By: Cody Bush, Associate Commissioner / Strategic Communications

LAS VEGAS, N.M. – South Dakota Mines junior cross country athlete Clare Fischer, a civil and environmental engineer major, received the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference’s Summit Award on Saturday at the conclusion of its 2024 Cross Country Championships.
 
In her third season with the Hardrockers, Fischer has a 4.00 grade-point average. Last season, the United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) named her to its Cross Country All-Academic Team and was a member of the RMAC Academic Honor Roll. On Saturday, she was second to the line for South Dakota Mines, completing the championship course in 22:21.0.  
 
The RMAC’s Summit Award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA competing at the finals site of their respective sport’s championship. Summit Award winners must have competed in 20 percent of available competitions throughout the current season. All GPAs are based on a straight-grading scale to ensure consistency among nominees. All ties are broken by the total number of credit hours completed through the most recently concluded semester.
 
To be eligible for the award, student-athletes must be sophomores or above and have participated in their sport at their institution for at least two years. They must also be active members of their teams and travel to and compete at the RMAC championship event.
 
About the RMAC
The RMAC is a premier NCAA Division II conference located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with 15 member schools. The RMAC sponsors 22 varsity NCAA sports and has produced 65 NCAA Division II national champions and 52 national runners-up since 1992.