In the midst of an incredible senior season that has him fifth in the country in scoring, D.J. Newbill was named one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award, an annual honor given to a senior student-athlete who excels in class, character, community, and competition.

CLASS is an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, and honors a senior who takes advantage of the academic eligibility a scholarship provides. The winner is determined by a process that considers the opinions of coaches, media, and fans. One can vote on its website during the month leading up to the NCAA Championship.

Basketball peers Tim Frazier and Maggie Lucas were named finalists for the award last year.

In the classroom, Newbill will graduate in the spring with a degree in communications arts and sciences. After transferring from Southern Mississippi, Newbill’s GPA has increased drastically the last three years. Newbill’s page on the CLASS website notes that during his redshirt season (2011-12), Newbill took advantage of sitting out by increasing his course load, and developing study habits.

Character-wise, Newbill is Penn State’s uncontested on-court leader. In Sept. 2012, Newbill lost his mother. As the CLASS page writes, “Newbill resists sharing much of his story, preferring to let it internally drive him, but he has handled everything that has come his way with a grace that belies his age. It is his fuel for capitalizing on every opportunity that comes his way in the classroom, on the court and in the community.”