INDIANAPOLIS – Malone senior Austin Cary (East Canton, Ohio) was selected as the 2016-17 Great Midwest Athletic Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Thursday following a vote from administrators around the league.
 
Cary completed one of the rarest feats a student-athlete could achieve as a selection to the CoSIDA Academic All-American Team in the sports of both football and track and field.
 
He was on the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team before advancing further in the voting process for All-American status.
 
Cary was the first Malone student-athlete to receive the academic honor and the first football student-athlete from the Great Midwest.
 
He was named to the inaugural Great Midwest All-Conference Team in football after recording 47 tackles and a team-leading five sacks as an anchor on the defensive line.
 
Cary would end up finishing his accomplished career on the gridiron with 126 tackles and 11 sacks.
 
He transferred his talents into the throws cage for the Pioneers’ track and field program as Malone won the indoor men’s team title. Cary was the Great Midwest weight throw champion and would also finish top five in the discus and hammer during the outdoor meet.
 
Cary graduated from Malone with a 3.84 GPA majoring in biology.