Young was a dominant thrower for Southeastern in his first season in Hammond after transferring from Gardner-Webb, earning Southland Conference and Louisiana Newcomer of the Year. He represented the university in both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships, finishing 10th in the hammer throw at the national outdoor meet and posting a 15th-place showing in the weight throw at the NCAA Indoor championship.
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Young also won conference championships in the shot put (outdoor) and weight throw (indoor). At the indoor meet, he set a conference record in the weight throw with his winning mark of 69 feet, 11.75 inches. Young also qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Preliminary Round in both the hammer and discus, advancing to the national meet in the former.
Young, who hails from Nashville, Tennessee, is the fifth men's track and field athlete to earn Male Athlete of the Year, joining David Bennett (1993-94), Chris Carter (2002-03, 2004-05), Lars Laursen (2005-06) and Adonson Shallow (2009-10). Villarreal is one of five tennis student-athletes to earn Female Athlete of the Year honors, along with Renata Smekalova (1992-93, 1993-94), Simona Nedorostova (1997-98), Iva Velkovska (2005-06) and Emilija Arnaudovska (2006-07, 2007-08).
