RAPID CITY, SD (July 16, 2025) – The South Dakota Mines Hardrocker women's golf team has two student-athletes named as 2024-2025 Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-American Scholars.
The WGCA recently announced the prestigious honor recognizing more than 1,500 women's collegiate golfers from 411 programs.
The two players named for the prestigious honor are Lora Ortega, a recent biomedical engineering graduate from Alamosa, Calif., and Kenzie Schroeder, a junior biomedical engineering major from Hicksville, Ohio. This is Schroeder's second time for the honor and Ortega's first.
"Lora and Kenzie exemplify what it means to be a Hardrocker—outstanding students and dedicated athletes. Earning WGCA All-American Scholar honors is a testament to the work they put in both on the course and in demanding academic programs at Mines," said Luke Wheeler, director of golf.
The criteria for selection to the All-American Scholar Team are some of the most stringent in all of college athletics and continue to demonstrate the high-level academic achievements of our players. To qualify for this honor, a student-athlete has to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.50 and play in at least 50 percent of the team's regularly scheduled competitive rounds during the year through the team's conference championship.
A full list of the 2024-2025 All-American Scholar Team can be found here.
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About South Dakota Mines
Founded in 1885, South Dakota Mines is one of the nation's leading engineering, science and technology universities. South Dakota Mines offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees and a best-in-class education at an affordable price. The university enrolls 2,579 students with an average class size of 24. The South Dakota Mines placement rate for graduates is 97 percent, with an average starting salary of $77,067. For these reasons, South Dakota Mines is ranked among the best engineering schools in the country for return on investment. Find us online at www.sdsmt.edu and on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Snapchat.
About South Dakota Mines Athletics
South Dakota Mines is a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and NCAA Division II offering 13 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic programs. The RMAC 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.
