WALTHAM, Mass. – Bentley University golfer Matt Michel (Danvers/Danvers HS), a rising senior, has been selected for the 2012 Capital One NCAA Division II Academic All-America® Men's At-Large third team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).  He's the first golfer in the university's history to earn the prestigious accolade.

In addition to establishing himself as the team's number one golfer, Michel has earned a 3.85 grade point average with a double major, corporate finance and accounting as well liberal studies, with a concentration in global perspectives.

The men's at-large program includes athletes competing in the sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming and diving, tennis, water polo and wrestling. 

"Matt epitomizes what Academic All-America awards are about," said coach Mickey Herron. "His work ethic in the classroom is exactly the same as his dedication to improving his golf game, and the results bear this out. When he lost in a playoff in a big amateur tournament last summer at Mt. Pleasant Country Club after shooting 69-72, I knew he would have a great season."

Michel led the 2011-12 Falcons with a 75.5 stroke average, shooting under 80 in 18 of 20 rounds, including a career-best three-under 67 in the opening round of the River Hawk Invitational at Meadow Creak Golf Club in April. That was the low-round by a Bentley golfer since 2002.

He earned Division II All-New England honors by tying for sixth with a 76-73-149 in the New England Championships last October at the Captains Course in Brewster and was also a first-team All-Northeast-10 honoree following a tie for eighth place in the conference championships.

A two-time Northeast-10 Golfer of the Week and a member of the 2011 Academic All-Northeast-10 team, Michel improved bettered his sophomore year stroke average by 3.6 strokes. He finished his junior year with a career stroke average of 78.0.

"Matt has earned the respect of his teammates, fellow competitors and the coaching staff with the example he sets," said Herron. "He never gives up during a bad round, and has learned to post a good round when things are going well."

Michel has made the President's List in five of his six semesters at Bentley, and is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Bentley Honor Society.

Michel is one of four Bentley student-athletes who have earned Capital One Academic All-America honors thus far this year, joining Lauren Battista (women's basketball), Weston Zeiner (men's soccer) and Nicole Dion (field hockey).

The Capital One Division II Academic All-America program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division II national governance structure to assist CoSIDA with handling fulfillment aspects of the 2011-12 Division II Academic All-America program.

Capital One is in its third year as the program's corporate sponsor.