Bridgeport, W.Va. – West Liberty University’s Bryce Butler has become one of only two athletes in Mountain East Conference history to win multiple MEC Male Athlete of the Year honors, as the league office announced the Hilltopper men’s basketball standout as the recipient for the 2022-23 season this afternoon.

Butler joins former Hilltopper basketball star, Seger Bonifant, as the only two athletes in the conference’s history to win the award multiple times and in back-to-back years.

Butler averaged 22.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game for the Hilltoppers this season, as he helped lead West Liberty to an appearance in the NCAA Division II National Championship game.

He scored in double-figures in all 37 games, 20 or more points in 26 games, and had five 30-point games.

He led NCAA Division II with 829 points on a school-record 332 made field goals, ranked 19th nationally with 280 rebounds, 20th in field goal percentage (59.2%), 30th with ten double-doubles, and was 39th with 134 assists.

Butler ranks 10th all-time in West Liberty program history with 1,913 career points and helped guide the Hilltoppers to a 107-16 record during his four seasons on the hilltop.

His accolades from the 2022-23 season include being a Bevo Francis Award Finalist, NABC All-Atlantic District First Team and NABC All-American, D2CCA All-Atlantic First Team and D2CCA First Team All-American, CSC First Team Academic All-American, All-MEC First Team, won back-to-back Mountain East Conference and Atlantic Region Player of the Year awards, and was voted MVP of both the MEC and Atlantic Region Tournaments.