Fall 2004 Rabbit Tracks

RABBITtracks

Volume 10, No. 2

South Dakota State University

P a s s i o n a t e .

R e l e n t l e s s .

Fall 2004

C h a m p i o n s .

A message from Fred Oien

Go Jacks!

T

he start of the 2004-05 year couldn’t be more exciting. There are significant changes to campus (Student Union expansion and a new apartment-style residence hall), strong student enrollment, and the beginning of our transition to Division I.

In the program, we have several major changes occurring to strengthen our opportunities for student-athletes: • Our Title IX plan is well under way with the hiring of an assistant swimming and diving coach (Phil Hurley), head equestrian coach (Megan McGee); planning and beginning the construction of a new on-campus softball stadium and soccer practice complex; and new scholarships. Later this year, we will hire an assistant equestrian coach and an assistant cross country/track and field coach. • Scheduling by our coaches in the first year of Division I transition is but a glimpse of the future schedules to come. We have road games against major universities like Alabama, Kentucky, Oklahoma State, Southern California, and Rutgers. Beginning in 200506, some of these institutions will be coming to our campus.

The Big Sky Conference has invited the Jackrabbits to file a letter of interest to begin the process towards potential conference membership. This would solidify our position in our successful transition to Division I. These exciting changes are part of our plans to put us in a position to compete in our first year for post-season championships (2008-09) for all sports. Student-athletes, our coaches, and staff have a clear understanding of this plan and are ready to meet the challenge. The growing support from our fans continues to become more visible.

For our student-athletes, there will be more opportunity to participate to challenge their abilities and to experience national exposure.

Their excitement and energies toward these opportunities far exceed anything we imagined. They have prepared themselves in the summer like we have never experienced before. Our transition will require patience and understanding as we learn and grow.

Thank you for your support. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Go Jacks!

P a s s i o n a t e .

R e l e n t l e s s .

Fred Oien SDSU Athletic Director

C h a m p i o n s .

VIsIon To be a premier student-centered, collegiate athletic program.

MIssIon To passionately and relentlessly create an environment, rooted in sportsmanship and ethical conduct, where motivated student-athletes can develop into lifelong champions.

VAlues Honesty, equity, academic integrity, fiscal integrity and social responsibility with the expectation of competing at the highest level.

P a s s i o n a t e .

Rabbit tracks Fall 2004,Vol. 10, No. 2

R e l e n t l e s s .

C h a m p i o n s .

Contents Equestrian: A growing sport for female student-athletes . .2

SDSU President Peggy Gordon Miller SDSU Athletic Director Fred Oien SDSU Sports Information Director Ron Lenz SDSU Sports Information Assistant Director Jason Hove Assistant to Athletic Director/External Affairs Keith Mahlum Editor Nan Steinley, University Relations Contributing Writers Kyle Johnson, Dave Graves, Miranda Malo, Denise Watt, University Relations Jason Hove, Matt Hoover, Sports Information Office Designer Kristine Madsen, University Relations Photographer Eric Landwehr, University Relations Rabbit Tracks is produced by University Relations in cooperation with the SDSU Athletic Department at no cost to the State of South Dakota. Please notify the Athletic Department office when you change your address.

Athletic Department South Dakota State University Box 2820, Brookings, SD 57007 Telephone: 605/688-5625 Fax: 605/688-5999 Website: www.gojacks.com Cover photo: SDSU sophomore Kate Moen

Front cover photo by Eric Landwehr, University Relations 1,000 copies printed by the SDSU Athletic Department at no cost to the State of South Dakota. PE069 10/04.

Megan Megee takes reins of newest sport . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Stats tell only part of Kim Bostrom’s story . . . . . . . . . . .5 No “can’t” in Connot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Andy Wagstrom holds onto NFL dreams . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Ella Ollenburg: a star off the court, field . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Top 10 Hobo Day Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 The future: scholarships, coaches, facilities . . . . . . . . . . .13 Under construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Travel and competition: memorable experiences . . . . . . .16

Equestrian

Equestrian

a growing sport for female student-athletes

I

n April 2004, SDSU became the twenty-second NCAA school to add the emerging sport for women. It is the latest step in providing new athletic opportunities for the female student population in South Dakota and the upper Midwest.

“This is going to give young women in South Dakota, Minnesota, and the surrounding area an opportunity to continue their competition once they leave home, especially for those who have been active in horse shows, rodeo, and 4-H events,” says Senior Woman Administrator Nancy Neiber.

As a land-grant institution, equestrian is a natural fit for SDSU. The University offers majors in pre-veterinary and animal science along with coursework in equine studies.

SDSU has offered equestrian at the club level under the banner of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association. A strong horsemanship base also exists at the 4-H level in the state.

Equestrian competition is not horse racing or rodeo. With a variety of jumps and related moves in managing a horse, it’s a sport that rewards fluid motion in moving from a walk, to a trot, to a canter. Competitors are judged not so much for speed as mastery of traditional skills of riding.

Riders have two styles in competition: English and Western.

English involves equitation on the flat and over fences. Western has horsemanship and reining skills that tests a horse’s speed and agility and a rider’s ability to maneuver the animal.

Hearing that SDSU added equestrian to its athletic portfolio, Kate Moen, a sophomore animal science major from Sisseton, could hardly wait to tell her family.

“I said ‘Dad, we’re going to have an equestrian team here.

I’m going to try out and stay active on my horse!’ I thought it was great news. I’m hoping to keep up my interests through the equestrian program.”

Named Miss Rodeo SDSU last spring, she has trained her own horse, Kat, which her grandfather gave to her as a twoyear-old and is now five.

2 • Rabbit tracks

Accustomed mainly to the Western style, Moen has performed the English version, jumping at county shows in Sisseton and at the State 4-H Show in Huron in July.

Determined to improve her skills, she even built her own jumps to practice on.

“English riding isn’t as popular here as other places, but I’ve been working really hard to improve myself,” says Moen, who is anxious about making the equestrian team.

“I grew up on horses, anything horse related is big in the Midwest. I’ve talked to lots of people who are interested; who think it’s cool that it’s available in college. I did rodeo in high school and everyone else was in track. They would always get the recognition and that’s not always right. I’m glad SDSU is making it [equestrian] a sport.”

Second-largest sport Plans call for new head coach Megan McGee and a yet-to-be named assistant coach to use 2004-05 to recruit and train student-athletes in the Western and English saddle disciplines before competition begins in 2005-06. (See separate story on page 4 on McGee.) Initial plans are to begin with five full scholarships, building to fifteen by 2009-10. The school eventually expects to field a roster of sixty student-athletes, making it the secondlargest sport in terms of numbers behind football.

Neiber attended the Varsity Equestrian Championship in Conyers, Georgia, April 23-24 and came away with a deeper appreciation for the sport, which is also contested at the Olympic level.

“This is absolutely a fabulous sport for women,” she says.

English saddle, “These young women Western saddle, stock are as athletic, fit, strong, and confident as any that seat, hunt seat.

I’ve ever seen.”

Terms not that well Equine exposure SDSU rodeo club coach Terry McCutcheon says some of his female participants might be interested in joining the new varsity program.

known, but soon they will be household words, thanks to the addition of varsity equestrian to the Jackrabbit athletic family.

Equestrian

“We will have some kids interested in crossing over,” he says. “It’s all about opportunity. Anyone who wants to come in and is interested in learning, whether it’s a club or varsity team, is what’s really important.”

Koyla Kruse, an instructor in animal and range sciences, sees big things happening. She also is the advisor to the horse club and the equestrian club.

“It’s a great opportunity for students coming to this University, she says. “It’s cause for excitement. It’s a large recruiting tool, certainly for athletics.”

Kruse, who teaches equine management classes, sees a major plus on the academic side, too.

“We’re hoping it will bring more students into our department, because of the courses I teach. Eventually, we want to expand the academic side, in other words offer more equine courses to serve those students and offer an equine management minor.

“The unique thing about this is that it can lead to a career path,” adds Kruse. “In the equine world, not only can they compete, but they can also choose a career of a huge variety, everything from managing a stable, managing a training facility, being a trainer, or the veterinarian field.”

Venues ready for use Facilities for both training and competition are already in place.

The University has entered into a long-term lease agreement with Pegasus Equine Center. Located about a mile northeast of campus, Pegasus houses a full-service breeding laboratory, twenty indoor stalls, an office, conference space, and an indoor riding arena on its twenty-three acre layout.

Neiber, State’s former head women’s basketball coach, noted that equestrian student-athletes are a special breed themselves.

“When we finished basketball practice we put the balls on the rack and wheeled them into the equipment room,” she says. “When equestrian practice is finished, the student-athletes will help house the horses, feed them, clean their stalls, and generally help make sure they are fit and sound for riding.”

NCAA schools do not travel with horses. Instead, the host schools provide the animals. To keep the competition fair, riders enter a blind draw and compete using an unfamiliar horse.

SDSU is looking at a herd of about forty horses for the student-athletes to train with. “We will need about 1.5 horses

for every two athletes,” says Neiber, who notes that the horse population will come from various sources.

“We might lease horses, purchase them, or they might be donated to us,” she says. “There are different ways this can work. But, we can’t accept any horses until our coaching staff has a chance to evaluate them first.”

Pegasus’ future expansion plans include a larger indoor riding arena and expanded indoor stabling areas. The Swiftel Center, with its 30,000 square-foot arena floor, will serve as the main competition venue.

Equestrian is split into two seasons, from September through November and January through April. The NCAA does not sanction an equestrian national championship, but will once the number of schools sponsoring the sport reaches forty.

Kyle Johnson

Glossary of Terms Equitation: In riding competitions, this indicates that riders are being judged on their ability to control the horse while maintaining the correct riding position. Riders have the added challenge of riding an unfamiliar horse, which they draw in a lottery system just prior to their event.

Equitation over fences: An individual performance where each rider shows a horse over eight to ten jumps of varying heights. Riders are judged on their ability to position the horse correctly at the jumps and avoid interfering with the horse’s balance, while maintaining the correct riding position and producing a smooth, polished performance.

Hunt seat: The category in which English riders compete either over a series of jumps or in a general equitation class.

Reining: In these classes, the most advanced Western riders perform an individual, pre-assigned pattern from memory, demonstrating a variety of stops, turns, and figures at various speeds. The emphasis is on precision and technical application of the rider’s ability to handle unfamiliar horses.

Stock seat: The Western Horsemanship classes.

Tack: The equipment worn by the horse.

Walk, jog, lope: In Western, these are the gaits that the horse travels in.

Walk, trot, canter: In English, these are the gaits that the horse travels in.

Rabbit tracks • 3

Megan

McGee

Megan McGee takes reins of newest sport

T

he woman who led the Fresno State equestrian program from its inception to becoming one of the nation’s best teams will endeavor to do the same at SDSU. Megan McGee was announced August 31 as the head coach of SDSU’s newest women’s athletic program.

In 1997, Fresno’s first year, the school finished eighth in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Finals.

The association is the governing body for equestrian. Her teams continued to make marks right through the 2003 season, when she resigned.

Since her August 15, 2003, resignation, McGee has been a consultant for two management firms—Ram Tap and Montana Equestrian Events. She has organized and managed events around the country for the firms, and she also has been an official at equestrian events around the country.

Her position at SDSU will begin November 1, pending approval by the South Dakota Board of Regents.

Fresno State highlights • Two of her riders competed in the 2000 Olympic Trials.

• In her second season (1998), she coached the winner of the American Quarter Horse Trophy, which is given to the high point rider at the International Horse Show Association Nationals.

• She took her team to the association nationals each year, placing as high as fifth in 2001 with two individual reserve champions.

• Her 2002 team had two reserve national champions and four other top ten finishers.

Personally McGee was born in Detroit and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, where she participated in volleyball, swimming, and equestrian in high school. She began competing as a professional on the open horse show circuit at age 15.

The 1983 Cal Poly graduate earned a degree in animal science. She gained early coaching experience while serving as a teaching assistant at Morehead (Kentucky) State University, Cal Poly, and Portland State, when she also worked at Lake Oswego Hunt Club in Lake Oswego, Oregon.

At SDSU, she will help hire an assistant coach and a graduate assistant as well as do recruiting for 2005, when State begins competition.

Historical Highlights 1929: South Dakota State’s track team may have fielded the smallest team at the North Central Championships, but the Rabbits pulled off one for the ages when a seven-man team brought back to Brookings the NCC track championship.

1954: The Jackrabbit football team breezed through the conference season, winning five games and tying one. The Jacks captured the NCC crown when SDSU beat Morningside 31-29.

1979: Defending NCAA champion Rick Jensen became only one of two wrestlers ever to win four conference championships. A winner in three different weight classes, Jensen also became the only athlete ever to win the outstanding wrestler award three times. Jensen finished his career with 128 wins and 14 losses.

Rick Jensen (1979)

4 • Rabbit tracks

1994: The Jackrabbit women’s golf team won the NCC title in the fall and went on to finish fourth in the spring at the Division II national tournament. The Jacks football team ended the year with a 7-4 record.

1999: SDSU’s volleyball team finished the season with a 22-9 record, capping off the fourth consecutive year the Jacks had posted 20 or more wins. The Jackrabbit women received many awards throughout the year, including NCC freshman of the year (Angie Rime) and defensive specialist of the year (Sarah Worklan). Along with those honors, Shauna Sturm was named to the All-North Central region team.

2004: The soccer team made history in a 2-0 loss at Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Friday, Aug. 27, contest was the first competition for SDSU as a Division I school. In the first half, the Jacks pitched a shutout against UW-Milwaukee, the defending Horizon League champion and 2004 conference favorite.

Compiled by Matt Hoover

Kim

Bostrom

Stats tell only part of Kim Bostrom’s story

T

he mark of a true team athlete comes from an intense desire to put team success above all else—including personal success.

An athlete like SDSU’s Kim Bostrom can claim both.

A 5-10 middle hitter from Circle Pines, Minnesota, Bostrom heads into her senior year with a possibility of setting records at State. Already well on her way, she entered the season ranked seventh in career block assists (238), third in career hitting percentage (.310), and tenth in career kills (868). She needed 132 kills to become the eighth player in SDSU history to reach 1,000 career kills.

During the 2003 season Bostrom led her team in kills (407), kills per game average (3.57), and • Selected both athletically hitting percentage (.333). She came in and academically to Allsecond with block North Central Conference assists (81) and total blocks (90).

Teams in 2003.

Statistics alone don’t give an accurate • Named to Daktronics Allpicture of Bostrom.

North Central Region Even though she has obtained some second team in 2002 and notable numbers 2003. throughout her career, she says she • Selected to College doesn’t “care so Sports Information much” about them.

Instead, she is eager Directors of America to discuss her role in helping her team (CoSIDA) Academic Allsucceed.

District third team in “Her presence has a big influence 2003. on the outcome of • Member of the teams that the match,” says head volleyball coach became NCAA Division II Andrew Palileo.

“She became a national runner-up in big part of the reason 2001 and North Central why we made it to the 2001 NCAA Region runner-up in championship match.

She was one of the better middles in the NCC conference and will now need to take her team to the next level as we move [into] Division I.” Palileo says Bostrom contributes to her team in several ways. “Kim is a great person who works hard at anything she does,” he says. “She serves as a role model to the younger girls due to her strong work ethic and determination. Kim also contributes in the fact that she carries the role of one of our go-to players in crunch time situations.”

That role is one that Bostrom strives to fill.

“I try to be more of the go-to person on the court,” she says. “I like to be the leader on the court.”

Bostrom began playing volleyball as a seventh grader after watching her older sisters play. “I took part in all sports all the time,” says the Centennial High School graduate, who participated in basketball, softball, and track in addition to volleyball.

“Kim started very slow for us her freshman year due to injuries and her inexperience of playing at a high level,” Palileo says. “Her ability to pick up things quickly and attitude of wanting to do things the right way helped her mature as a player.”

Bostrom sees the limited opportunities for volleyball titles in the first few years of Division I play as an opportunity to focus on teamwork skills. “I want us all to be comfortable playing with each other and also to have fun,” she says.

As a student-athlete, Bostrom cites several lessons she can apply both on and off the court.

“You really learn how to manage your time,” says Bostrom, who played in every match during the 2003 season.

“You really learn how to work with all sorts of people.”

Hard work is nothing new for Bostrom. Upon her graduation in December 2004, she will have completed her bachelor’s degree in sociology in three and a half years. After she graduates, she says she is considering a career in law enforcement, possibly working as a police officer.

Whatever career path she decides to pursue, Bostrom knows that she would like to continue playing competitive volleyball at some level.

“I’d like to keep playing on the women’s league,” says Bostrom. “I think I would miss it if I didn’t play at all.”

No doubt she will be missed at her future alma mater as well.

Denise Watt

2002.

Rabbit tracks • 5

Competitive

Success

No “can’t” in Connot Scott Connot played in thirty-four games with the Jacks, including starting every game the past two seasons.

A

fter the NFL draft ended in April, the first-team all-North Central Conference safety signed a free-agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. He finished his SDSU career with 234 tackles (142 solos), eight interceptions, and seven forced fumbles.

Connot, 23, went through the Chiefs entire pre-season camp before being released in the final cuts. On September 16, he was signed to Chiefs practice squad. He gives us a brief feel of his training camp journey in the following diary.

Wednesday, July 28 Had to meet at the stadium at 10:30 to get the bags packed and ready for travel. We took buses to the airport, where we got on the biggest and nicest plane I had ever been on. We then flew to Minneapolis, where we unloaded right off the plane on to buses, which took us to River Falls, [Wisconsin,] where we checked into our dorms.

Saturday, July 31 In the AM practice I had a interception and forced a fumble.

Friday, August 6 Traveled to Mankato, Minnesota, to practice against the Vikings.

The AM practice went well, had some good plays and it was nice to have some different faces to practice against.

After the morning practice I got to see my wife, Lisa; her mom, my parents, grandparents, and old coaches from high school. It was very nice to see some familiar faces.

Monday, August 9 Throughout the course of the morning I had many of the coaches, and people within the organization come up to me and tell me I had a good weekend in Minnesota. It was very uplifting to hear all the good comments.

It also seemed to show in practice because I am getting more reps on special teams and am getting more looks. The PM practice was very cool and went pretty good until I was fooled on a trick play.

6 • Rabbit tracks

Friday, August 13 Game day. I can't believe that it is finally here. Still doesn't hardly seem real that I am going to be playing against the New York Giants and it will be on TV. Had a few meetings and a lot of relax time most of the day and then ate our pre-game meal and headed to the stadium.

Once I got into the locker room and saw my locker with my jersey, it finally set in what I was doing and how real it was.

The game went pretty good. I didn't play much the first half, but played the third and fourth quarters on special teams and played the whole fourth quarter on defense. I had one tackle and had an amazing time playing. I cannot wait till our next pre-season game.

After the game we loaded the buses and departed for the airport, where we took off soon after arriving. However, we didn't arrive back in River Falls till 4:15 am. I couldn't wait to crawl into bed.

Wednesday, August 18 In the morning we had a special teams practice. It’s nice because they are a shorter and not as intense. Later that afternoon President Bush visited our camp. However, I misunderstood when he was coming and slept right through it. I am very disappointed about that.

We had the rest of the afternoon off until later that night when we had our rookie night.

Monday, August 23 Slept in till about 10:00 and just relaxed until we had our pre-game meal at 3:00. Lisa’s mom came into town just before I left. It is hard to believe that I am playing Monday Night Football tonight.

The game went really well. I got to play some special teams most of the second half and played the whole fourth quarter on defense. While playing I had three pretty good tackles and a blitz that worked perfectly and I knocked the ball down. All in all I felt it went good.

Competitive

Success

Swamped schedules, practice fields Andy Wagstrom holds onto NFL dreams.

T

he 6-4, 296-pound guard was signed as a free agent by the Miami Dolphins on April 30 after the NFL draft ended. Wagstrom, of Faribault, Minnesota, spent nearly a month in the Dolphin pre-season camp before being released August 26.

As of press time, the civil engineering major hopes to join a practice squad in September or play in NFL Europe in the spring. At State, Wagstrom was a three-year starter at guard and tackle and played in the Cactus Bowl, the Division II allstar game, after his senior season.

He gives us a brief feel of his first week in the NFL in the following diary.

Friday, July 30 Today is the first day of training camp. The primary focus of today was the conditioning test that all the players who are healthy take part in. We ran two 300-yard shuttle runs. It consists of running down the field 50 yards, turning and running back 50 yards until three hundred yards is reached. I made my times pretty easily, which is good because if you did not make the times you have to do extra conditioning.

We had position meetings at 8 p.m. and they lasted about two and a half hours. All we did was install the plays that will be run in tomorrow’s practice.

Saturday, July 31 The team definitely hit the ground running today. Usually in college you have a couple of days of no-pads practices before you put the pads on.

But here the first practice of training camp was full pads with quite a bit of live hitting drills. After practice we ate lunch and went right into meetings again. The afternoon meetings generally consist of watching the tape from the morning practice and fixing any errors that may need to be corrected.

The afternoon practice was abruptly cut short today. We went outside at 4 p.m. and at about the same time a huge thunderstorm rolled through. It pretty much flooded out the practice fields. Practice was cancelled, and has to be made up another day.

Sunday, August 1 We practiced in the morning but the afternoon practice was rained out. It’s hurricane season in South Florida right now.

Monday, August 2 We were only supposed to have one practice today, but because of the severe weather the last two afternoons we had two today to make up for lost practice time.

We had to move up practice time a couple of hours today to get in the second practice. There was another thunderstorm cell that was supposed to roll through.

Tuesday, August 3 Today was truly the first two-a-day that we have had so I'll give you a run down of a typical day.

6:30 am Breakfast 6:45 am Taping begins 8:00 am Selected player meetings 8:45 am Kickers, punters, snappers on the field 9:00 am Practice 11:30 am Lunch 1:00 pm Treatment and taping begins 2:00 pm Meetings 4:00 pm Specialists on the field 4:15 pm Practice 6:30 pm Dinner 7:15 pm Special teams meetings 8:00 pm Meetings 11:00 pm Bed check Rabbit tracks • 7

Ella

Ollenburg

Ollenburg proves herself a shining star off the court, field Number one fan

E

lla Ollenburg sits in her wheelchair at the United Retirement Center in Brookings, gazing out the window of her room. However, her gaze doesn’t last long when she sees a college basketball player make a slam dunk shot on ESPN. “Oh, he’s good,” 93-year-old Ollenburg says.

Ollenburg isn’t your average sports fan, catching a game here and there. If she could, Ollenburg would be at every SDSU athletic event. The only thing that’s stopping her from being at the games is her wheelchair. Her body might be confined to the chair these days, but her spirit sure isn’t.

8 • Rabbit tracks

Ollenburg is a huge Jackrabbit athletics fan and, up until two years ago, was at every game. “I have always been interested in sports, particularly SDSU sports,” she says with a smile. “I had season tickets to volleyball and basketball since 1956.”

What makes her even more special is the fact that she’s not an SDSU alumna. “I went to SDSU for one quarter during the 1930’s,” she says. “But I graduated from Dakota Wesleyan in 1934.”

Ollenburg, a Mitchell native, got her degree in home economics, during a time when most women were taught to find a husband early in life and have children.

Ollenburg didn’t want any of that and never married.

“I went with a boy in college,” she says with a wink. “But you know. He went one way, I went the other.”

Ollenburg moved to Brookings in 1956 and pursued a career as a member of the 4-H staff at the State Extension office, retiring in 1976.

If you didn’t know any better, Ollenburg could also have held a full time position as a Jackrabbit sports fan.

She became one of the original members of the “Back of the Bus” gang, a fan network that has chartered buses, funded scholarships, conducted raffles, hosted steak frys for the basketball teams in the spring, and watermelon feeds for the soccer and football teams in the fall.

Her travels with the team have taken her to national tournaments all around the country, including traveling to Rochester, Minnesota, in 2002 to see the “Elite Eight” women’s basketball tournament and again to Missouri in 2003.

Ella

Ollenburg

For the love of the game It’s her love for the game that has inspired Ollenburg to set up four different scholarships in football, basketball, volleyball, and soccer.

Two of the scholarships are for $500; the other two are for $750, making Ollenburg’s scholarship funding $2,500 per year.

“I felt that at SDSU, all the members on the teams had wonderful sportsmanship,” she says proudly. “I felt that was the most important thing; that they make themselves a team, rather than seek out personal glory.”

“These scholarships directly benefit student-athletes in the form of financial support,” says Keith Mahlum, assistant to the athletic director.

Ollenburg set up certain criteria for the scholarships, which are given to the head coach, who then annually recommends student-athletes who meet those criteria.

“It was a struggle for me to pay for college,” she says, “So if I can help other young people go to college, I’m happy to help.”

The athletic department is extremely grateful to Ollenburg as well.

Leading by example Ella is truly a shining example,” says Mahlum. “She has helped create a tradition of giving among our alumni base and friends, which has provided tremendous opportunities for studentathletes.”

“I love to see the kids play, see them get the game experience,” Ollenburg says with a smile. “It’s exciting to see young people develop their game from when they come in as a freshman to when they graduate. They gain leadership and character development.”

Those who traveled with Ollenburg all those years with the “Back of the Bus” gang say she’s a treat to have along.

“She’s a grand lady,” says Glen Anderegg, who, along with his wife, Sharon, spent many bus trips with Ollenburg.

“We just love her,” Anderegg says. “She is a tremendous SDSU backer.”

Ollenburg feels the same way about her companions and the players she travels sometimes hundreds of miles to see.

“She just lights up when players see her in the stands,” says Anderegg, who also says Ollenburg is like a grandma to their family.

“We’ve known her for twenty-five or thirty years now,” says Anderegg. “We had been taking her to basketball games for the last ten or fifteen years.”

Ollenburg has been diagnosed with A plastic anemia, a condition that doesn’t allow her to body to make red blood cells.

“She doing much better now,” Anderegg says. “She’s a fighter so I’m sure she’ll keep fighting for many years to come.”

Greta Stewart LEFT: “Back of the Bus” members gather at the Elite Eight Tournament at Missouri Western State College in St. Joseph in 2003. Front row, from left, Marian Rude and Ella Ollenburg. Back row, Glen Anderegg and Sharon Anderegg.

OPPOSITE PAGE: Ella Ollenburg at a Jackrabbit home basketball game in March 2003.

Rabbit tracks • 9

Hobo

Day

Highlights

The Top 10 Memorable Hobo Day Games

T

he November 6 football game against Augustana will mark the 91st Hobo Day game in Jackrabbit history.

SDSU holds a 52-33-5 record on Hobo Day. The following is a recap of ten of the more memorable Hobo Day games in Jackrabbit football history. They were selected by going through the archives, searching old media guides, reading game reports, phone interviews with former players, and discussions with athletic department personnel.

10. 1912: Firing up the home team The first Hobo Day game goes into the record books as South Dakota State College defeats Yankton College 6-3. SDSC took the field looking to rebound from two earlier losses.

Coach Harry “Buck” Ewing, who led SDSC to a 2-3-1 record on the year, said this about the first Hobo Day game: “Anyone can cheer a team that is winning. Then they need you the least, but when a man is down, almost ready to quit, then is the time that support and backing will make him want to try it once more.”

With the crowd supporting, SDSC won the game 6-3 and would later go on to defeat Minnesota.

9. 1989: Two days of Hobo heroics

in the end zone to tie the game at 6.

SDSU later pulled ahead in the ballgame when Shane Bouman and JD Berreth hooked up on a 78yard pass play to put the Jacks up 13-6.

The game was suspended by lightning with 9:01 remaining in the contest, but the coaches, by mutual agreement, decided to finish the suspended game the following day.

Day II: SDSU and Morningside picked up where they left off the day before with SDSU in control of the ball at the 36. Morningside would score a touchdown on Day II, but Doug Miller blocked the extra point attempt that would have tied the game. Jacks win a wild one 13-12.

Day I: In a game that really could have been remembered as the 76th and 77th edition of Hobo Days, the Jackrabbits scored twice in the second half and hung on for a 13-12 win against Morningside. The game covered a two-day span after lightning caused the game to be suspended.

Morningside got on the board first as Jorge Diaz booted two field goals in the first half to take a 6-0 halftime lead.

SDSU came firing out of the locker room after halftime and DJ Wessel - 1989 scored when a fumbled punt was pounced on by DJ Wessel

10 • Rabbit tracks

8. 1975: Game-winning field goal It was a game of missed opportunities as the Jacks could have blown the game open in the second half, but had to rally in the closing seconds to win a nail-biter over USD 24-22 at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.

Jacks 1912

Hobo

Day

Highlights

Leading 21-14 early in the fourth quarter and the Jacks driving for another score, USD’s Gary Culver came up with the unthinkable as he picked off SDSU’s Greg Hart’s pass in the end zone and gave the Coyotes new life. It was the second costly turnover on the day for the Jacks as they had earlier fumbled into the end zone for a touchback.

USD quickly capitalized on the interception, scoring a touchdown and a two-point conversion with 5:35 left in the fourth quarter to put the Coyotes up 22-21. The Jacks then mounted a memorable fourteen-play drive that was capped by Dan DeLaHunt’s game winning twenty-five-yard field goal with eighteen seconds left. SDSU wins 24-22.

7. 1956: Sweetening a sour season With the pain of a one-point loss to Augustana the week before and a 60-0 pasting by national power Arizona earlier in the year still fresh in their minds, the Jackrabbits took to the field on October 9, 1956, for a classic Hobo Day game.

The Jackrabbits would come out on top this day, winning a squeaker over the University of North Dakota, 14-13.

Bob Betz - 1956

Jacks vs. USD - 1985

6. 1998: A double overtime thriller Unlike all previous Hobo Day games, the 1998 Hobo Day game took longer than sixty minutes to decide. Playing the first overtime game in school history, the Jackrabbits defeated Nebraska-Omaha 30-27 in double overtime.

The Jacks broke a 10-all tie in the fourth quarter on Andy Rennerfeldt’s 68-yard pass to Steve Heiden and a second time on Scott Nedved’s eighteen-yard jaunt up the middle for a touchdown. UNO answered right back, scoring on great drives of their own. With the score knotted at 24 and fifty-one seconds left, UNO was whistled for an illegal motion penalty as the Mavericks set up for a thirty-six-yard field goal attempt. The ensuing 41-yard field was no good, sending the game into overtime.

In the first overtime, SDSU’s Brett Gorden and UNO’s Paul Kosel traded long field goals to send the game into a second OT. UNO took possession first, but Kosel fell victim again, missing a 42-yard field goal all but sealing the deal for the Jacks.

Gorden’s 23-yard field goal sailed through the uprights and the Jacks prevailed in a heart-pounding game for the seventh time in their last eight Hobo Day games.

5. 1963: Running roughshod over USD

Earlier in the year this game was seen as a game by two of the toughest teams in the nation, but a rash of injuries caused this game to lose some of its luster—at least on paper.

SDSU, the defending league champion, was still smarting from early-season injuries going into the game. Despite not having running back Bill McDonald in the lineup, the Jacks unleashed a lethal ground attack, racking up 261 yards, led by Bob Betz’s 122 yards (4.7 yards per carry). The Jacks’ pass defense was the real story on the day, picking off four passes to put a halt to the UND threat.

In the largest margin of victory ever on Hobo Day, the Jackrabbits pounded USD 61-0 en route to the North Central Conference championship.

On the day, eight different Jackrabbits found the end zone with running back Reed Sanderson scoring twice. Gale Douglas provided the only points of the first quarter as he took a handoff and raced 26 yards for the score. The Jackrabbits added four second-quarter touchdowns to go up 34-0 at the half, outrushing USD 137-11.

The second half was more of the same as SDSU scored four more touchdowns and outmanned the Coyotes 516-74 in total offense for the game.

Rabbit tracks • 11

Hobo

Day

Highlights

4. 1997: Hail Mary delivers victory In one of the best Hobo Day finishes ever, South Dakota State defeated St. Cloud State 21-16. The Jacks carried the lead going into the fourth quarter up 13-0. With 6:20 remaining in the game St. Cloud State tied the game at 13 all, but the Huskies were flagged for excessive celebration after the touchdown. With the extra point attempt moved back 15 yards, St. Cloud State’s try for the lead sailed wide keeping the score knotted at 13. St. Cloud State took a 16-13 lead on a field goal with 3:39 remaining.

After the Jacks and Huskies traded possessions, SDSU got the ball back with 23 seconds left to go in the contest. SDSU’s Noel Bouche proceeded to loft a 47-yard Hail Mary to Brock Beran in the end zone to put SDSU ahead for good with only a few seconds remaining on the clock.

The time ran out and the Jacks won 21-16.

3. 1979: Tripping the U in playoff year The Jackrabbits were outplayed by USD for the first three quarters but held on to win a close one to keep their playoff dreams alive with a 26-21 victory.

SDSU scored a second-quarter touchdown and Tony Harris added a field goal to put the Jacks up 107 at the half. Harris added another chip shot in the third as SDSU went into the final quarter up by six. The fourth began with USD striking first, going in from two yards out. SDSU would answer right back with two consecutive touchdowns with one coming from Lionel Macklin and the other coming from Jerry James with 6:40 remaining in the contest.

Bruce Klosterman - 1985 12 • Rabbit tracks

USD would get the ball back with 1:27 left in the game, but the Jackrabbit defense stiffened and held the Coyotes on four straight pass plays.

Jacks win 26-21 and later go on to the Division II playoffs.

2. 1950: Crucial offsides call provides second chance In what will go down as one of the craziest endings in Jackrabbit football history, SDSU took on the University of North Dakota and ended dead even at 21-21 after four hard-fought quarters. It was the only game the 9-0-1 conference champs from Brookings didn’t win.

UND got on the board first when its running back scampered in from the one-foot line to go up 7-0. SDSU senior Warren Williamson put the Jacks on the board when he swept around the right side and brought the Jacks within an extra point of tying the game.

UND would score two more times on the day and take a 21-7 lead into the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter was dominated by the 5-9 Williamson, who finished the quarter with a touchdown reception and ran for another. But it was on the last touchdown from Williamson and the extra point that followed that makes this game one for the ages.

With the score 21-20 in UND’s favor and SDSU’s George Medchill digging in for the PAT, UND blocked SDSU’s kick to give UND an apparent win on this Hobo Day. But wait, the officials called UND offsides and gave Medchille another chance. Medchill redeemed himself, knocking it through the uprights, securing a 21-21 tie. Williamson would later say that he didn’t really remember the end of the game because he had gotten hit so hard on his touchdown run.

1. 1985: Record crowd witnesses end to USD streak On an absolutely perfect day to watch football a record crowd of 16,193 showed up to watch SDSU avenge an earlier loss and crush previously undefeated and No. 1 ranked USD. SDSU had earlier lost to the Coyotes 33-18.

But on this day, behind a packed house at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium, the Jacks beat the Coyotes 24-12.

SDSU scored the first 22 points of the game and never looked back as K.C. Johnson kicked three field goals and Mike Busch threw for a touchdown and ran for another to put the Jacks ahead.

The Jackrabbit defense led by NCC player of the week Brian Sisley and Bruce Klostermann was just as good as all the Coyotes could muster on the day were two fourth-quarter touchdowns. The defense and special teams put the final touches on the upset when the Jacks recorded a safety in the end zone to slam the door shut on USD. With the win, SDSU erased USD’s eleven-game winning streak and went on to have a 7-2 record in conference play finishing tied for second-place in the North Central Conference race.

Matt Hoover

Title

IX

-

Program

Improvements

The future: More scholarships, more coaches, improved facilities

W

ith the move to Division I, SDSU will not only face new competition, but also will begin to implement several steps towards Title IX compliance, including the creation of a women’s equestrian program and increased scholarship opportunities.

Enacted in 1972, Title IX states that, “No person in the United States shall on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

The first step in the ongoing process toward Title IX compliance is the proposed addition of 9 1/2 scholarships in women’s sports during the 2004-05 season and 4 1/2 in men’s sports. The addition of equestrian will bring SDSU’s sports program total to twenty-one—eleven for women and ten for men.

Equestrian is slated to start out with five scholarships when it begins competition in 2005-06 and reach the limit of fifteen by 2010. Through aggressive fund raising, the goal is for Jackrabbit men and women to have an equal number of scholarships at 76.5 by the year 2007 and 90 scholarships for each by 2010.

“Title IX is very important to equal the opportunities given to both men and women. Title IX was an unbelievable accomplishment for women from past generations and the women of today’s society,” says SDSU women’s basketball player Shannon Schlagel. “Not only do we have the same opportunities as men, but our society respects us and cheers us on to achieve the same goals.”

The creation of five new coaching positions in the next two years for women’s sports is also part of the Title IX plan, including the hiring of a head coach and assistant coach for

the newly formed equestrian program. SDSU has already filled one of the positions created by the Title IX plan with the hiring of Philip Hurley as assistant swimming coach. Also, two new assistant positions will be added over the next two years in track and field.

As a result of a recent Title IX review, SDSU will renovate the women’s locker room to comply with Title IX regulations.

“Being proactive in the past has put us in a very favorable position to effectively and efficiently implement our plan,” according to Keith Mahlum, assistant to the athletic director, who noted the Athletic Department has conducted two previous Title IX studies in recent years.

When completed, the locker room will boast expanded training rooms, additional office space, added storage space and enhanced team space. The deadline for completion of the locker room is 2007.

“Title IX will help propel the University to re-do or rebuild the women’s locker room to accommodate more sports, make sure that there are adequate training facilities on campus and ensure that the females at South Dakota State are getting similar scholarship opportunities. Title IX and the move to Division I will undoubtedly lead to impacting the lives of more athletes than ever before in the school’s history,” says Lang Wedemeyer, who has served as SDSU’s women’s soccer coach since the program’s inception in 2000.

Matt Hoover

A gradual increase in scholarships across the board is part of SDSU’s strategic plan for Title IX compliance and the University’s move to NCAA Division I. The scholarship changes are part of a mandated plan, which will have scholarships for men and women equal at 76.5 by FY2007. That will mean an increase of thirty-five from FY 2004 for the women and 15.5 for the men. The plan calls for SDSU to reach ninety scholarships for both men and women by FY 2010.

Rabbit tracks • 13

Facility

Updates

Under construction From Frost Arena to new diamonds, face of athletic facilities change “Our vision for our athletic facilities is a statement of who we are and what we believe in.”

N

orth of the football practice field, beyond the tailgate area, sits a slightly inclined piece of land surrounded by trees, weeds, and tall Keith Mahlum grass.

While it may not look particularly impressive now, this obscure piece of property is the future site of a new softball field, only one of many changes to the athletic landscape taking place this summer and fall at State.

Renovations to Frost Arena, a new baseball practice field, and future plans for a competition softball field rank among the current improvements taking place at the University for the benefit of student-athletes and fans alike.

Support for these improvements comes primarily from donor support, according to Keith Mahlum, assistant to the athletic director for external affairs. Donor support for these types of projects often comes through specific fund-raising campaigns he says.

The Board of Regents provides some additional funding for Title IX improvements only, according to Rob Peterson, assistant to the athletic director. He says that this funding will be applied towards the cost of the softball field. The remaining support needed to complete the field, as well as the other improvements, will come from private contributions.

“The whole vision of the University is to make life better for our student-athletes,” says Matt Thorn, athletic facilities manager.

In addition to benefiting students, Mahlum says facilities play a major role in athletic development. “Our vision for our facilities is a statement of who we are and what we believe in,” he says.

The new improvements signal the first steps State is making in its journey to becoming fully Title IX compliant to meet the needs of coaches, student-athletes, and fans. A twenty-five-year master plan details several facility upgrades, including a proposed athletic development center, which may become part of the future athletic landscape at SDSU.

14 • Rabbit tracks

Receiving a new look Walk into Frost Arena these days, and you will notice several changes.

Three hundred and thirty-six new blue chair-back seats now line the lower level’s east and west walls.

The new seats will provide increased reserved seating opportunities for groups as well as more choices for season ticket holders, according to Thorn.

Chair-back seats were first installed in the lower level on the north side of the arena during the early 1990s, notes Mahlum.

“Since then, the number of season tickets sold has grown dramatically,” he says.

The wooden student section bleachers on the south side of the arena have since been replaced with blue fiberglass bleachers that spell out “JACKS” in yellow letters.

Thorn cites safety as the main reason behind the changes in the student section. “Those bleachers were thirty years old and they needed to be replaced,” he says.

According to Thorn, planning to According to athletic ticket replace the lower-level manager Erin Breczinski, when seating began it comes to seating at Frost about three years ago.

Arena, season ticket holders and Installation of the new groups now will have more seating began this spring options. To find out more about during the reserved seating options or to be week after graduation. He put on the ticket office’s mailing says the installation list, contact Breczinski at process took about a sdsu_ticket_office@sdstate.edu, month. or call (605) 688-5422.

Head women’s basketball

Facility

Project list Frost Arena • Added 336 chair-back seats on the lower levels. Summer 2004.

• Baskets to be replaced with freestanding baskets; repainting of the center-floor logo and other wording. Summer 2005.

Baseball field • Dirtwork finished on a new baseball practice field north of the football stadium. 2004.

• Team begins workouts there.

Spring 2005.

Softball field • New competition field near the football stadium is designed.

2004.

• Field, complete with seating for 500, is completed. Fall 2007.

coach Aaron Johnston says the improvements “will make Frost Arena an even better place to enjoy a basketball game.”

Improving the game for fans seems appropriate for a university that ranked number one in Division II attendance for both men’s and women’s basketball during the 20032004 season.

Johnston says the new seating will provide better sight lines, especially on the baseline.

Head men’s basketball coach Scott Nagy adds that Frost “looks cleaner” with all blue seating on the lower level.

He says that the revenue generation and

improvements in seating will help recruiting.

Repainting of the floor will accompany the annual refinishing process next summer as well, according to Thorn.

He says the changes will include the center-floor logo and the “Jackrabbits” and “SD State” on the baselines.

In addition, the arena’s current baskets will be replaced with freestanding baskets.

The new baskets will improve spectator sight lines, Johnston says. A plan for new scoreboards and video display within the next two years is also in the works, according to Rob Peterson, assistant to the athletic director.

Adding convenience Soon, the campus will again be home to the sound of the crack of a bat, signaling yet another season of baseball is underway.

“They [the players] are excited to have an on-campus practice facility again,” says Peterson, who serves as sport supervisor for baseball.

The team had been without facilities on campus since a parking lot north of the HPER Building replaced Huether Field in the fall of 2001, according to Thorn. Built to NCAA guidelines, the new field contains dimensions of 330 feet to the corners, and 400 feet to straightaway center.

“It’s always been the plan to get a practice field back on campus,” Thorn says.

Updates

The team uses city-owned Bob Shelden Field as a competition facility, a practice that will continue according to both Peterson and Thorn.

“The amenities are just there [at Shelden],” Peterson says.

He adds that the arrangement between the city and the University has worked well.

However, with several groups using Bob Shelden Field, scheduling practices proves challenging. Along with easier scheduling, the new locale will provide added convenience for players.

Work began on the new field in fall 2002. Upon completion, the facility will boast several player-friendly features.

New dugouts will feature bat racks, helmet holders, twotiered benches and drinking fountains. Additional storage will be constructed at the field as well.

The field itself is completely irrigated and wired for electricity. The original flagpole and scoreboard from Huether Field will be installed on the new field. While the field is nearly ready for practice, the fencing, dugouts, and storage areas have yet to be installed. The field will see its first practice next spring, according to Peterson.

“We are currently working with some donors to fund the completion of the facility,” he notes.

Providing equal opportunities Remember that piece of land beyond the football field?

The softball team now uses Southbrook Softball Fields as both a competition and practice facility. However, in its process to become Title IX compliant by 2007, the University will become home to a new softball field that will serve in both practice and competition capacities.

“We want the women to have the same opportunities our men have,” he says, which includes having facilities comparable in location and amenities to those of the men.

Modeled after Bob Shelden Field, the new softball field will offer several amenities for both players and fans, according to Thorn. Dugouts, restrooms, scoreboards, a concession stand, and a ticket booth will complement the fully irrigated, regulation competition field. Bleacher seating for 500, including grandstands behind home plate, will provide fans plenty of room to enjoy Jacks softball.

Construction on the new field will begin this fall, and will be completed by fall 2007, according to Thorn. “It’s going to be a nice field,” Thorn says. “It’s going to be one of the nicest [fields] in the region.”

Denise Watt

Rabbit tracks • 15

Memorable

Experiences

Travel + competition = memorable experiences

W

hile every trip that Division I athletes at South Dakota State University make will not be fun and games, the University’s first year in DI competition does promise some fun along with the games.

“Coming here, never did I think we’d be playing teams like that my senior year,” senior guard Stephanie Bolden says of a November 25-27 tournament that has the Jackrabbits playing against Rutgers, Kentucky, and Oregon State on consecutive days at the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands during Thanksgiving break.

The volleyball team opened its season in Hawaii, and made stops in Texas and New Mexico before returning to campus.

The men’s basketball team plays single games in places like Manhattan, New York, Denver, Nashville, and San Diego (playing the other SDSU) as well as Marquette University and Colorado University before a mid-February tournament in Fort Myers, Florida.

“You do have to separate the tourist aspect and the competition,” says women’s basketball coach Aaron Johnston, who compiled a 105-33 record in directing SDSU’s Division II efforts for the last four years.

Part of Virgin Island tourist attraction Johnston’s team will leave for the Virgin Islands on Tuesday, November 23, and play its first game at 4:30 p.m. Atlantic time on Thanksgiving Day. But the team doesn’t fly back until Monday, so Sunday is a chance to relax and a snorkeling tour has been built into the schedule by tournament organizers, Johnston says.

During their stay at St. Thomas, the Jackrabbits will be housed at a beachfront hotel and join other teams at an openingday banquet.

The tournament is described as the second largest tourist event on the island behind Carnival. “That’s what we hang our hats on in November,” says University of the Virgin Islands Athletic Director Peter Sauer.

16 • Rabbit tracks

For football: ‘It’s a business trip’ It might be enough to make the football players jealous.

While Coach John Stiegelmeier’s squad travels to such places as California (twice), Georgia, Louisiana, and Montana, the schedule is rigid: board a charter flight, play, pack up, and leave.

Starting lineback Chris Coauette of Crookston, Minnesota, says, “It’s a business trip. We’re there to play football.” But he does look forward to “the opportunity to play some pretty big names.” He specifically mentions Georgia Southern, a perennial national power, Cal Poly, and Montana State.

SDSU is a member of the inaugural Great West Football Conference and will play eight of eleven games against Division 1-AA opponents.

Hosting exhibition games this year In these transition years, most programs will compete against schools from Division I as well as Division II and lower. “After this year, the absolute majority of our games will be Division I,” says Coach Johnston.

His women’s basketball squad has opened the season with exhibition games against two Division I schools the last two years.

This year the schedule again begins with two exhibition games, except they are traditional Division II foes. On Tuesday, November 9, Southwest Minnesota State is in town and Minnesota State-Mankato is here on Saturday, November 13.

Another difference is that these are home dates rather than the Jackrabbits having to travel for exhibition games.

who took over for Nancy Neiber late in the 1999-2000 season.

Fish ’90 and Kannegieter ’94 were prolific performers for former coach Nancy Neiber.

Big names added to schedule The women’s schedule also includes road games at Purdue (December 28) and Oklahoma State (December 30).

“Originally, those were going to be the two big teams we were going to play.

Every year we are going to try to play a couple big teams. Purdue is a top-ranked team. Oklahoma State is a regional game.

We hope to play Kansas State and Iowa State [next year.]

“To get teams like that on the schedule, it speaks highly of our program. They’re aware of what we’ve done and who we’ve played in exhibition games,” Johnston says.

In the last two seasons, the Jackrabbits have been competitive in games against to Colorado, Iowa, Drake, and Minnesota.

Two of college’s biggest names in sports were added to the women’s schedule just before press time. SDSU will visit Alabama on January 5, 2005, and the University of Southern California on February 11.

Early season milestones Homecoming for Fish, Kannegieter “It’s a great way to start the season and get us prepared for Division I schools,” Johnston says. The Mankato game will be a homecoming for former Jackrabbits Lori Fish and assistant coach Lisa Kannegieter, the Mavericks’ head and assistant coach.

“That was part of the draw for having them come,” explains Johnston,

The volleyball opened the season with a tournament in Laie, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu, the home island of coach Andrew Palileo.

The squad returned stateside and beat three of the first four Division I schools it played.

The soccer team recorded its first Division I win on September 12.

Dave Graves

A message from Keith Mahlum

“There’s something in the air”

E

ach fall you can just feel an intangible excitement around campus in anticipation of another funfilled athletic year. This year there was “something in the air” long before the football pads were popping or the volleyball shoes were squeaking on the floor of Frost Arena.

After the spring sport seasons were finished and the academic calendar was completed, we switched into another phase of our athletic calendar. Our “summer session” unofficially began the week after Memorial Day and concluded the week before Labor Day. What a summer it was. This summer our coaches and staff had the opportunity to attend numerous alumni events around the state, spend time at DakotaFest, and make several other personal visits to friends of SDSU in South Dakota and beyond.

This summer was especially energizing because we saw record attendance and financial support at many of events. At the Stan Marshall Auction in June, the attendance and the scholarship revenue generated were all-time highs.

The Pierre, Mitchell, Watertown and Sioux Falls alumni events drew record crowds. The summer events in Volga, Redfield, Yankton, the Black Hills, Lake Poinsett, and Castlewood continued to provide tremendous support for our University.

As we’ve traveled we have listened and shared our vision for the future. Our alumni and friends have enthusiastically reinforced their financial commitment to SDSU and the student-athletes within our program in many ways. Our “Lifelong Champions” scholarship campaign is off to a great start thanks to the generosity of several people and the leadership of Sid Bostic. Our baseball team soon will resume practice on its new on-campus practice facility thanks to private support. Work has begun on a new on-campus softball venue for intercollegiate athletics.

We have received significant support from the equine industry statewide as we initiate our intercollegiate equestrian program, and new chair-back seating has been installed on the east and west ends of Frost Arena, thanks in part to the overwhelming past season-ticket support for Jackrabbit basketball.

As you can see, our “summer session” was a great success. On behalf of the athletic department, thank you to the SDSU Alumni Association, the Stan Marshall Committee, the volunteer summer event coordinators throughout the state and to all of the great friends of our program. I look forward to seeing all of you on campus very soon.

Keith Mahlum SDSU Assistant to Athletic Director-External Affairs/ Major Gifts Officer

P a s s i o n a t e .

R e l e n t l e s s .

C h a m p i o n s .

Jackrabbit fans can now purchase tickets for all home games online. For more information, go to www.gojacks.com.

P a s s i o n a t e .

South Dakota State University Athletics Department Box 2820 Brookings, SD 57007-1497

R e l e n t l e s s .

C h a m p i o n s .

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