National Athletes of the Year

Anne Rasmussen, volleyball

Anne Rasmussen, the Coyotes’ steady libero, was honored as the Summit League Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season. She led the Summit League with 612 digs and 4.98 digs per set. She was honored as the league’s defensive player of the week a single-season Summit League record seven times. She finished her career with 2,004 digs, the second-most in USD history and eighth-most in Summit League history.

Hannah Sjerven, women’s basketball

Hannah Sjerven took home the Summit League Defensive Player of the Year to extend South Dakota’s streak to three. Sjerven led the Summit with 63 blocks for the second-straight year, moving to fourth on USD’s career blocks list. She also led the team in rebounds (7.3) and ranked second in steals (1.4). Sjerven’s dominating post presence was crucial in the league tournament, where she earned MVP honors after averaging 14.7 points and 9.7 boards per game.

Madison Jurgens, volleyball

Madison Jurgens was named Summit League Setter of the Year after a season where she led the league and ranked sixth nationally at 11.72 assists per set. Her 1,442 assists (school-best in the 25-point rally era) ranked third all-time in school history and 10th all-time in Summit League history. The six-rotation player also posted 331 digs and 45 service aces to go with 76 kills and 29 blocks. Her season-high 56 assists came in a thrilling five-set win over the Big Ten’s Iowa Hawkeyes.

Taylor Frederick, women’s basketball

Taylor Frederick made her case as the Summit League’s Sixth Woman of the Year, marking the fourth-straight season the Coyotes have garnered the award. Frederick moved into a reserve role this past season, but responded by averaging more points per minute than any player in the Summit. Her 10 points per game was a career best as was her marks for rebounds (4.5) and shooting (53.8 percent). She also tallied 34 assists, 18 steals and seven blocks.