From all initial nominations for the honor, 20 student-athletes were chosen for having notable achievements in four areas of excellence--community, classroom, character and competition.

Matisz joins his former teammate, Trevor Moore, to give the men's lacrosse program Senior CLASS Award semifinalists in back-to-back years. He is the lone candidate from the Northeast Conference (NEC) that advanced to the semifinal stage and is also one of just five student-athletes remaining that has a cumulative grade-point average in excess of 3.50.

While Matisz's on-field contributions are noteworthy, he has produced an impressive litany of achievements away from the turf as well.

Despite double-majoring in economics and marketing, Matisz has compiled a 3.74 cumulative GPA at Robert Morris. He has made the Dean's List in every semester and has actually posted a 3.84 GPA since the beginning of his sophomore year. Matisz, who is also minoring in sociology, was named the NEC Men's Lacrosse Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2011. The senior is currently working on an economic analysis paper for his econometrics course that examined what factors were most responsible for winning percentage in Division I men's lacrosse during the past five years, and he is hoping to have it published in the near future.

Matisz's leadership capabilities were evident when he was selected as one of five captains for the Colonials during the 2011 season despite being a junior on a squad that sported 13 seniors. However, this choice was not entirely surprising when one considers Matisz's background, which includes membership in the Colonial Leadership Academy. The Academy is an intensive three-year program that only admits applicants after a formal selection process which requires recommendations from three distinct campus constituencies. The goal of the program is to "maximize the leadership abilities" of student-athletes who have demonstrated strong potential in this area. Matisz's desire to devote dozens of extra hours to partake in this academy in addition to his regular coursework and athletic pursuits speak volumes to his character and work ethic. Matisz is also a student representative of the university's Student Conduct Board after he received a recommendation for the position from the Center for Student Success. Student Conduct Board representatives serve along with faculty and staff members to hear student conduct cases. Matisz also has served as a peer tutor at Robert Morris, aiding his fellow students with instruction on introductory business courses.

Matisz also has been involved with numerous community-service events while at Robert Morris, participating in team-sponsored outings as well as taking the initiative himself to help better the surrounding community. He has been serving as the head coach of a local fifth and sixth grade lacrosse team since the fall and hopes to balance his coaching duties with his playing schedule and continue teaching the game to the squad this spring. Matisz also served as the director of the RMU men's lacrosse squad's fundraising efforts for the Headstrong Foundation, which supports those affected by blood cancer and works to eliminate the disease. He coordinated the team's  t-shirt fundraising sales, which occurred both on and off campus, and helped out with the program's 'Movember' effort. Matisz has also been involved with a variety of events that he and his teammates have worked on together, including helping plan and participating in a Christmas Carnival for abused and neglected children.

Matisz has been one of the key pieces in building Robert Morris into a winning program that has received national notice. He has been honored with first team all-conference honors in each of his last two seasons and is a balanced offensive player that can score and create chances for others. He posted a career-high 20 assists last since to rank among the top 40 nationally in assists per game and also reset career bests in both ground balls (34) and caused turnovers (nine) while tallying 16 goals. Matisz had a monster sophomore season as he recorded 46 points (28 goals, 18 assists) in just 15 games to rank among the top 50 nationally in points per contest. He also claimed Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) All-Rookie honors after his 2009 season in which he totaled 20 points as a freshman.

Matisz began 2012 with a bang as he dropped five points courtesy of three goals and two assists in RMU's season-opening victory at Bellarmine. Matisz has not missed a game in his entire career, playing in 47 contests thus far, and has quickly climbed the charts in the RMU record book. He is fifth in career points (107), fifth in career goals (57) and third in career assists (50) at RMU.

Matisz is the second student-athlete from Robert Morris this academic year to reach the semifinal stage in his or her respective sport, joining Hannah Veith (Columbus, Ohio / Worthington) of the volleyball squad, and the sixth in the past two years combined for the Colonials.

From the list of 20 candidates, a national media committee will select ten finalists who will then be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote. The winner will then be announced at the NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship, which will is being held May 26 and 28 in Boston.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. Sportscaster Dick Enberg first conceived of the idea of an award for seniors in 2001. The award was initially awarded in men's and women's basketball but has since expanded to numerous other NCAA sports.

After its season-opening victory last Saturday, RMU will head to Baltimore this weekend for its first-ever matchup with UMBC. The contest is slated for Saturday, Feb. 18, at 1:00 p.m. and is the second of four straight games away from home to open the season for the Colonials.