INDIANAPOLIS – Malone senior Duke Taylor (East Canton, Ohio) was selected as the 2016-17 Great Midwest Athletic Conference Male Athlete of the Year on Thursday following a vote from administrators around the league.
 
Taylor’s one year in the Great Midwest represented an all-out assault on the conference record books as he stormed his way to multiple achievements that will be tough to match down the road.
 
As Malone made its entrance into the league, Taylor’s exit from his collegiate career culminated with an NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships title in the discus throw.
 
As an indoor NCAA Division II Championships qualifier, he made additional school history by finishing eighth in the weight throw, the first Malone indoor All-American.
 
Taylor swept Great Midwest Field Athlete of the Year honors for both the indoor and outdoor seasons and earned conference titles in the shot put, discus and hammer throw.
 
The accomplished thrower also earned Great Midwest Field Athlete of the Week honors for a league-record nine times throughout the 2016-17 academic year and smashed about every throwing record possible.
 
With dual indoor/outdoor NCAA All-American status, he became Malone’s first three-time NCAA All-American.
 
For the fourth straight year, Taylor also earned USTFCCCA All-Midwest Region Team honors in discus as well.
 
In the conference records, Taylor owns seven of the top 10 marks in the weight throw, the top six marks in the hammer throw and eight of the top 10 distances in the discus.