COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. --- South Dakota School of Mines junior mid-distance runner Kevin Ptak has earned the 2019 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Summit Award for the second consecutive year announced by the league office Thursday from Colorado Springs, Colorado.

This award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average (GPA), participating at the finals sites for each of the RMAC championships. All GPAs are based on a straight grading scale to ensure consistency among institutions. Any tie is broken by the number of credits completed. 

To be eligible for the award, student-athletes must be a sophomore or above, who participated in their sport for at least two years with their school. They must also be an active member of the team, traveling and competing at the championship. 

Ptak is a junior from Allen, Texas, with a 4.00 GPA majoring in Electrical Engineering. At the RMAC Outdoor Championships, he will compete in the 400-meter dash along with the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams.

"Kevin is one of the hardest working scholar-athletes I've had the pleasure to be around," said Hardrocker track and field head coach Steve Johnson. "He takes his academics and athletics very seriously. We're very proud of him and the way he represents Hardrocker Athletics."
 
Ptak heads in the RMAC meet ranked fifth in the 400 dash. His best time in that event this season is 48.71 seconds during the Kit Mayer Invite in Golden, Colorado. He ranks 20^th in the 200 dash – clocking a 22.65 as his top mark of the season. The 4x100 relay squad is ranked seventh heading into the conference championships (42.01) and the 4x400 relay team is in second place (3:17.91).

Ptak was also the Summit Award winner for the indoor season back at the end of February.