University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee senior Tony Meier was named a Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association Scholar-Athlete for the second consecutive year.
He was also named to the 2012 Capital One Academic All-Region team.
A business major, Meier has posted a 3.646 grade-point average.
He is one of just 11 men's basketball players from across the nation named to the team.
"Tony has been a true student-athlete his entire career and it is great to see him recognized with this honor again," UWM head coach Rob Jeter said in a statement released by the college.
"He has done a great job of taking advantage of his opportunities in the classroom and on the court. He works hard in everything he does and this season was able to overcome injury to make a major impact on our team. He has a bright future ahead of him and will continue to be a great representative for our University."
Despite missing the first six games of the season with injury, Meier led the Panthers with 11.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. For his career, Meier surpassed 1,000 points while making 189 3-pointers.
The Panthers reached the postseason for the second straight year, competing in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). UWM also reached the 20-win mark.
According to UWM, players from all Division I-AAA ADA member institutions are eligible for scholar-athlete honors. Each of the nominees was required to have a minimum grade point average of 3.20 (on a 4.00 scale) and have been a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletics credentials.
Candidates must have reached sophomore athletics and academic standing at the nominated institution and have completed a minimum of one full academic year at the nominated institution. The nominees must also have participated in 50 percent of the games played at his designated position.
Jim Owczarski is an award-winning sports journalist and comes to Milwaukee by way of the Chicago Sun-Times Media Network.
A three-year Wisconsin resident who has considered Milwaukee a second home for the better part of seven years, he brings to the market experience covering nearly all major and college sports.
To this point in his career, he has been awarded six national Associated Press Sports Editors awards for investigative reporting, feature writing, breaking news and projects. He is also a four-time nominee for the prestigious Peter J. Lisagor Awards for Exemplary Journalism, presented by the Chicago Headline Club, and is a two-time winner for Best Sports Story. He has also won numerous other Illinois Press Association, Illinois Associated Press and Northern Illinois Newspaper Association awards.
Jim's career started in earnest as a North Central College (Naperville, Ill.) senior in 2002 when he received a Richter Fellowship to cover the Chicago White Sox in spring training. He was hired by the Naperville Sun in 2003 and moved on to the Aurora Beacon News in 2007 before joining OnMilwaukee.com.
In that time, he has covered the events, news and personalities that make up the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Hockey League, NCAA football, baseball and men's and women's basketball as well as boxing, mixed martial arts and various U.S. Olympic teams.
Golf aficionados who venture into Illinois have also read Jim in GOLF Chicago Magazine as well as the Chicago District Golfer and Illinois Golfer magazines.
