CHARLOTTE, N.C. — High Point University men's soccer student-athlete Josh Caron has been voted the Big South Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year recipient, which was announced by the league office Tuesday morning. 

Caron is High Point's first male honoree since 2015-16 and second overall, while he becomes the first men's soccer student-athlete to earn this prestigious honor.

A native of Palm Harbor, Fla., Caron earned CSC Academic All-America Second-Team honors — the first Panther selected as an Academic All-American since 2012 and the third ever to receive this 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 in all 20 games -- 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 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.

The annual Scholar-Athletes of the Year are voted on by the Big South Athletic Communications Directors from a pool of each sport's Scholar-Athlete winner during the past season. Caron finished with 31 points (three first-place votes), ahead of Longwood golfer Hunter Swidzinski (28 points, three first-place votes) and Winthrop basketball player Kody Clouet (26 points, two first-place votes).
   
 
ALL-TIME MALE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR HONOREES
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)