CHARLOTTE, N.C. — High Point University's Brianna Malone has been named the Big South Conference Co-Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year as announced by the league office Monday afternoon.

Malone joins Winthrop's Avery Jolley has the first co-winners since the award began in 1995-96, while Malone is the third Panther to be named Big South Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Leslie Cook was the first — a two-time winner in 2005-06 and 2006-07 — while Camryn Brown was the second in 2019-20.

Malone is a 4.00 student studying Actuarial Science, and was a College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District selection in track & field in 2025, as well as a national finalist for Academic All-America distinction. Malone swept the Big South Indoor Track & Field and Outdoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards in 2025 and was also voted the Big South's Female Track Athlete of the Year for this past season. A native of Barrington, N.H., the sophomore won the Big South indoor 800m and mile races, and set the conference and school records in the 3k (9:09.58), mile (4:35.62) and 1,000m (2:47.82) this past season.

Malone placed in the Top 5 in four different events in back-to-back indoor events at the Doc Hale Meet and the Brant Tolsma Invitational. During the outdoor season, she was crowned the Big South champion in the 800m and 1,500m, and set the HPU record and Championship Meet record in the 800m with a time of 2:05.34.  Malone qualified for the NCAA East First Round in the 1,500m and shattered the school and Big South record with a time of 4:11.37 to place 14th. She competed in six meets during the outdoor regular season, and helped the Panthers' 4x800m relay establish the school and league record with an 8:44.14 at the Penn Relays.

The Big South Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year is selected from a pool of each sport's Scholar-Athlete of the Year winners announced during the regular season. In the voting, Jolley and Malone tied with 27 points (two first-place votes each), followed by Charleston Southern cross country runner Taylar White (22 points) and High Point soccer player Tessa Carlin (21 points). 
 
BIG SOUTH FEMALE SCHOLAR-ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
1995-96             Angela Murphy, Coastal Carolina (cross country)
1996-97             Angela Murphy, Coastal Carolina (cross country)
1997-98             Jolene Williams, Coastal Carolina (track & field)
1998-99             Jolene Williams, Coastal Carolina (track & field)
1999-00             Jolene Williams, Coastal Carolina (track & field)
2000-01             Jeanne Lambert, Coastal Carolina (volleyball)
2001-02             Kara Koppel, Coastal Carolina (track & field)
2002-03             Kara Koppel, Coastal Carolina (track & field)
2004-05             Danielle McNaney, Liberty (track & field)
2005-06             Leslie Cook, High Point (basketball)
2006-07             Leslie Cook, High Point (basketball)
2007-08             Felicitas Mensing, Coastal Carolina (track & field)
2008-09             Megan Frazee, Liberty (basketball)
2009-10             Jill Nyhof, Coastal Carolina (volleyball)
2010-11             Chelsea Kelley, Radford (softball)
2011-12             Jane Savage, Gardner-Webb (softball)
2012-13             Megan Rhodes, Radford (soccer)
2013-14             Shaela Churchill, Campbell (softball)
2014-15             Teresa Williamson, Radford (track & field)
2015-16             Ashley Rininger, Liberty (basketball)
2016-17             Kelsey Rea, Campbell (track & field)
2017-18             Mackenize Koeller, Campbell (lacrosse)
2018-19             Jessica Wollmann, Radford (soccer)
2019-20             Camryn Brown, High Point (basketball)
2020-21             Carrie Reaver, Longwood (soccer)
2021-22             Grace Volk, UNC Asheville (volleyball)
2022-23             Jessica Donald, Campbell (soccer)
2023-24             Annah Junge, Charleston Southern (softball)
2024-25             Avery Jolley, Winthrop (volleyball) and Brianna Malone, High Point (track & field)