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Carimi bestowed Big Ten Medal of Honor
09 Jun 11
Carimi, Meyer bestowed Big Ten Medal of Honor
Seniors recognized for work on and off the field
June 8, 2011
MADISON, Wis. – The Big Ten Conference announced its Big Ten Medal of Honor recipients on Wednesday with senior football player Gabe Carimi (Cottage Grove, Wis.) and senior swimmer Maggie Meyer (White Bear Lake, Minn.) chosen to represent Wisconsin. The award is presented annually at each Big Ten institution to a male and female student-athlete in the graduating class who has demonstrated proficiency in scholarship and athletics.
Carimi and Meyer join a distinguished group of past UW Medal of Honor winners that include, among others: Joe Thomas (2007), Sarah Bauer (2007), Jim Leonhard (2005), Kirk Penney (2003), Mike Eaves (1978) and Pat Richter (1963).
The 29th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, Carimi started 49 games throughout his Badger career. A 2010 consensus All-American, Carimi became the second Badger to win the Outland Trophy, given annually to the nation’s top interior lineman. Last season the Badgers led the Big Ten and averaged a school-record 41.5 points per game (fifth in the country), including 45.2 points per game in Big Ten play, second-best in conference history. Carimi graduated in May with 3.13 grade-point average in civil and environmental engineering and was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
In March, Meyer became the first swimmer in school history to take home a national title, winning the 200-yard backstroke. In fact, she did not lose a single race in the event all season. Meyer was a six-time All-American in the 2010-11 season and she finished her career with 11 All-American honors. The 2011 Big Ten Swimmer of the Year, Meyer was a seven-time Big Ten champion in her career, with five of those wins coming this past season. Meyer set four school records and one Big Ten record in her senior year. An Academic All-Big Ten honoree in 2010-11, Meyer graduated in the spring with a 3.46 GPA in English and religious studies.
