RAPID CITY, S.D. --- South Dakota Mines in conjunction with Monument Health are pleased to announce the hiring of Kaleb Birney as the assistant athletic director of sports medicine for Hardrocker athletics announced on Wednesday.

"Kaleb brings a wealth of experience and leadership not just to our sports medicine staff but the Hardrocker athletic department as a whole," Lueken said. "I'm thrilled to welcome him and his family to our Hardrocker Family."

Birney will head the Hardrocker sports medicine team, which provides athletic training services to all 13 intercollegiate athletic programs, as well as assist Athletic Director Joel Lueken in managing the Hardrocker athletic department.

"I am extremely excited for this opportunity to join Monument Health and the Hardrocker Athletic Department," Birney said. "My hope is to provide each sports program at South Dakota Mines with the best possible sports medicine coverage as well as keep the student-athletes healthy both physically and mentally."

Before coming to Rapid City, Birney was the head athletic trainer at the University of Montana Western since 2016 and served in the department since 2014. Birney was the primary athletic trainer for the UMW football and men's basketball programs while also overseeing all sports. He also served on the State Of Montana board of Licensure.

Prior to joining the UMW athletic training staff he served as an intern athletic trainer at Georgia State University in Atlanta Georgia while providing medical coverage to the men's soccer, football and baseball teams. While in Atlanta he helped provide medical coverage for the 2014 Division I, II, III Men's Basketball Final Four. Birney also provided medical coverage for the Brookhaven Bucks summer baseball team in 2013.

Birney earned his B.S. in Athletic Training from Wichita State University in 2012. He went on to receive his Master of Science, Exercise Science & Health Promotion from California University of Pennsylvania in 2014.
While at Wichita State, Birney was a part of the Men's Basketball 2011 National Invitation Tournament Championship team.

Birney was a student athletic training intern for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2010 and 2011, Derby Twins in 2010.

He is certified as a Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES), Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES), First Aid/CPR, and Sound Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (SASTM).

A native of Sublette, Kansas, Birney enjoys spending time with his wife Emilee, three daughters (Kezlee, Georgia, Sayler) and also playing the guitar, hiking and bird hunting.