As both a student and an athlete, Matt Mender has made his mark at the University of Rochester. He's been justly rewarded for it as well.
 
Mender has been named to the Capital One Academic All-America Division III Football Team after voting by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America. The junior defensive tackle was named to the Second Team. He is a native of Glens Falls, NY and an alumnus of Glens Falls High School.
 
He is Rochester's first Academic All-American in football since 2007 when Andrew Rape was selected. A total of 10 men have earned 16 Academic All-America honors for Rochester on the gridiron.
 
Mender started all nine games in 2014 and now has a string of 18 consecutive starts dating back to his first game in his sophomore year. He made 27 solo tackles and assisted on 26 others in 2014. He had 2.5 sacks totaling 16 yards in losses and 6.5 tackles for loss, totaling 22 yards. He caused two fumbles. Rochester's defense held five opponents to less than 140 yards rushing in a game this year. Mender finished among the Liberty League statistical leaders in three categories – 21^st in tackles per game (5.9), 18^th in tackles for loss, and tied for sixth in fumbles forced. He was named Second Team All-Liberty League in 2014.
 
Away from the field, he carries a cumulative 3.66 grade point average on a 4.00 scale, majoring in Biomedical Engineering with minors in Electrical and Computer Engineering. He has been named to the Liberty League's All-Academic Team for two seasons.
 
Mender belongs to the Biomedical Engineering Society and serves as his fraternity's scholarship chairman. He may work as a teaching assistant in the spring semester. He has been a member of the Dean's List for three of his first four semesters.
 
Last summer, he worked in an auditory neuroscience lab and may be an author on a research paper for a post-doctoral laboratory student.
 
Mender joined his campus fraternity brothers in a community service project, wrapping gifts for mothers of soldiers about to be deployed.
 
Rochester finished the 2014 season at 5-4 for the second year in a row. In the league, the Yellowjackets were 3-4.

2014 Capital One Academic All-America Football Team for Division III