High schools from the New Orleans area have sent many outstanding athletes around the country to play at the collegiate level. The Allstate Sugar Bowl will highlight the outstanding achievements of athletes from the Crescent City throughout the spring of 2025 with its New Orleans Athlete Spotlights, presented by LCMC Health.
   
JUNE 4, 2025 SPOTLIGHT Gavin Lewis, UAB baseball
Lewis closed an outstanding four-year career with the UAB baseball team by belting a pair of hits, including an RBI double in a May 17 game against Florida Atlantic – that game marked his 51st start of the year at shortstop. He played in 167 career games, hitting .254 with 133 hits, 23 doubles and nine home runs. He also scored 103 runs and drove in 68 to go with 42 stolen bases. In 2024, he earned American Athletic Conference all-conference recognition. Lewis was a star shortstop for John Curtis Christian School, helping the Patriots to the state semifinals in 2021 and the quarterfinals in 2019.
 
MAY 16, 2025 SPOTLIGHT - SJ Mull, Yale Softball
Mull closed out her softball career at Yale University this spring having played in 121 career games. This year, she posted a career-best .296 average with 29 hits, a team-best 13 stolen bases, and 13 runs scored while serving as a team captain. A standout in the outfield and at second base, the senior was named Second Team All-Ivy League. In her final career game against Brown University on April 28, she belted a pair of hits and scored one run for the Bulldogs. "Being a stellar leader isn't something she does, it's who she is at her core," said Laura Ricciardone, the Yale head coach. "We're better for having her as a Bulldog and our captain." A 2021 graduate of Northshore High School, Mull was a three-time all-district selection and an all-metro honoree. She recorded a career batting average of .389 while sparking the Panthers to a pair of district championships.

 
MAY 2, 2025 SPOTLIGHT – Caroline Marcus, Bucknell tennis
Marcus has been a key member of the Bucknell tennis team for the past four years. A team captain for the 2024-25 campaign, she has been selected to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll three times. Primarily a doubles standout, Marcus recorded 34 victories in doubles, including a 4-3 triumph in her final career match in the Patriot League Championship against Lehigh. She also added 20 singles victories in her career and has a 3.98 grade-point average. A four-year letterwinner at Isidore Newman School, she went undefeated in regional play for her entire high school career and helped the Greenies to four straight regional championships. She was a two-time Louisiana state champion in doubles and was also selected as Newman's Best Female Athlete as a senior in 2021.
 
APRIL 25, 2025 SPOTLIGHT – Preston Ratliff, William Carey baseball
Ratliff has been a key player for William Carey's baseball team which has reached the top-10 in the NAIA national polls. The senior is a standout at the plate and on the mound for the Crusaders, who have posted a 32-12 mark. The 6-2, 230-pounder is hitting .335 with 11 home runs and 57 RBI while posting a 4-2 record as a pitcher with 30 strikeouts in 29 and two-thirds innings pitched. William Carey continues a weekend series with Loyola (New Orleans) with games today and tomorrow in Hattiesburg. Ratliff hit .316 and posted a 2-2 record on the mound at Carey in 2024. A 2020 graduate of Northshore High School, he had a .552 average and a 2.63 ERA before his senior season was ended by COVID-19. He played at Jones College and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College before joining the Crusaders.
 
APRIL 11, 2025 SPOTLIGHT – Taylor Pierce, North Florida beach volleyball
Pierce, a 2021 graduate of Mandeville High School, has been an instrumental piece for the No. 17-ranked North Florida beach volleyball team. She helped lead North Florida to a 2024 ASUN Championship last season and this season Pierce has been a key component to the Ospreys' 17-6 start, the best start in program history, and undefeated home record at 10-0. Pierce helped propel North Florida to its best ranking in program history at No. 15 in the Week Four AVCA Beach Volleyball Poll and has recorded a 17-6 record while in tandems with Andrea Da Silva and Cameron Humphries at the No. 2 and No. 3 lines. In high school, she was a two-time all-state selection and a three-time all-metro honoree. She earned MVP honors for the parish and the district as a senior. She recorded 1,448 kills and 1,415 digs in her prep career before attending Southern Miss for three years.
 
MARCH 28, 2025 SPOTLIGHT – Jaron Pierre Jr., Jacksonville State basketball
Pierre, a 2020 graduate of St. Augustine High School, earned Conference USA Player of the Year honors after averaging 21.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. The 6-6 guard led the Gamecocks to a 23-13 record, a trip to the CUSA Tournament title game, and an impressive victory over Georgia Tech in the NIT. His 777 total points are tops in the nation this year (through March 27) and his 21.6 points per game rank No. 4. He had 35 double-figure scoring games, 23 games with 20 or more points, and six 30-point performances, including 30 points, five rebounds, and seven assists in the NIT win over Georgia Tech – just the second win in Jax State program history over a power conference foe. Pierre was a first-team all-state selection in Class 5A for St. Augustine High School after averaging 27 points, seven rebounds, and four assists to lead the Purple Knights to the LHSAA Division I state title game in 2020.
 
MARCH 14, 2025 SPOTLIGHT – Alanna Donaldson, Mobile basketball
Donaldson, a first-team all-conference honoree, led Mobile's run to the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) Championship game as she scored a SSAC Tournament record 39 points in a 72-61 semifinal victory over Loyola. The senior connected on 14-of-21 shots, including 5-for-9 from three-point range in the Rams' victory on Feb. 28. For the season, Donaldson averaged 18.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. She has tallied 23 double-figure scoring games, including her current streak of 19 straight games. The 5-3 guard also has 13 20-point games, including a pair of 30-point efforts. Donaldson, a 2020 graduate of Chalmette High School, led the Owls to a pair of undefeated district championships during her prep career. Mobile (22-8) will play Williams Baptist in the first round of the NAIA Women's Basketball Tournament today (March 14, 4 p.m.).
 
FEBRUARY 28, 2025 SPOTLIGHT – Claudell Harris Jr., Mississippi State basketball
Harris, from Hahnville, La., has been a key part of the Mississippi State men's basketball team, which has posted a 19-9 overall record through February. The 6-4 guard has started 17 games and is third on the Bulldogs in scoring with 10.0 points per game, including 15 double-figure scoring games. The senior transferred to Starkville after two years at Charleston Southern and one year at Boston College. He has 123 career games played and has scored 1,595 points in his collegiate career. His career-high in points was a 34-point performance in 2022-23 against High Point during his Charleston Southern tenure. This year's best is a 21-point effort against Prairie View A&M on Dec. 8. A 2021 graduate of Hahnville High, Harris averaged 21 points per game and was a first-team all-state selection. He led the Tigers to the Class 5A semifinals during his junior and senior seasons. Next up for Harris and the Bulldogs is a showdown against his home state school LSU on Saturday at 2:30 p.m., in Starkville.
 
FEBRUARY 14, 2025 SPOTLIGHT – Kiersten Nelson, Valdosta State basketball
Nelson, a 6-1 senior forward, is leading Valdosta State in scoring with 14.2 points per game as the Lady Blazers have posted a 14-9 record this season. She also has 6.0 rebounds per game while shooting 54.7 percent from the field – the top mark in the Gulf South Conference and the 19th best percentage in the nation (Division II). The graduate of Ursuline Academy in New Orleans has 17 double-figure scoring games this year including four 20-point performances. She scored a career-best 25 points against Union (Tenn.) on Jan. 9 and also tallied 24 points in a Nov. 21 game against Georgia Southwestern. She joined the Lady Blazer program after playing four years at Samford University. During her distinguished high school career at Ursuline, Nelson recorded more than 1,500 points and 1,500 rebounds and was selected all-state twice and all-district four times. The Lions made the state semifinals in both 2019 and 2020.
 
JANUARY 31, 2025 SPOTLIGHT – Rodney Munson, Academy of Art University basketball
Munson, a graduate of Bonnabel High School, is currently the leading scorer for the Academy of Art (NCAA Division II) basketball team in San Francisco. After earning All-PacWest recognition last season, he is averaging 14.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game this year for the 12-6 Urban Knights. The 6-2 guard has 14 double-figure scoring games, including six 20-point efforts. Last night, Munson scored 11 points with three rebounds to lead the Urban Knights to a 72-66 win over Menlo. Munson, who helped De La Salle High School to the 2017 LHSAA state championship as a sophomore, closed his high school career with two seasons at Bonnabel High School. He starred at LSU-Alexandria and Independence Community College before arriving at Academy of Art.

Previous New Orleans Athlete Spotlights:

Fall 2024
Khari Coleman - Football, George Washington Carver High School, University of Misssissippi
Oby Anadi - Volleyball, Northshore High School, University of South Carolina
Caleb Spann - Football, John Curtis Christian School, University of Central Michigan Football
Kate Thomson - Soccer, St. Mary's Dominican, Sewanee - The University of the South
Bless Harris - Football, St. Augustine High School, Texas Christian University
Abby Hunt - Volleyball, Fontainebleau High School, Smith College
Taiwan Berryhill - Football, St. Augustine High School, University of Kansas
Gavriella Smith - Tennis, The Willow School, University of Pennsylvania
Grant Jordan - Football, Jesuit High School, Yale University
Nia Washington - Volleyball, Metairie Park Country Day School, University of Mississippi
Greedy Vance - Football, Edna Karr High School, University of Southern California

Spring 2024
Caleb Laird - Baseball, Riverdale High School, William Carey College
Camille Black - Softball, Ursuline Academy, Millsaps College
Stephen Klein - Baseball, De La Salle High School, Delgado Community College, University of Tampa
Claire Sekinger - Softball, St. Mary's Dominican, Southeastern (Fla.) University
D.J. Burns - Basketball, Sophie B. Wright High School, Youngstown State
Ra'Nae Tumblin - Basketball, Booker T. Washington High School, St. Thomas University
Elijah Morgan - Basketball, Jesuit High School, The Citadel
Kennedi Jackson - Basketball, Ursuline Academy, Chareston Southern University

Fall 2023
Jordan Berry - Basketball, Mount Carmel Academy, Charleston Southern University
Caleb Etienne - Football, Warren Easton High School, Brigham Young University
Tyrielle Williams - Basketball, Ursuline Academy, University of South Alabama
Cole Cavallo - Football, Northshore High School, University of Southern Mississippi
Kaci Chairs - Basketball, Metairie Park Country Day School, Grambling State University
Tywan Francis - Football, Landry-Walker High School, Tempel University
Aubrey St. Pierre - Swimming, Northshore High School, University of Maine
Barryn Sorrell - Football, Holy Cross School, University of Texas
Jerkaila Jordan - Basketball, John Curtis Christian School, Mississippi State University
Eddie Smith - Football, Salmen High School, Arkansas State University
MaryElla White - Soccer, St. Scholastica Academy, Mississippi College
Donocan Kaufman - Football, Archbishop Rummel High School, Auburn University

Fall 2022
Caleb Sampson - Football, Northlake Christian School, University of Kansas
Zach Breaux - Football, Brother Martin High School, Jackson State University
Logan Diggs - Football, Archbishop Rummel High School, University of Notre Dame
Quindell Johnson - Football, Edna Karr High School, University of Memphis
Jacoby Windmon - Football, John Ehret High School, Michigan State University
Will Sheppard - Football, Mandeville High School, Vanderbilt University
Jeremy Singleton - Football, Brother Martin High School, Georgia Southern University
Kym Wimberly - Football, Holy Cross School, Harvard University
Edgerrin Cooper - Football, Covington High School, Texas A&M University
Sedrick Van Pran - Football, Warren Easton High School, University of Georgia
Julien Gums - Football, De La Salle High School, Nicholls State University

Fall 2021
Chester Kimbrough - Football, Warren Easton High School, Michigan State University
Montrell Johnson - Football, De La Salle High School, University of Louisiana
Tyrin Arceneaux - Football, St. Charles Catholic High School, West Georgia College
Keytaon Thompson - Football, Landry-Walker High School, University of Virginia
Joe Foucha - Football, McDonogh 35 High School, University of Arkansas