CLEVELAND - The National Alliance of Two Year College Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA) is proud to announce Florida State College Jacksonville's John Bear and Butler (KS) Community College's Madi Young as the 2020-21 NATYCAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year recipients sponsored by Relation Insurance Services.
 
"NATYCAA is proud to announce its 2021 Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award winners," stated Christina Hundley, current NATYCAA Scholar-Athlete committee chair and director of athletics at Paradise Valley Community College. "It is an honor to recognize these outstanding student-athletes who have excelled both in the classroom and on the field.  This year was not an easy one and that makes the dedication and accomplishments of these two student-athletes that much more commendable. Congratulations to both John and Madi for a job well done."
 
John Bear
Bear has excelled both in and out of the classroom, all while maintaining a 4.0. He is a 2-time All-American Scholar-Athlete Recipient from the NJCAA XC Coaches Association, 2-time Academic All-Conference and All-Region and a NJCAA First Team Honors recipient. Athletically this season, he was a First Team All-Region and All-Conference. In the B3R XC Invitational he placed first and in the Horse Park Cross-Country Invitational College Division he placed second. Despite his demanding schedule, Bear volunteered to be part of the COVID vaccine program, where he took part in the original tests before it was distributed to the general public. His next steps are up in the air, as he has at least 10 Division I programs interested in recruiting him.

Bear was previously named to NATYCAA's Scholar-Athlete Team as the male representative for District 3. 

Madi Young
As a sophomore at Butler Community College, Young led her team to new heights, while leading the entire NJCAA across a number of stat categories this past season. Alone, she set new school records with 111 runs scored, 34 doubles and started in all 55 games played. Young has been named a NJCAA First Team All-American, First Team NFCA All-American, First Team All-Region and Second Team All-KJCCC player. When Young is not on the field, she can be found working volleyball and basketball events for Butler. Despite her crazy schedule, she has maintained a 4.0 throughout her time at Butler. Young plans to return to Butler next season to continue building on the successes she has had. 

Young was previously named to NATYCAA's Scholar-Athlete Team as the female representative for District 5. 

About NATYCAA: Now in its 32nd year, NATYCAA is the professional organization of two-year college athletics administrators and membership open to all two-year institutions from throughout the country. NATYCAA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 55^th year. For more information on NACDA and the 17 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.