KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The South Dakota School of Mines and Hardrocker student-athletes keep setting the "academic bar" a little higher each season as nine of the 10 athletic programs were named as a 2009-10 NAIA Scholar Athlete Team which was announced Tuesday by the NAIA.
"The academic success and quality of our entire university, and specifically the athletic programs, couldn't be stated any clearer than to have 90 percent of all our teams within the Athletic Department earn an NAIA Scholar Team award," said Hardrocker Athletics Director Dick Kaiser. "This outstanding academic achievement speaks volumes about the types of student-athletes that play for the Hardrockers and the emphasis placed on academics by the coaches, faculty and administration.
For a team to be considered for the NAIA Scholar Team award, it must have a minimum 3.0 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) as defined by the institution. The team GPA must include all varsity student-athletes certified as eligible.
"The ability of our student-athletes to juggle a very difficult academic schedule while competing and traveling at a very high athletic level amazes me sometimes and I salute these outstanding young men and women for their accomplishments," Kaiser said.
The SD Mines men's golf team had the highest ranking among Hardrocker programs, posting a GPA of 3.49, while the women's basketball and volleyball programs were a very close second --- each coming in with a 3.48; women's golf earned a 3.43; women's track and field tallied a 3.36, followed by men's cross country (3.25), women's cross country (3.19), and men's basketball and men's track and field both rounded out the SDM list --- each posting a 3.05.
"I don't know the entire history of these types of academic awards and accolades at South Dakota School of Mines, but I have to believe this is one of those special times when the entire Athletic Department has achieved so much success in one year," Kaiser said. "Obviously it is a great day to be a Hardrocker."
The Iowa Wesleyan volleyball team is the 2009-10 NAIA Scholar-Team of the Year. The Lady Tigers, under the direction of head coach Jill Blake, finished in the top spot with a 3.82 grade point average during the 2009-10 academic year. A record total of 857 teams from approximately 300 NAIA institutions, an increase over last year's total of 837, received the award.
