High Point's Josh Caron Voted 2025-26 Big South Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – High Point men’s soccer player
Josh Caron (Palm Harbor, Fla.) has been voted the 2025-26 Big South Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, it was announced today by the league office. The annual Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year is voted on by the Big South Athletic Communications Directors from a pool of each sport’s Scholar-Athlete winner during the past season.
Caron is High Point’s first male honoree since 2015-16 and second overall, and earned CSC Academic All-America Second-Team honors in 2025 -- the first Panther selected as an Academic All-American since 2012 and the third ever to receive the prestigious honor. The 2025 Big South Men’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year was also voted Big South Goalkeeper of the Year this past season, as well as earning Big South First-Team All-Conference, All-Academic Team and CSC Academic All-District accolades. Caron started all 20 matches -- with a program-tying best nine complete shutouts and 10 combined clean sheets -- on 180 shots faced in 1782 minutes played for a 14-2-4 record. He allowed just 15 goals for a 0.76 goals against average, and led the Panthers to a pair of Big South Conference Championships, the best league goal difference in Big South history (30-1), and HPU's first NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen appearance after the school's first-ever second round win over West Virigina. Caron graduated with his finance degree last December and will return for his final year of athletic eligibility this coming season.
In the voting, Caron finished with 36 points (four first-place votes), ahead of Longwood golfer
Hunter Swidzinski (32 points, three first-place votes) and Winthrop basketball player
Kody Clouet (28 points, two first-place votes).
The Big South Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year award began in 1995-96, and the annual recipients are listed below.
MALE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
1995-96 - Tomas Malik, Coastal Carolina (tennis)
1996-97 - Tomas Malik, Coastal Carolina (tennis)
1997-98 - Corey Reed, Radford (basketball)
1998-99 - David Steffler, Winthrop (baseball)
1999-00 - Chris Malinky, Coastal Carolina (soccer)
2000-01 - Bruce Kite, Liberty (cross country)
2001-02 - Mike Roach, UNC Asheville (soccer)
2002-03 - Jeremy Plexico, Winthrop (baseball)
2004-05 - Kevin Slowey, Winthrop (baseball)
2005-06 - Patrick Colas, Radford (soccer)
2006-07 - Josh Hoke, Coastal Carolina (football)
2007-08 - Jack Leasure, Coastal Carolina (basketball)
2008-09 - Aaron Linn, Gardner-Webb (basketball)
2009-10 - Austin Fleet, Coastal Carolina (baseball)
2010-11 - Dusty Quattlebaum, Gardner-Webb (baseball)
2011-12 - Tucker Frawley, Coastal Carolina (baseball)
2012-13 - Pat Kelly, Liberty (football)
2013-14 - Trey Lambert, Liberty (baseball)
2014-15 - Stephen Hudgens, Radford (soccer)
2015-16 - Paul O’Donoghue, High Point (track & field)
2016-17 - Fraser Colmer, Radford (soccer)
2017-18 - Kevin Vannatta, UNC Asheville (basketball)
2018-19 - Blanton Gillespie, UNC Asheville (track & field/cross country)
2019-20 - K.J. Smith, North Alabama (football)
2020-21 - K.J. Smith, North Alabama (football)
2021-22 - K.J. Smith, North Alabama (football)
2022-23 - Victor Putter, Gardner-Webb (tennis)
2023-24 - Brann Reid, UNC Asheville (tennis)
2024-25 - Michael Calhoun, Charleston Southern (track & field)
2025-26 - Josh Caron, High Point (soccer)