Lake Forest College football player Michael Garetto-Balmer was named to the Capital One Academic All-District® Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Thursday. He will now appear on the Capital One Academic All-America® ballot.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve player on a university or college team and have at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale. CoSIDA members nominate student-athletes from their schools and vote for the winners at the district level.
Garetto-Balmer, a senior politics and history major with a 3.53 grade point average, is one of five defensive linemen to earn the Division III award in District 7 (Illinois, Indiana, Ohio). He is currently tied for the Midwest Conference lead with 6.5 sacks and ranks ninth with 9.5 tackles for loss. Garetto-Balmer has 37 tackles on the season, including 23 solos, and has added a forced fumble and a pair of pass breakups. He has made at least one tackle in every game with a high of eight at Cornell College on October 26.
Garetto-Balmer now has 108 tackles, including 10.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss, in his career. He is a two-time Academic All-MWC honoree and was named Second Team All-MWC in 2012.
The 2013 Foresters are 7-2 overall and 6-2 in league play with one game remaining on the schedule.
Garetto-Balmer will now appear on this year's national ballot. The Capital One Academic All-America® Team will be announced on Tuesday, December 3.
CoSIDA Release (pdf)
