GOLDEN, Colo. --- On Thursday morning, the All-Super Region 4 Football teams were announced and the Hardrockers earned spots on the team.
Despite a 5-6 season, statistically, especially on offense the Hardrockers were better than the record showed and had several standout performers. Two of those performers were Ben Noland and Henry Dryden. As a result of their performances over the 2023 season, they have earned spots on the D2CCA All-Super Region 4 team.
Noland was named to the first team to become the first D2CCA All-Region First Team selection in school history among any program. As a result of his selection to the first team, he will move on to be nominated and have a chance at being named an All-American.
These two athletes are the third and fourth players in program history to be honored on the D2CCA Super Region list, following Kyante Christian and Jeremiah Bridges from last year.
Noland was one of the best receivers in the RMAC, in Super Region 4 (RMAC, Lone Star and NSIC) and nationally. The junior wide receiver from Georgia transferred in from Northern State, playing his first year as a Hardrocker, and proceeded to have one of the best seasons in school history. Noland wound up with 92 receptions, one short of the school record, broke the single-game reception record with 16 against Colorado School of Mines, and set the new single-season school record for receiving touchdowns with 16. He was 28th in NCAA Division II in all-purpose yards and fifth in receiving yards (1,184). The 92 receptions and 16 touchdowns ranked second and third in NCAA Division II.
Henry Dryden emerged as the top tight end in the RMAC, especially in the second half of the season. After emerging with a six-catch 96-yard performance against Colorado Mesa, he caught touchdowns in five of the last six games and had five or more receptions three times. Overall, he recorded 34 receptions for 422 yards and seven receiving touchdowns. Previously, he was named RMAC First Team All-Conference and eventually finished just three points shy of earning a first team selection on the D2CCA All-Super Region 4 team.
The sports information directors representing the 32 institutions in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, and Lonestar Conference nominate and vote for the Super Region 4 Team.
The Division II Conference Commissioners Association encourages and promotes Division II athletics and high standards of sportsmanship as important elements of higher education. The CCA is a key communications link among the conferences as they discuss views, policies, and regulations that impact Division II intercollegiate athletics and works closely with the NCAA as a communications channel to NCAA Division II member colleges and universities.
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 10 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.
