RAPID CITY, S.D. --- As the 2022-23 school year continues to get closer, Hardrocker Athletics wanted to take the time to review the success of the 2021-22 school year. The Hardrocker Athletic department continues to make strides on and off the playing surface and the 2021-22 school year was no different.   
 
The Hardrockers were represented with a total of 291 student-athletes from 25 different states and 5 countries. These student-athletes combined for a 3.08 GPA over the 2021-22 school year. Each of the following teams recorded GPA's over 3.3: Volleyball – 3.57, Men's Cross Country – 3.5, Women's Cross Country – 3.5, Women's Track & Field – 3.39, Women's Basketball – 3.38.
 
Hardrocker student-athletes earned 104 RMAC All-Academic Honors and 36 athletic based honors. Margaret Thompson earned the RMAC Cross Country Female Summit Award and Ryan Weiss was named the women's basketball academic athlete of the year for their work in the classroom. Kyante Christian was recently named a nominee for the AFCA All Good Works team for his work with the Hardrocker Ally Association in the community.
 
It is not an easy feat to be successful as a student at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, and the student-athletes have a rigorous schedule that included over 64,000 miles of travel and 2,519 community service hours in 2021-22.
 
"It is our goal to be servant leaders and to help develop student-athletes into successful individuals for life." said athletic director Joel Lueken "We couldn't be more proud of our student-athletes for the amount of work they put in in the classroom, in their sport and being able to go out and get jobs, internships, and go on to have successful career."
 
About South Dakota Mines
The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology is a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and NCAA Division II offering 11 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic programs. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 members, as well as four associate members, located in the states of California, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah.