RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The South Dakota School of Mines athletic department celebrates a decade of academic excellence, as they have had a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher every semester since 2009. 
 
Hardrocker Athletics posted a 3.09 cumulative GPA for this past fall semester. The Hardrocker Men's Golf team had the highest GPA for the fall 2019 semester among all teams with an impressive 3.55 cumulative GPA.
 
"I am very proud of the Men's team for how hard they worked in the classroom this last semester," said Hardrocker golf head coach Luke Wheeler. "They have proven themselves to be quality scholar-athletes. They work extremely hard to manage their time between golf and their studies and it has paid off in the end. We set a goal at the beginning of the year to be at the top with their GPA's and they earned it. Overall I am very proud of all Hardrocker golfers and their commitment to their studies."
 
On the women's side, the Hardrocker volleyball team had the highest cumulative team GPA for the semester with a 3.41. The volleyball team also has the highest overall cumulative GPA in the entire department with a 3.5.
 
"I am extremely proud of our women for posting the highest female team GPA this semester and highest cumulative GPA," said Hardrocker volleyball head coach Lauren Torvi.  "It is such a huge testament to the guidance and standards set by our upperclassmen leaders as well as the work ethic that this entire group has. We recruited this team to fulfill a purpose and all 16 of these ladies exceeded the standards set forth by our program. We had 10 first-year scholar athletes average a 3.4 GPA for the fall semester with two of them earning a 4.0 and that accomplishment is not done without the culture our upperclassmen created through the offseason and this fall. I am thrilled to see this team continue to set high standards of success and know that their work ethic in the classroom will transfer to the gym."
 
Additionally, SD Mines scholar-athletes have had a higher cumulative GPA than the entire student body during this stretch. This record pertains specifically to the NCAA-governed athletics on campus.
 
203 Hardrocker student athletes posted a GPA of 3.0 for the semester or have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. These 203 student athletes will be honored at halftime of the SD Mines men's basketball game on Friday when the Hardrockers play host to Chadron State in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference matchup.  
 
Founded in 1885, the SD Mines is a science and engineering research university, offering bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. SD Mines offers challenging curriculum, personal attention, and great internships at a price families can afford. SD Mines has recently been ranked the #1 Engineering school in the country for return on investment. The average starting salary for 2018 graduates was over $63,000 with a 97 percent placement rate in their field. Hardrocker student athletes have had 100% job placement since 2013. SD Mines students have been employed by 235 different employers ranging across 38 states.