Success at South Dakota Mines demands more than talent—it requires relentless effort in the classroom and in one of the toughest conferences in the nation. For Women's Basketball head coach Kyley Bachand, that standard is personal.

Bachand, a native of Council Bluffs, Iowa, played at Illinois before she made coaching stops at SMU, Eastern Illinois, Sioux Falls, Colorado State and William Jewell. With experience all over the NCAA, there is still nothing like the community at South Dakota Mines.

"We're surrounded by amazing people who care deeply not only about women's basketball, but they want us to be great," Bachand said. "This is a family friendly environment and being a mom of two kids in the coaching world isn't easy. Everybody supports us and is there to help to make an experience for my kids too."

This past season, the Hardrockers started the RMAC 4-1, their best start in the conference in program history. That run began on Dec. 2 with a 64-62 win against Black Hills State at the King Center—the program's first victory over the Yellow Jackets in nearly four years.

"That win was the highlight of our season," Bachand said. "I remember our players, their faces of excitement, but also shock because they had never done it before. To be able to help provide an experience and a memory like that for them; they will remember that for the rest of their lives."

Moments like that are why scholarship support at South Dakota Mines is so important.

"Getting the talent level to be able to compete is where the scholarship dollars help the most. They go directly to that student-athlete, and they take pressure off the student-athlete allowing them to step off the court and know that they've had the support and the time to be able to put in the work to be great," Bachand said.

Bachand wants to make the future of South Dakota Mines Women's Basketball a top-tier program in the RMAC, the South Central region and the entire NCAA. That growth showed this season, as the Hardrockers earned three major awards, highlighted by Addison Miranda's Freshman of the Year honor—the program's first since 2008.

"Our goals are to make the conference tournament, to win 15+ games but also to put us in a position to be in the NCAA tournament and compete at a national level," Bachand explained. "We also want to continue to graduate these student-athletes with the highest education and to continue to set them up for success after basketball."

Scholarships help not just the student-athletes on the court, but it puts them in a position to succeed off the court as well.

"Scholarships allow us to direct our focus on other experiences for student-athletes as far as giving them additional gear or giving them a better experience on the road. It helps us to be able to direct our focus on other things," Bachand said. "The support of scholarship dollars is really important because it takes off that pressure of always having to think about if we are funded."

Bachand went on to say that less focus on funds open up more opportunities to grow the program and create a winning program at South Dakota Mines.

The Rise of the Rockers Scholarship Campaign directly impacts Hardrocker student-athletes. With continued support, the experience—and the success—of South Dakota Mines Athletics will only continue to grow. Consider making an impact by clicking the image below, or the "Rise of the Rockers" tab at GoRockers.com.