WALTHAM, Mass. – The CoSIDA Division II Academic All-District™ 1 Track and Cross Country team, announced Thursday by the College Sports Information Directors of America, includes four Bentley University Falcons, including repeat honorees Tim Bolick (Hopkinton/Hopkinton HS) and Eric Alatalo (Wilmington/Wilmington HS).

Bolick and Alatalo, both of whom just completed their senior seasons, were joined by classmate Nik Haas (Ramsey, N.J./Ramsey HS) and sophomore Stephanie Mattson (Smithfield, R.I./Smithfield HS).

All four will advance to the national ballot for the selection of the 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-America® teams, which will be announced next month.

Alatalo's senior year included earning All-East honors in the 10,000 meters from the USTFCCCA, placing sixth in the 5,000 at the Northeast-10 indoor championships and finishing 28th in the NCAA Division II East Regional in cross country.  In the classroom, he has posted a 3.84 grade point average while majoring in both accountancy and liberal studies.

Bolick, whose father Paul was a GTE Academic All-America during the mid-80's, was an All-East selection in the outdoor 800 meters with his time of 1:51.68 second best in program history. He finished third in the 800 at the NE10 indoor championships, was fifth at the same distance at the outdoor conference meet and was 33rd in the NCAA cross country regional. A standout in the classroom as well, he has achieved a 3.86 GPA as a corporate finance and accounting major.

Haas earned All-Region honors in cross country following a 14th-place finish in the NCAA Division II Championships last November. His year also included finishing seventh in the mile at the Northeast-10 indoor championships and ninth in the 1500 at the outdoor NE10's.  Haas has earned a 3.78 GPA as a finance major, making the President's List seven times.

Mattson, a three-time USTFCCCA All-East honoree, has shined both in the classroom and on the track during her first two years at Bentley. She owns nine school records, including the 400, the long jump and the triple jump both indoors and out, and is a three-time All-New England honoree, including both the indoor and outdoor long jump. She's also earned a 3.94 GPA as a double major (actuarial science, business studies).

Bentley was the only District 1 institution, which includes the Northeast-10, East Coast and Central Atlantic Collegiate conferences, to have a total of four All-District honorees.            

Academic All-District is the latest academic honor for the Bentley men's and women's track teams in recent months.

Alatalo, Bolick, Mattson and senior Julia Morena (Boylston/Tahanto Reg. HS) were selected for the 2016-17 Academic All-Northeast-10 Conference indoor track teams.

Bentley also placed nine on the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team in cross country with Alatalo, Bolick, Haas and Moreno joined by juniors Marianne Bartolotta (Wantagh, N.Y./Holy Trinity HS), Ryan Cadorette (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) and Seamus Higgins (Randolph, N.J./Randolph HS), sophomore Cody Murphy (Dunbarton, N.H./ Goffstown HS) and freshman Paige Fehskens (Wareham/ Wareham HS).

Bentley was one of only three men's teams nationally with six individuals on the All-Academic list. In addition, both the men's and women's teams received All-Academic Team status from the USTFCCCA with the men's 3.48 GPA through the fall semester ranking ninth nationally.