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ^®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

Austin – a senior center of Fredericksburg, Virginia – has helped lead the Rebels to an 8-1 start and ranks first in active career rebounds and fifth in points in the SEC. She has already garnered accolades ranging from a spot on the Lisa Leslie Award preseason watch list, Naismith Award Watch List, the Wooden Award Watch List, as well as earning both SEC Media Preseason All-SEC honors and SEC Coaches Preseason First-Team All-SEC honors. The center currently leads Ole Miss, averaging 13.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, and has four double-doubles on the year.

In the classroom, she holds a 3.5 GPA in multi-disciplinary studies, and has contributed to the Oxford community at events such as Reading with the Rebels and Night to Shine, in addition to helping donate snack bags to families in need throughout the Mississippi Delta.

Joiner – a senior guard of Oxford, Mississippi – has helped Ole Miss start off 6-2 and currently ranks fifth in the SEC in minutes per game (32.35), seventh in scoring (16.0 PPG), eighth in threes per game (2.0) and ninth in free throw shooting (.800). Joiner has scored in double figures in all eight Rebel games so far this season, as well as his last 12 in a row and 14 of his last 15 dating back to last season. Joiner was instrumental in a 67-63 victory over No. 18 Memphis on Dec. 4, scoring 20 points with eight rebounds and five steals to secure Ole Miss’ fourth consecutive ranked victory.

In the classroom, Joiner holds a 3.13 GPA in multi-disciplinary studies, and is a staple in his hometown community. Joiner was named to the 2020-21 SEC Community Service Team, working closely with the Reading with the Rebels program in addition to the Stronger Together Mississippi initiative and Adopt-A-Basket, which helps feed local families during the holiday season.

The men’s and women’s candidates will be narrowed to two fields of ten finalists later in the season, and those names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will then select one male candidate and one female candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four C’s of community, classroom, character and competition. 

The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2022 NCAA Men’s Final Four^® and NCAA Women’s Final Four^® this spring.

For more information on the candidates, please visit www.seniorclassaward.com.  

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports