RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – On Thursday, the Great American Conference named Harding’s Nathaniel Wallace as its 2023-24 Male Athlete of the Year.
Wallace became the third Bison honored as the league’s top male athlete and the third football player dubbed the Male Athlete of the Year. Harding’s Bryce Bray won in 2018-19 and Dorian Chaigneau earned the award in 2021. Bray represented the most-recent football player acclaimed as Male Athlete of the Year. Henderson State’s Kevin Rodgers won in 2012-13 and 2013-14.
Wallace anchored a Harding defense that ranked second in the country in scoring defense and fifth in total defense. He won the GAC and Super Region 3 Defensive Player of the Year honors after tallying nine sacks and forcing two fumbles. In the regular season, the Bisons surrendered 10 points or less in seven games. In the postseason, they defeated the nation’s top two offenses – Central Missouri and Colorado School of Mines – en route to the program’s first national championship. In the national championship game, he picked up two sacks. He garnered First-Team All-America honors from the AP, AFCA, D2CCA and the Don Hansen Committee.
Other nominees for the 2023-24 GAC Male Athlete of the Year award included Arkansas-Monticello’s Camden Tanner (Baseball), Arkansas Tech’s Taelon Peter, (Basketball), East Central’s Aspel Kiprob (Cross Country/Track & Field), Henderson State’s Lamar Taylor (Swimming & Diving), Northwestern Oklahoma State’s Carson Wright (Baseball), Oklahoma Baptist’s Troy Shields (Baseball), Ouachita Baptist’s Kendel Givens (Football), Southeastern Oklahoma State’s Brennen Burns (Basketball), Southern Arkansas’ Melvin Smith, Jr. (Football), Southern Nazarene’s Gage Porter (Football) and Southwestern Oklahoma State’ Ben Smith (Men’s Basketball)