BOSTON – Matyas Csiki-Fejer of the Suffolk men's cross country and track & field team has been awarded the 2020-21 Charles Law Student-Athlete Award, Director of Athletics Cary McConnell announced Friday afternoon.
The recipient of this distinguished award is recognized in honor of the late Charles Law, whose work ethic and due diligence embodied what it means to be a student-athlete; excel both academically and athletically.
Law established Suffolk University's Athletic program in 1946 and remained as the University's Athletic Director for 33 years. Throughout that time, he coached the Rams' men's basketball team for three decades, winning the admiration of his players and peers as "Dean of New England Basketball Coaches" and directed his last two teams to NCAA Division III post-season tournament play to complete his career with 295 victories. He also served as the President and Treasurer of the New England Basketball Coaches Association and was nominated for membership to the Citizen Savings Athletic Foundation's Coaches Hall of Fame.
Csiki-Fejer is the second-ever runner to given Suffolk's most prestigious honor following in two-time honoree Emily Manfra, who took home the feat in back-to-back years in 2018-19 and 2019-20, respectively. He is the second junior to pick up the nod in the 76-year history of the award joining Manfra as the only other to do so.
The junior from Manchester, Missouri has had an anything, but traditional collegiate career, however, his accolades remain second to none both in the classroom and on the course.
"I've been continually impressed with his focus and work ethic on the track and in the classroom during his three years at Suffolk," cross country/track & field head coach Will Feldman said. "This year has been a testament of his commitment to excellence. Despite facing constant uncertainty this year, and having both cross country and indoor track seasons canceled he remained dedicated to achieving his goals … He is everything a coach and a university could ask for in a student-athlete. I'm beyond proud of him."
Csiki-Fejer's junior campaign was limited to just an outdoor season as the cross country and indoor seasons fell victim to the global COVID-19 pandemic. He made the most of the meets that he was able to compete. A highlight came at the NEICAAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, the second oldest track & field meet in U.S. history, where he topped the 10,000 field, which featured Division I and II athletes to collect NEICAAA All-New England honors. In addition to that all-region accolade, he earned a pair from the U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-New England nods, which is awarded to individuals who put together the one of the top 5 best performances in the region. His performance of 30:47.31 in the 10,000 at the NEICAAA May 14 ranked second in New England and he clocked the fifth-best time in the 5000 (14:38.91) at the Tufts National Qualifying Meet six days later. The pair of accolades mark the first time a Suffolk student-athlete earned multiple all-region awards from the national organization in program history.
The long-distance runner's resume is extensive and started from the get-go as a freshman in 2018 when he became the first Ram to run to GNAC Rookie of the Year standing on the championship cross country course. A year later, he etched his name even further into the Rams' record book as the first male to capture GNAC Champion status and GNAC Runner of the Year before being the first male to run at NCAA Division III Championships, accomplishing the feat as a sophomore. The two-time all-conference honoree has garnered USTFCCCA All-New England accolades each season he has been eligible.
Indoors, Csiki-Fejer never skipped a beat. He is the first Suffolk male student-athlete to compete at NCAA DIII Indoor New England regionals, doing so as a freshman. As a sophomore he anchored the Rams to the program's first conference championship when Suffolk cinched the inaugural GNAC crown in 2019-20. That season he individually won the mile and 3000 and was a crucial ingredient to the crown clinching distance medley relay team. He went on to compete at New England's for the second straight season to become the first Ram to run at back-to-back indoor regionals in program history.
If Csiki-Fejer's athletic accomplishments were not enough, his academic achievements are near perfect. Through six semesters the law and public policy concentrator has recorded an unblemished 4.0 grade point average. For his efforts in the classroom he has been named a CoSIDA Academic All-American, the first male runner in Suffolk history to do so, as well as CoSIDA Academic All-District, a pair of All-CCC and All-GNAC Academic Team honors, respectively.