Moon Township, Pa. - Junior Kiel Matisz (Stoney Creek, Ontario / Saltfleet) of Robert Morris University was honored by the Northeast Conference Thursday for his performance on the field and in the classroom, as he was named the 2011 NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the sport of men's lacrosse.

One of two RMU student-athletes to be honored this spring as an NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Matisz joins senior Annie Dubovec (Chagrin Falls, Ohio / Kenston), who was named the 2011 NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for softball.

Matisz and Dubovec are also the third and fourth student-athletes from Robert Morris to earn NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year accolades in the 2010-11 academic year, joining Nolan Nearhoof (Gibsonia, Pa. / Mars Area) of the football team and Amanda Graham (Melbourne, Fla. / Eau Gallie) of the volleyball squad. The four student-athletes honored are the most in one academic year in school history.

An All-NEC First Team selection for the second straight year in 2011 at midfielder, Matisz played all 15 games for Robert Morris, earning seven starting assignments. He finished with 36 points, compiling 16 goals and a team-high 20 assists, to rank third for the Colonials.  

One of five Colonials to serve as a co-captain in 2011, Matisz ranked third in the NEC in assists per game (1.33) as part of an RMU offense that led Division I in scoring with an average of 13.80 goals per contest. An economics major, Matisz owns a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.70.

In 46 career games Matisz has compiled 54 goals and 48 assists for 102 points and enters his senior campaign in 2012 ranked fifth all-time at Robert Morris in points and tied for third in assists.

In addition to the honor for Matisz, a total of 119 student-athletes from Robert Morris covering nine spring sports, including 57 male student-athletes, were named to the 2011 NEC Spring Academic Honor Roll.

To be eligible for the honor roll, student-athletes must have posted a cumulative GPA of 3.20 and be an active member of an officially recognized varsity team. Freshman are eligible for the honor roll.

In addition, a total of 33 student-athletes from RMU were named to the 2011 NEC Spring Commissioner's Honor Roll. To garner the honor, a student-athlete must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.75, and freshman are eligible for the honor roll.

To view the entire list of Robert Morris student-athletes that competed in a spring sport named to either the 2011 NEC Spring Academic Honor Roll or the 2011 NEC Spring Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll, please follow the respective links associated with this article.