COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. --- The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference announced Outdoor Track and Field All-Academic honors were awarded Wednesday where South Dakota School of Mines earned one First Team selection while 18 other Hardrockers were named the RMAC Honor Roll list announced from the league office in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

RMAC First Team All-Academic selections, are voted on by the conference's sports information directors. To be eligible for consideration, a student-athlete must carry a 3.30 cumulative grade point average and must have been an active student at the institution for at least two consecutive semesters or three consecutive quarters.

South Dakota Mines junior Kevin Ptak was named to the RMAC All-Academic First Team after an outstanding outdoor track and field season. The sprinter from Allen, Texas, finished off a solid year with a third-place showing in the 400-meter dash (.48.70) at the RMAC Outdoor Championships in Rapid City, South Dakota. He was also a member of the men's 4x400 relay team which earned second place at the conference meet and set a new school record (3:16.68).
 
Ptak is an Electrical Engineering major with a 4.0 GPA. He earned the Summit Award for the outdoor season and makes his third consecutive Summit Award after winning it during the outdoor season last year as well as the indoor season this year.

All student-athletes that meet the requirements, but were not voted RMAC First Team, automatically qualify for the RMAC Honor Roll.

Members of the Hardrocker outdoor track and field team that were named to the RMAC Honor Roll list include: sophomore Erica Keeble, a pole vaulter and sprinter from De Pere, Wisconsin  majoring the Computer Science and Applied Mathematics (3.762); senior Aaron Campbell, a jumper and hurdler from Sheridan, Wyo. (3.845 GPA); junior Ben Colvin, a distance runner from Kasson, Minn., majoring in Mechanical Engineering (3.724); junior Korder Cropsey,  a sprinter from Presho, S.D., majoring in Civil Engineering (3.726); senior Casey Skillingstad, a pole vaulter from Yankton, S.D., majoring in in Civil and Environmental Engineering (3.720); junior Chase Wood, a distance runner from Las Vegas, Nev., majoring in Chemical Engineering (3.393); sophomore Joel Haas, a distance runner from Corvallis, Mont., majoring in Civil Engineering (3.865); sophomore Austin Hammer, a mid-distance runner from Mission, S.D., majoring in Metallurgical Engineering (3.396); senior Carter Kasuske, a jumper from Wentworth, S.D., majoring in Electrical Engineering (3.300); sophomore Warren Minerich, a thrower from Paonia, Colo.;  majoring in Mining Engineering (3.326); junior Darren Nissen, a jumper from Wausau, Neb., majoring in Mechanical Engineering (3.597); junior Westley Siebdrath, a thrower from La Quinta, Calif., majoring in Civil and Environmental Engineering (3.336); senior Kevin Thompson, a sprinter from Ft. Lewis, Wash., majoring in Industrial Engineering (4.00); junior Kayla Gagen, a distance runner and javelin thrower from Livingston, Mont., majoring in Mechanical Engineering (3.824); senior Erica Westerman, a distance runner from Yankton, S.D., majoring in Chemical Engineering (3.882); senior Karissa Kjenstad, a mid-distance runner from Tacoma, Wash., majoring in Chemical Engineering (3.375); sophomore Tana Dahlberg, a thrower and jumper from Buffalo, Wyo., majoring in Applied Biological Sciences (3.530); and sophomore Ryan Weiss, a mid-distance runner from Ames, Iowa, majoring in Industrial Engineering (3.791).
 
"This is a great achievement and we're proud of all the time and hard work our scholar-athletes put in to earn this recognition," said Hardrocker track and field head coach Steve Johnson. "Their academic and athletic accomplishments reflect a daily commitment to continuous improvement and success."