RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Great American Conference announced Southern Nazarene University Track and Field's Colter Bufford as the 2025 GAC Male Scholar Athlete of the Year.

Bufford earned the honor for the second consecutive year, becoming just the third student-athlete in conference history to receive the award in back-to-back seasons.

A junior biochemistry major, Bufford maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA while excelling in both academics and athletics. This year, he received the Excellent Presenter Award in Cell Biology at the American Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists, earning recognition among thousands of presenters. He also conducted research at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation in the Kirkland and Stout laboratories, investigating the physiological role of estrogen receptor 17 alpha signaling. This summer, Bufford is participating in a prestigious research internship at Johns Hopkins University.

On the track, Bufford delivered another strong season for the Crimson Storm. He placed third in the javelin at the Great American Conference Championships and finished 11th in the shot put. Throughout the outdoor season, he recorded multiple NCAA provisional qualifying marks in the javelin.

Beyond his accomplishments in the classroom and in competition, Bufford remained actively involved on campus. He serves as president of the Tri Beta Biological Honor Society and is also the president of the Southern Nazarene University Honors Society.

Bufford's continued success exemplifies the balance of academic excellence, athletic achievement, and campus leadership that the GAC Scholar Athlete of the Year award recognizes.