Alatalo Selected for CoSIDA Academic All-District Track & Cross Country Team
WALTHAM, Mass. – Bentley University sophomore Erik Alatalo (Wilmington/Wilmington HS) has been selected for the 2014-15 Capital One Division II Academic All-District 1 men's track and cross country team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). District 1 includes student-athletes competing in the Northeast-10 Conference, the East Coast Conference and the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference.
Alatalo will now advance to the ballot for the selection of the 2014-15 Capital One Division II Academic All-America team, which will be announced late last month.
Alatalo, in his second collegiate season, established personal bests in the outdoor 5,000 meters (15:36.67), the 10,000 (32:19.83) and the indoor 3,000 (9:08.44). He ranks 12th in school history in the outdoor two mile with a 9:53.23 (converted from 3,000).
Outdoors, Alatalo placed fifth in the 10,000 at the Northeast-10 Championships and finished the year ranked ninth in the event on the USTFCCCA East Region listing.
The indoor season for Alatalo featured a 12th-place finish in the 5,000 at the conference championships at Southern Connecticut State.
Alatalo scored for Bentley in all six cross country races he participated in. He was 65th in the NE-10 championships (30:22 for 8K) and 89th in the NCAA Division II East Regional (34:49.94 for 10K).
In the classroom, Alatalo has earned a sensational 3.91 grade point average while majoring in both accountancy and liberal studies. He's been named to the President's List three of his first four semesters.