Mines’ Matocha named top scholar-athlete in D2

BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

While Colorado School of Mines football players, coaches and fans already knew senior quarterback John Matocha was a proverbial one-in-amillion, a recent award proves he’s a literal one-in-100,000.

Matocha was recently named the best scholar-athlete in NCAA Division II, which is comprised of more than 122,000 student-athletes. He was selected as the 2022-23 College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Overall Team Member of the Year for NCAA Division II. e Magnolia, Texas-based quarterback is the rst Oredigger to receive this honor.

“I am blessed for the opportunity to be a student-athlete at the Colorado School of Mines and honored to receive this award,” Matocha said in a July 26 press release. “I am so grateful for my team and school for all their support on the eld and in the classroom. Great school, great football, and I am glad to be a part of it.” e organization honored a scholar-athlete from each sport across NCAA Divisions I, II and III and NAIA, and then highlighted four overall athletes — one from each division. e other three overall winners are:

• Iowa women’s basketball player Caitlin Clark for Division I;

• Mount Union track sprinter Kenadee Wayt for Division III; and

• Spring Arbor soccer player Mackenzie Selvius for NAIA.

Mines runner Zoe Baker was also named the top scholar-athlete in NCAA Division II women’s cross country/track & eld.

In May, Matocha received a bachelor’s degree in computer science with a 3.64 GPA. He’ll be studying for a master’s degree in computer science during his nal year of NCAA eligibility.

According to Mines Athletics, during the 2022 season, Matocha led NCAA Division II in several categories, and his 4,778 passing yards set program and state records.

After helping lead the Orediggers to last year’s title game, Matocha received the 2022 Harlon Hill Award — the Division II equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. He was also named the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame’s Male College Athlete of the Year, among other athletic and academic honors.

Athletic Director David Hansburg, President Paul C. Johnson and other Mines supporters congratulated Matocha on social media for his Academic All-America award, expressing how proud the Orediggers are of him and all his work as a student-athlete.

“John exempli es everything a coach could want in a student-ath- lete, especially at a place as unique as Colorado School of Mines,” Coach Pete Sterbick said in the July 26 press release. “On and o the eld, he is the leader of our team. He is incredibly competitive as a player, but also puts great value in academics, and personi es what it means to be a Mines football player.”

Matocha and his fellow Orediggers kick o their 2023 season in a few short weeks, as Mines hosts Grand Valley State on Aug. 31.

Preseason camps will run from Aug. 7-20, and will be free and open to the public. e team then starts o cial practices Aug. 21.

For more information, including the football team’s full 2023 schedule, visit MinesAthletics.com.