SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — Dominican University of California men's basketball player Matt Hayes has been named to the Capital One Academic All-District Men's Basketball First Team for NCAA Division II District 8.
 
The Yuba City, California native carries a 3.57 grade-point average and is studying Chemistry. The Penguins' second-leading scorer, Hayes was named PacWest Co-Player of the Week for week of Dec. 29 to Jan. 4 and to the 55th Annual Mac Martin Invitational All-Tournament Team in late November. He was also nominated to 2015 Allstate NABC Good Works Team®. He ranks 12th in the PacWest in scoring (14.7 ppg), 16th in rebounding (5.3 rpg), seventh in three-point field goal percentage (39.9 percent), and ninth in steals (1.3 spg).

Hayes is one of five players from District 8, which consists of the CCAA, GNAC, and PacWest conferences, to be named to the All-District Team. He will now be listed on the Capital One Academic All-America ballot, with three teams from Division II announced later this month.
 
The Academic All-District® teams are divided into eight geographic districts across the United States and Canada. This is the fourth year of the expanded Academic All-America® program as CoSIDA moved from recognizing a University Division (Division I) and a College Division (all non-Division I) and has doubled the number of scholar-athletes honored. The expanded teams include NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, and NCAA Division III participants, while the College Division Academic All-America ® Team combines NAIA, Canadian, and two-year schools.

The Capital One Division II and III Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures, to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2014-15 DII and DIII Academic All-America® teams program. Dominican has produced two Academic All-Americans, men's soccer player Pedro Guevara and men's lacrosse player Reed Upson, both in 2012.