April 5, 2023

The April 3 Students’ Association meeting saw a new Senate sworn in and faculty awards.

Collegian photo by SAM SCHOENBAUER (She/Her)

STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION BRIEF

Faculty awarded, new Senate sworn in

JACOB BOYKO

News Editor (He/Him)

The 2022-2023 Students’ Association wrapped up Monday night with an award ceremony honoring important faculty and SA members.

The Senate awarded faculty in four categories. Douglas Wermedal, associate vice president for student affairs, was awarded the Campus Partner of the Year Award.

“Dr. Wermedal was awarded Campus Partner of the Year for his inspiration toward generations of Jackrabbits through stories and motivational speaking highlighting the importance of students’ voices at SDSU,” Chief of Staff Hannah Nelson said. “His deep felt connection to students has crafted ideas of limitless potential in all those he interacts with.”

Wermedal will leave SDSU after over two decades this summer to serve as executive director for the Associated School Boards of South Dakota.

Jose Alverez, an associate professor in the School of American and Global Studies, received the Faculty Adviser of the Year Award.

“Students describe him as always putting others before himself and displaying great care in students’ personal and professional lives,” Nelson said. “He works with students to obtain their

goals through and through with creative ways to create a well-rounded education for all.”

Kayla Gullickson received the Professional Adviser of the Year Award.

“Students enjoy and recognize her ability to quickly craft personal relationships,” Nelson said. “Kayla works hard to ensure student success while keeping the best interest of her students in mind.”

Matilyn Kerr, program adviser for university traditions, received the Student Organization Adviser of the Year Award.

“Matilyn Kerr was awarded … for her dedication to student leaders’ success and uplifting personality and showcasing care and compassion for students,” Nelson said. “Students know that simply seeing her around the union instantly brightens their day.”

The Senate also presented the Senator of the Year Award and the Ex-Officio of the Year Award. Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Speech and Theatre James L. Johnson, a former SA adviser, spoke about the impact the Senate has on campus and how a previous Senate body made the new Performing Arts Center possible by working to ensure a city sales tax increase passed.

“I loved every Senate in which I was the adviser,” Johnson said. “Even though I’ve directed 75 major produc-

tions on campus, being an adviser (for SA) was my greatest experience in my 30 years here at this university.”

Johnson presented the award to Sen. Hayden Bentz. Bentz is a freshman human biology major serving as a senator-at-large.

Joseph Ulloa, Ex-Officio for the Latin American Students Association, was presented with the Ex-Officio of the Year Award.

Other business:

The Students’ Association passed five new pieces of legislation. Commemoration 22-1-C, passed unanimously, honors Wermedal for his service to SDSU.

Amendment 22-6-A changed the eligibility for serving as president or vice president of the Students’ Association Senate. Sens. Eide, Fitch and Rasmussen abstained from voting. Now in order to be eligible, students must have completed two semesters as a full-time student with SDSU or have served one semester on the Senate. Eide, who ran for SA president this semester, selected a vice presidential candidate who would not be eligible to run under the new rules.

Resolution 22-30-R asks Facilities and Maintenance to repair street lights on campus. The resolution passed unanimously.

Commemoration 22-2-C honors graduating seniors on the Senate.

The commemoration passed unanimously. Blake Pulse, Anna Shane, Hannah Nelson, Garrett Satterly, Harley Fischer, Rachel Goldsmith, Erika Van Nieuwenhuyse, Madison Fitch, William Kessler, Abhinav Kubal, Caleb Huizenga, Katey Mahan and Betsey Williams will graduate in May.

The Senate also unanimously approved a $1,531.72 special allocation for STATE-A-THON.

The Senate swore in a new president, vice president, executive team and Senate.

Nicholas Grote is serving as the 20232024 president, with Trinity Peterson as vice president. Grote and Peterson are replacing Blake Pulse and Anna Shane, respectively. Benjamin Connor will serve as chief of staff, replacing Hannah Nelson. Michael Garofalo will serve as government affairs chair, replacing Erika Van Nieuwenhuyse. Bentz will serve as finance chair, replacing Rachel Goldsmith. Hannah Dayaget will serve as communications chair, replacing Garrett Satterly. Asledi Castillo will take over as diversity chair, replacing Harley Fischer.

The Collegian staff thanks every senator for their work this year and wishes the 2023-2024 Senate the best of luck.

Photos SUBMITTED

(Left) The 2022-23 Students’ Association President Blake Pulse swears in the 2023-24 SA President Nick Grote. (Right) Doug Wermedal was awarded the Campus Partner of the Year at Monday’s meeting.

2023 Ag Day spreads awareness through speakers, club events

ALYSSA BERENTSCHOT Reporter

The 2023 Ag Day is April 12 this year, but events start April 11 and go through April 13. There are many agriculturerelated activities that go on during this three-day event, including a meatball cook-off challenge, club tabling in the Student Union, a banquet and more.

The goal of Ag Day is to share the positive story of agriculture and celebrate the hardworking people who produce the world’s food, said Mary Christensen, Prexy Council coordinator and coordinator of agriculture leadership, education, communication and science.

“Ag Day is our celebration of all things agriculture, both on campus and throughout the region,” said Mitchell VanderWal, a sophomore animal science major who is also the Prexy Council chair of Ag Day. “It’s a great way to celebrate the CAFES (college of agriculture, food and environmental sciences) and bring in sponsors as future employers.”

To kick off Ag Day, there will be a meatball cook-off challenge April 11, where student organizations have an opportunity to show off their meatball cooking skills.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. there will be several clubs tabling in the Student Union to share information about their organizations and events.

April 12 there is a Mid-Western Showcase from 2:15 to 3:30 p.m. This fashion show is an opportunity for people to show off their best ag-themed clothing.

The main event is the awards banquet held Wednesday night at 5:30 p.m. The banquet will be in the Volstorff Ballroom in the Student Union.

At the banquet, a free meal will be

served, and Dan Venteicher, also known as “Dan the Iowa Dairy Farmer,” will give a keynote address. Venteicher is active on social media sites like TikTok where he focuses on helping and reaching out toward people that don’t know a lot about the agriculture industry.

“I went to the Ag Day banquet last year and had a blast,” said Kaylee Kroger, a sophomore agriculture education major. “I love that I have an opportunity to listen to a great keynote speaker, while also getting a great meal.”

Ag Day visitors can also receive free shirts throughout the day.

“In terms of the event itself, I also love the Ag Day T-shirt tradition,” Christensen said. “Walking across campus seeing others sport the same shirt creates a powerful visual representation of the number of students and staff supporting the industry.”

April 13 features a quiz bowl, which covers everything agriculture related for students to get involved with.

“I love the comradery of students, faculty and guests at Ag Day,” VanderWal said.

2023 AG DAY EVENTS:

April 11:

• Meatball Cook-Off @ 6 April 12:

• Club tabling @ 10

• Mid-Western Showcase @ 2:15

• Banquet and awards @ 5:30 April 13:

• Ag-themed quizbowl @ 6

SUBMITTED

This year’s Ag Day theme is “Cultivating Fields and Futures.” Some activities planned this year include a meatball cook-off, student organization tabling and a keynote address from Dan Ventiecher, also known as “Dan the Iowa Dairy Farmer.”

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS

In the March 29 issue of The Collegian, the article, “Little International Celebrates 100th year at SDSU” contained a few errors that we would like to correct. Sponsorships have been apart of Little I for many years. The Safety Committee was renamed to the Risk Management Committee. The Centennial Social is an acumination of the alumni social, sponsorship appreciation and honored agriculturalist reception. Little I does not give out a

distinguished alumni award. Anyone can participate in the Chilli Cook-off.

DRONES: the solution to saving the Black Hills limber pines

Story by JACOB BOYKO News Editor

If you’ve been to the Black Hills, you may have noticed the Limber Pine. It’s a scraggly, blue-tinted pine tree that grows in the cracks of rocks. The tree doesn’t grow very big, so even the eldest within the grove are unassuming. The limber pine species, however, is an ancient witness, second in age only to the rock spires they grow out of, to the changing climate in South Dakota and the Black Hills thousands of years ago.

Unfortunately, they may not be around much longer.

John Ball, a professor in the department of agronomy, horticulture and plant sciences, is part of a team working to save them.

“[The trees] only occur up in the spires area and then over in Black Elk,” Ball said. “They are native, by that we know they were not planted there.”

The limber pine isn’t unique to South Dakota; the species is all over the Rocky Mountains, and pockets exist in Nebraska and North Dakota as well. The Black Hills, however, is the only known natural grove this far east.

The team is also searching rocky areas on Iron Mountain and Sylvan Peak for other groves of the limber pine. Rocky areas are the most likely place you’ll find the tree, Ball said, because the tree doesn’t do well in forest fires.

His explanation for the remote pockets of trees: South Dakota likely had more of the limber pines during the ice age. As the climate warmed, the tree’s population receded north and left a few isolated pockets high in the Black Hills.

“They’re so few, we’re talking hundreds, not thousands, of trees, that we want to make sure we know every single one of them,” Ball said. “Some are difficult to find because they’re on an edge of a rock cliff, and you don’t know if you’re looking up at a limber pine growing on the rock or if you’re looking at a ponderosa pine.”

Enter drones.

Julie Leidholdt, an SDSU graduate and drone pilot, is working with Ball to keep the species in the hills. Thanks to her training with unmanned aircraft systems, Leidholdt can pinpoint the tree’s unique hue using aerial footage.

Once the trees are located, Ball and Leidholdt are able to go to the grove and age the trees.

Julie Leidholdt, an SDSU graduate in geography and geographic systems sciences, takes a core sample from a limber pine to learn the age of the tree.

Photo SUBMITTED

“We core sampled all limber pines that were of adult age … and we saw that the average age of the tree was quite old,” Leidholdt said. “I think the oldest living tree was over 166 years old.”

Ball and Leidholdt also cut out growths in the trees caused by white pine blister rust, which slowly choke the tree.

“If we can prune out the cankers before … it gets into the trunk, we can probably save the trees,” Ball said. “Once they get to a certain size — 20 or 30 feet — the disease usually isn’t fatal.”

Unfortunately for the species, there isn’t a practical solution to stopping the spread of the white pine blister rust.

“The management [of the disease] is going to be diffi cult because it’s a rust disease, which means it has to spend part of its life on one plant and another part of its life on another plant,” Ball said. “And what white pine blister rust needs is a five needle pine — limber pines are five needle pines — and then it needs a currant bush. Well, we have native currants out there. And we have native limber pines out there. If we kill off one of them, then the disease isn’t there.”

While a currant bush genocide would theoretically work, it would have to be a total annihilation. Even a single surviving bush within a few hundred feet of the trees would undo all of the work and spread the rust.

“You’re not going to just be able to kill the currant bush,” Ball said. “You’re going to kill what’s around it too. Heavens know what else you’d kill.”

Not all limber pine trees have the cankers, which offers hope that some of the trees may be immune, or at least resistant, to the disease. Seeds from those trees are collected, and the seedlings are planted in the groves.

There’s several reasons to plant the seedlings, according to Ball.

“The trouble is [animals] like to eat the seed,” Ball said. “We weren’t getting very good seed germination because everything would go for the seeds the minute the cone ripened.”

Additionally, with such small numbers of the trees, genetic diversity is a concern.

“There’s four major populations,” Ball said. “Collecting seed from one [popula-

tion] and then planting the seedlings in an adjacent population would give us a little bit more mixing of the genetics.”

The team doesn’t want mixing from other populations in order to preserve the uniqueness of the Black Hills populations.

“If we were to lose this species of trees, we would lose all genetic markers that are associated with the Black Hills,” Leidholdt said.

Speculation about the trees’ demise isn’t new. SDSU has collected seeds from the Black Hills populations to preserve them in case things turn for the worse, but Ball and Leidholt don’t expect that to be necessary just yet.

“Even going back to the 1800s, (reports say) [the trees] appear to be dying out,” Ball said. “In other words, no matter when anyone writes about, they say they seem to be dying, yet they’re still there. So they’re not quite done. But they are struggling.”

DRONES: Coming to a classroom near you

SDSU students will have the opportunity to add a valuable skill set to their resumes as early as next year.

The use of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), or drones, is becoming an essential tool for agriculture, construction and engineering. Now, Bob Watrel, geography department head, is looking to give SDSU an edge.

“Obviously drones are getting more popular,” Watrel said. “So we’re slowly growing this program as a minor. Hopefully, someday, we’ll get a major.”

Currently, SDSU off ers a two-year, 12-credit certificate in UAS.

“The purpose of a certificate is somebody outside the university, who may have a degree or not, just wants to come take a few classes and brush up on some technologies or some area and go back to the workforce,” Watrel said. “The minor actually is a degreed thing that a student already in the university would want to get.”

The UAS minor will be an 18-credit program with four required courses and two elective courses.

Students enrolled in the minor will take courses similar to those in the aviation program, as well as a UAS photography and videography course and

Required Courses

• Aviation Safety

• Introduction to Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems

• UAS Photography and Videography

• UAS Remote Sensing and Lab

UAS applications and emergency management course.

“We developed them last year in anticipation (of the minor),” Watrel said.

Students will also need to take the FAA 107 small UAS commercial pilot test in order to operate drones commercially.

“In most cases, people don’t just want a drone pilot,” Watrel said. “People want a drone pilot who can do GIS remote sensing, and something related to precision ag, and construction management if they’re doing civil engineering. The idea is that this is an added credential to your toolkit and something that gives you an edge on people.”

A limber pine tree located in the Black Hills. Photo SUBMITTED

Little International celebrates 100 years

The 100th Little I event took place last weekend and despite the unfavorable weather, hundreds of competitors showed animals in the swine, sheep, goat, lamb, horse, beef and dairy cattle categories. The Collegian’s Photo Chief, Sam Schoenbauer, captured moments of the events throughout the weekend.

•••

Photos by Sam Schoenbauer (She/Her)

(Above) Haylee Henry presents her pig during Experienced Swine Showmanship.

(Left) The 100th Little I executive team includes (back row, left to right) Chris Erickson, Grace Erickson, Mitchell VanderWal, Trevor Frost, Jake Thompson, Emmett Bickett, Cheyenne Hulstein, Karmen Sperr, (front row, left to right) Tessa Erdmann, Kallista Roers, Isaac Berg, Cody Gifford, Anna Karels, Adrienne Lipinski and Tessa Herman

(Far above) Beef Judge Dan Kohls congratulates Brynn Anderson on winning Champion Novice Beef Fitting. (Above) Honored Agriculturalist, Rod Geppert, speaks during the reception held in the Agriculture Heritage Museum. He is standing next to Isaac Berg (left), the 100th Little I assistant manager and Cody Gifford (right), the this year’s Little I manager. (Left) President Barry Dunn welcomes Little I attendees during the opening crermonies. (Right) Logan Helgoth shows his horse during the preliminary round of Novice Horse Fitting.

EVAN

PATZWALD Co-Sports Editor (He/Him)

After a sweep over St. Thomas last weekend, the SDSU softball team was meant to have its home opener this weekend but instead will be playing their games in Sioux Falls at Bowden Field due to weather.

The Jacks (20-14, 3-0) were meant to play their first games of the year at Jackrabbit Softball Stadium against Omaha (18-10) starting Friday. They have a doubleheader at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and play their third game of the series Saturday at 11 a.m.

“Just a bummer, to put it in the best way, that we won’t get to open up at home,” coach Kristina McSweeney said. “But at the same time, a monster weekend for us. This is going to be a huge test for us. Facing Kamryn Meyer, Omaha’s ace, is going to be a test for our offense.”

Meyer was an All-Summit League First Team member for the Mavericks last season and NFCA Central AllRegion Second Team and was named Summit League Peak Pitcher of the Week March 27.

Omaha was picked to finish second in the Summit League behind SDSU after going 17-4 in conference play a year ago.

“They’re very similar to us offensively, so it’s going to be a battle of the epic ages that I’m excited about for us to be doing,” McSweeney said. “It’s just so unfortunate we can’t do it at home, but please, Jackrabbit fans, come out and watch us. Go out to Sioux Falls, give us the support we need, we’re going to need it.”

The Jacks opened Summit League play on the road last weekend with a sweep over the Tommies (8-24, 0-5). SDSU won 2-0 and 4-1 in its doubleheader Sunday and won 8-0 on Monday, starting off undefeated in the conference.

Rozelyn Carrillo and Allison Yoder each had four hits for the Jacks in total over the weekend with Jocelyn Carrillo and Lindsey Culver compiling a total of five hits each in three games.

Tori Kniesche was dominant for the Jackrabbits, pitching 12 innings over the three games. She struck out 19, allowed only two hits and didn’t allow a single run.

Monday’s win was Kniesche’s second

Softball team set for big withmatchupSummit Omaha

Summit League win of the year, and she is 12-4 overall on the season. She leads the team in ERA at 2.39 and has six shutouts.

“She was unstoppable,” McSweeney said of Kniesche’s performance. “TK is just that competitor that you look for and she just rises to the occasion.”

Also performing well at the pitcher position for the Jacks was Shannon Lasey. Lasey transferred to SDSU this season, following McSweeney after playing two seasons under her at Arkansas Tech. She was a two-time all-conference selection and GAC Pitcher of the Year in 2022.

Lasey allowed two hits and one run in nine innings over the weekend.

“She has continued to rise to the occasion,” McSweeeney said. “Her and I obviously have a long, long history. But it was a question at the beginning, you know, is she going to be able to come at this level and be as successful as she was at the D-II level? And she has proven time and time that she can compete, and she’s going to compete, and she threw incredible both days. That 1-2 combination is probably the best in the country.”

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Photo by KYLIE MACZIEWSKI from Gojacks.com

Pitcher Tori Kniesche pitching in a game earlier this season. Kniesche had a big weekend against St. Thomas last weekend, only allowing two hits and 19 strikeouts in 12 innings pitched in the Jacks series sweep over the Tommies .

Baseball team hopes to get back on track vs. Western Illinois

BRAYDEN BYERS

Sports Reporter

Mother Nature has stuck again, causing more shake ups for the Jackrabbit baseball team.

South Dakota State was set to match up with Minnesota in Minneapolis at Siebert Field Wednesday, April 5. That game has been postponed to May 16.

The two teams had already faced off once inside U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings, March 8. SDSU took a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning before Minnesota battled back scoring two in the seventh and one in the eighth.

The Jackrabbits’ weekend series against Western Illinois is still on as scheduled. SDSU will travel to Illinois after dropping two of three against NDSU in a de facto home series taking place in both Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Omaha, Nebraska.

The 3-20 Fighting Leathernecks midweek matchup is still scheduled as they will be taking on Illinois State Wednesday at 3 p.m. in Macomb. Both Western Illinois and SDSU will be looking to get the season back on track as they get deeper into the Summit League season.

“Really big weekend,” coach Rob Bishop said. “You’re at, not quite, the halfway point, but after nine games, you really start to see how the league is shaping up.”

The Leathernecks offense is led by outfielder Nick Mitchell who is batting .435 with 10 doubles and 18 RBI’s. He is also five for six on stolen bases to go along with his .490 on base percentage.

Ryan McDonald leads the way for the 6-16 Jackrabbits with a .390 average. He only totals six doubles but makes up for it with a team best 10 home runs. Getting on base 53% of the time, he is 8/9 on the base paths.

One question surrounding the Jacks lineup is going to be senior infielder Drew Beazley, who exited the second game of the series against NDSU on Saturday with an injury.

SDSU is sitting with a 2-4 conference mark after their series with North Dakota State this past weekend. They split the double-header Saturday in Council Bluffs at Doc Ross Field.

The Bison jumped out to a 7-1 lead through five innings in the first game. They added one more in the eighth and two more in the ninth, beating the Jacks 10-2.

In the nightcap, Thatcher Kozal, a senior outfielder, hit a three-run home run to break the 6-6 tie. NDSU would gain two more in the top of the ninth, but Ryan Bourassa would lift SDSU to a 9-8 victory.

Kozal came off the bench in a tough spot for the previously mentioned Beazley. Bishop thought it was great to see him step up to the challenge after

sitting for four innings.

“(Thatcher) was really good at that last year, really good in that role,” Bishop said. “He hasn’t quite had his footing this year, and so it was great to see him. We see it in practice, but it was great to see him jump out and get a big hit.”

The series finale Saturday took place at Tal Anderson Field in Omaha with Jack Kruger getting the nod for the Yellow and Blue. It was tightly contested through four innings with the Bison leading 4-3 before NDSU took a 5-3 lead in the fifth. The Jacks would score one more but would fall 5-4 unable to complete the comeback.

“Obviously we would have rather had a different outcome of game three, but I thought we played well, and I thought they just beat us on that last

day,” Bishop said.

This is the second conference series for South Dakota State this year. They lost both games 2-1.

The Jacks are sitting at fourth in the early conference season. Oral Roberts is leading the way with a 20-9 overall record. The Golden Eagles are currently unbeaten in the Summit League at 6-0. The games this weekend will be played Friday at 3 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. All games can be seen on the Western Illinois livestream on goleathernecks.com.

Infielder Luke Ira at bat in a Jacks game earlier this season. Ira has 17 hits on the year and is second on the team in home runs with four.

Photo by Dave Eggen/Inertia

Myah Selland pursues pro basketball

South Dakota State forward Myah Selland saw her Jackrabbit career end a couple of weeks ago when her team fell to top-seeded Virginia Tech in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Now after her successful college career, Selland is looking to pursue a career in professional basketball, whether that’s in the WNBA or overseas.

Since SDSU’s 72-60 loss to the Hokies in Blacksburg, Virginia, March 19, Selland has been looking at what her options are to play professionally. She was in Dallas last weekend for the Pro Hoops Combine, where she got to showcase her skills in front of professional scouts.

“It went well,” the 6-foot-1 Letcher native said. “It was just a great opportunity to showcase a little of what I can bring to the table to a future team in front of some WNBA scouts and some foreign teams.”

Selland now looks ahead to the WNBA Draft April 10, where she hopes to be just the third Jackrabbit to ever get drafted. Only Megan Vogel and Macy Miller, a former teammate of Selland, have gotten drafted.

Vogel played at SDSU from 2004-07 and left as the program’s second-all-time leading scorer. She got drafted 19th overall in the second round by the Washington Mystics in 2007. She was later released during training camp prior to that season. The next year, she played professional ball in Germany for one season before going into coaching.

Story by SKYLER JACKSON

Photos by JOCLYN HAVEN •••

South Dakota State forward Myah Selland drives on South Dakota’s Cassidy Carson in a Summit League women’s basketball game Jan. 14 at Frost Arena. Selland scored 19 points on an efficient 7-10 shooting in that game as the Jackrabbits blew out the Coyotes 118-59, the Jackrabbits’ highest margin of victory of the season.

She is now an associate coach at Green Bay University.

Miller later became the second Jackrabbit ever drafted. SDSU’s all-time leading scorer was drafted by the Seattle Storm with the final pick of the draft in 2019. Despite playing in preseason exhibition games that year, Miller didn’t make the team. She then played one year professionally in Spain before returning to SDSU as a graduate assistant for one season. She is now an assistant coach at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa.

The draft is three rounds with 12 picks each round. While there is uncertainty that Selland will be one of the 36 total players picked, Jacks coach Aaron Johnston seems to think Selland is a WNBA caliber player.

“She’s someone that can do so many things on the floor,” Johnston said. “She can shoot it so well, she can post, she’s such a good passer, she can play off the dribble and she can guard multiple positions. When you look at the WNBA right now, it is a highly-skilled, spread the floor, versatile league and Myah fits that very well.”

Along with her versatility on the court, she has also been an effective leader throughout her SDSU career, something that could also translate to the professional level.

“I think Myah has always been someone that’s so easy to be around,” Johnston said. “She just makes people feel comfortable. She has all those characteristics that people want to have if they’re going to follow somebody. Myah’s a really good player, but she’s wired to think about others and to help make others be the best they can be.”

Even if Selland’s name isn’t heard on Monday, she also has potential options to play overseas. Wherever she ends up, she will bring a lot of collegiate experience with her.

Selland came to SDSU with an impressive high school pedigree. She was named South Dakota Girls Basketball Player of the Year in 2017 at Sanborn Central/Woonsocket High School and finished as the school’s all-time leader in points (2,219), rebounds (964) and assists (532).

When she arrived at SDSU, she made an immediate impact. She averaged 9.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in 17 starts during her freshman season. In her second season, she started

Selland Bio

• Name: Myah Selland

• Years at SDSU: 2018-2023

• Position: Forward

• Height: 6-foot-1

• Hometown: Letcher, SD

• SDSU Stats: Finished her career as SDSU’s second all-time leading scorer with 2,167 points. Averaged 5.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 steals in 153 career games.

• Accomplishments: Twotime Summit League Player of the Year (2021, 2023), WNIT all-Tournament MVP (2022), three-time all-Summit League first team (2021-2023), Coach Wooden Citizen Cup winner (2023).

all 33 games and averaged 12.5 points and 5.4 rebounds as the Jackrabbits advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.

In the 2019-20 season, Selland suffered a season-ending foot injury just nine games into the season. The following season, she tore her ACL near the end of the regular season, ending a season where she averaged a career-high 19 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists and was named Summit League Player of the Year.

Despite suffering season-ending injuries for back-to-back seasons, Selland remained determined to get back on the court each time and said that overcoming that adversity helped her grow.

“I think it’s really made me into the person I am today,” Selland said. “I think it can be kind of hard to look back on, but ultimately, I’m stronger and more equipped to handle things than I was before. I can use that to my advantage going forward or just knowing what I’m capable of and what I can do.”

The next season, Selland came back. She finished the season with 14 points, six rebounds and three assists per game and led the Jacks to the doorstep of the conference title. Last season would prove to be Selland’s final season after taking two extra years of eligibility, one due to injury and another due to COVID.

Last year, she averaged 16 points,

seven rebounds and two assists. She won her second Summit League Player of the Year award and led the Jacks to an undefeated conference record and conference tournament title.

In the NCAA Tournament, Selland showcased her skills on the national stage. In the first round against USC, she scored 29 points on an efficient 10-of-18 shooting and led the Jacks to a 62-57 win. Selland then scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds in SDSU’s loss to Virginia Tech, the final game of her career.

Selland is leaving behind a big legacy at SDSU, both on and off the court. As she goes after professional basketball, she will bring her versatility and leadership with her wherever she ends up.

“I’ve always wanted to be someone that was more than just a basketball player,” Selland said. “And so combining all of that has been important to me and I think it’s a reflection of the people here and how they support you not just on the basketball court, but everything you’re doing off it too.”

Myah Selland shoots a layup in a Summit League Tournament game against Oral Roberts. The Jacks defeated the Golden Eagles 87-60 in that semifinal game, on their way to the Summit League title.

Kraft impresses at SDSU Pro Day

SKYLER JACKSON Co-Sports Editor (He/Him)

With the NFL Draft approaching, South Dakota State tight end Tucker Kraft got another chance to showcase his skills in front of NFL scouts.

Kraft was back in Brookings for the SDSU Pro Day March 31 at the Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex. 23 scouts from 20 NFL clubs were in attendance and watched as Kraft impressed and likely improved his draft stock.

At the NFL Combine in Indianapolis in the beginning of March, the projected NFL pick ran the 40-yard dash in 4.69 seconds. He got another crack at it Friday and saw significant improvement. His first run was unofficially clocked at around 4.6 seconds and his second at roughly 4.5.

“I wanted to run a faster 40 because that is where the money is made,” the 6-foot-5 Timber Lake native said. “I think I made myself a little bit of money today.”

Kraft also improved his vertical jump by over two inches. He jumped 36.5 inches Friday compared to 34 inches at the combine and he weighed in at 269 pounds, five more than his weight at the combine.

“I wanted to jump higher because I know I can,” Kraft said. “At the combine, you don’t really get a warm-up. I was the first to go (Friday) alphabetically and I was the third to go at the combine, so there wasn’t a lot of warm-up time there. So that’s something I emphasized here was just getting my body prepared. It was a good process.”

Up next for Kraft were the receiving drills, where he again impressed. With passes coming from Jackrabbit quarterback Mark Gronowski and assistant coach Kyle Saddler, Kraft didn’t drop a single pass and made a handful of impressive catches.

“It’s hard to get Mark to not throw a perfect ball,” Kraft said. “We get down to the red zone, and I wanted him to put one high, back shoulder or away from the defender and Mark hit me right in the chest. I can’t ask him to fail, go and do it.”

Kraft declared for the draft in the middle of last season. That year, he caught 27 balls for 348 yards and three touchdowns in nine games, having to miss part of the season due to injury.

In 2021, Kraft caught 65 passes for 773 yards and six touchdowns and was named an All-American.

Kraft was projected as a second or third-round pick. He was also ranked as the fifth-best tight-end prospect on ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper’s position rankings.

Some of Kraft’s positive attributes as a prospect, according to Bleacher Report, include good acceleration and top speed, being a great blocker and has the speed, flexibility and strength to break tackles. His main drawback is his route-running and his ability to track down passes.

After his performance Friday, Kraft could see his draft stock rise ahead of the draft, which is April 27-29 in Kansas City.

While Kraft was the main focus on Pro Day, three other Jackrabbits, along with athletes from other local colleges, also participated.

Caleb Sanders was another Jackrabbit who had a solid Pro Day. The defensive tackle finished with 31 reps on the bench press (225 pounds) and ran an unofficial 40 time of around five seconds.

Coming off an All-American season where he had 40 tackles and 6.5 sacks, it’s not likely that Sanders will get drafted, but his performance may have gotten the attention of NFL scouts enough to invite him to training camp for a team.

“You’re fighting for a job against whoever else in the country and a lot of guys are scratching at the bit too,” the 6-foot-1 270-pounder said. “So definitely gonna come out here with the mindset that you never know when your last drill is gonna be, so you might as well go all out.”

Wide receiver Landon Wolff and defensive back Malik Lofton also competed at Pro Day. Wolff ran about a 4.5 40-yard dash and jumped 31.5 inches in the vertical jump. Lofton also ran a 4.5 40 and jumped 38.5 inches in the vertical jump.

Collegian photos by JOCLYN HAVEN (She/Her)

South Dakota State tight end Tucker Kraft catches a pass during a receiving drill at SDSU Pro Day March 31 at the Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex.

South Dakota State defensive lineman Caleb Sanders during a defensive position drill at SDSU Pro Day at the SJAC.