This week in Collegian Media
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THE COLLEGIAN REPORT
This week, we hear from the Latin American Students’ Association and the Jackrabbit Memorial Jackpot Show. Scan the QR code to watch now.
SATURDAY
JACKRABBIT BASKETBALL
The SDSU womne’s basketball team closes out their regular season with the celebration of Senior Day as they take on St. Thomas. Join Ben Anderson on the call at 2 p.m.
OF THE WEEK
JACKRABBITS CAN CLIMB?
JACKRABBIT JACKPOT SHOW
The 12th Annual Jackrabbit Memorial Jackpot Show last weekend honored lost members of the livestock community and exhibited the passion of youth.
MEAT SCIENCE CLUB
A new Meat Science Club has been established at SDSU during the 2024 to 2025 academic year.
Collegian photo by BRAYDEN BYERS
PHOTO
Students’ Association gets update from City Council
JORDAN ROEMELING Co-News Editor
The Students’ Association talked of new changes happening to campus and was addressed by Brookings City Council member, Brianna Doran for updates on the city.
OPEN FORUM
Brookings City Councilor Brianna Doran told the Students Association senate on Monday that the city is developing a new transportation plan and anybody with ideas is welcome to contribute.
The plan is a collaborative effort with the South Dakota Department of Transportation with the city of Brookings and aims to establish what transportation looks like in the city.
aspect of our town,” said Doran.
There have also been three different grant programs that have been released for downtown. One is a facade grant, for ‘significant on alley and street-facing buildings,’ a revitalization grant, for interiors, and a lights, camera, action grant that is for safety, cameras and lights in alleyways, and for overall improvement for downtown.
“We will see a little improvement in our downtown businesses beside that affected area,” said Doran.
“That includes investments of all the primary modes of travel, including vehicle, bicycle, pedestrian and transit,” said Doran.
If anyone wishes to provide feedback on where they would want a ‘crosswalk or a stoplight, or how transportation looks in general,’ can be sent to Brookingsatp. com and take their survey, or speak to a city council member, Doran said.
Doran gave an update to SA regarding the fire that happened at Brost’s Fashions on Dec 30. She said that the fire was ruled as accidental but the official cause hasn’t been determined. The start of stabilizing, restructuring and rebuilding the building has started, though.
Affected individuals from 12 apartments and eight businesses were given relief grant funds from a partnership of the Brookings Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) and downtown Brookings which added up to 50 thousand dollars. A Brookings community fundraiser for relief added 20 thousand dollars for those affected as well.
“That is incredible that the community was able to come together that time in need and focus on such an important
North side, behind Briggs Library.
“Right now there really isn’t a main dedicated entrance onto our campus, there’s a lot of avenues to get to it, but not a main dedicated one to welcome people onto SDSU’s campus,” Bentz said. “That will really help, I think, elevate our stature as a university and welcome respective students, visitors, anybody onto our campus with our new entrance.”
Also, a student at SDSU, named Thomas Reynolds, petitioned the city for a street to be named after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to honor his legacy and was passed. On Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 5:15 p.m. the street that was chosen was Pioneer Park.
It was selected to be there because the street welcomes visitors and residents and is where events such as arts festivals, Pride and Juneteenth events have been held.
Last, Doran talked about No Mow May, a program by the Sustainability Council in Brookings, that was in effect in an effort to bring awareness to pollinators and to create more sustainable practices. After feedback from the community, the program may be repealed, and replaced with five new programs that would help with sustainability. The Brookings City Council will vote once the new programs are looked at and decided on.
COMMITTEE AND STAFF REPORTS
SA President Trinity Peterson’s report mentioned June Cup Cares, which are ‘reusable and environmentally friendly menstrual products’ that will be free and provided to students across campus that menstruate. June Cup Cares products are now available in Jack’s Cupboard and will be voted on at the next SA meeting (Resolution 24-14-R).
Vice President Hayden Bentz reported that there is a proposed new main entrance to the university on the
He also talked of the campus master plan report, and new buildings that were proposed–both research and academic spaces where there are main areas for students, a little North and West of the Student Union.
Then, Chief of Staff Rylee Sabo, said that there would be Narcan placed inside of different buildings on campus. Narcan is a medicine that is given to treat opioid overdoses.
“It’s a great opportunity to plan events for the entire student body,” said Allisa Mauer, Vice President of UPC. They are each paid positions at $1,250 per semester.
Coming up, UPC will host ‘Generational Trivia Night’ on Monday, March 3 from 6 to 8 p.m.
The Parking Committee met and discussed that the new residential lot near the Southeast University Apartments will begin construction in the spring. The parking spaces open to students in the parking lot by Daktronics will return to reserved parking spaces once construction is finished.
“It’s going to be placed in residence halls, the Student Union, athletic facilities and the Performing Arts Center,” said Sabo.
The Veterans Affairs Resource Center is partnering with the Miller Wellness Center and the Office of Student Activities to bring ‘Warrior Week’ from Feb. 26 - March 2. The week brings activities for students related to wellness, mental health and self-care.
At the University Program Council (UPC) there are currently eight positions open to join the organization until March 7.
The University Food Service Administrative Committee (UFSAC) said that Qdoba will be available on the Starship app and Simple Servings will be only located at the Student Union, no longer at Larson Commons. This was due to equipment failing at Larson Commons.
Senator Lydia Stein reported that at a meeting for the International Affairs Committee where members of China Night expressed concerns about working with Sodexo on-campus, the university’s food service vendor, and said they would possibly move events to be off-campus if Sodexo does not cooperate.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Bentz will lead the next SA meeting on Monday, March 3.
BRIANNA DORAN
TRINITY PETERSON
Tuition may be on the rise Students should know by April if they’ll pay more
FAREN BEBEAU
Reporter
Students attending South Dakota Board of Regents (BOR) schools may experience an increase in tuition during the 2025-2026 academic year, pending the conclusion of the state legislative session. For four of the past five years, students have benefi ted from a tuition freeze at the state’s six BOR schools, but because of budget issues, prices might be going up for the 2025-2026 school year.
In December, former Gov. Kristi Noem proposed cutting the Regents system’s funding by roughly $11 million, $2 million in operational cuts and a $9 million building maintenance fund cut. Because of a tighter budget than in previous years, the tuition freeze may be lifted for the next academic year. The amount, if lifted, is unknown until the completion of the legislative session in March.
“They can only spend what they have available. Fortunately, in the last couple of years, they’ve had good dollars,” SDSU’s Vice President of Finance & Budget, Michael Holbeck said, “It’s kind of an agreement between the board and the legislature, the legislature allocates dollars, then the board will set the tuition rate in April.” The Regents will meet on April 2 at Northern State University.
Despite changes in the budgeting process, Holbeck and his team aim to balance the quality and availability of classes, student support services and scholarships.
“We’re a land-grant mission, which means our goal is to provide access to higher education for all. We’ve done that several ways,” Holbeck said. “One, we’ve frozen tuition in partnership with the Legislature. Two, we’ve worked hard with the SDSU Foundation and raised a lot of dollars, which have over doubled scholarships the last couple of years.”
One Day for STATE, a 24-hour fundraising event, raised $2,757,790 last semester. Bold and Blue, a campaign for SDSU raised $604 million as of April of 2024, surpassing their goal of $500 million, set in 2017.
According to SDSU’s Division of Budget and Finance, South Dakota universities have significantly lower prices. Data provided by Holbeck indicated that surrounding states have increased tuition by 11.1% or more over the last five years, while South Dakota’s tuition increased only by 5.2%.
For the past several years, students attending the six Regents schools have been fortunate to receive a higher education while experiencing fi nancial affordability, according to Holbeck.
After the conclusion of the legislature session in March and the Regent’s
meeting in April, students should know if there will be a tuition increase for the next academic year.
Students’ Association Vice President Hayden Bentz said that no matter the outcome of the Legislature, the Students’ Association will work to keep the affordability of students’ education in the minds of decision-makers.
“Affordability was really the largest reason as to why I came to SDSU,” Bentz said. “Regardless of what happens, our tuition, compared to surrounding states and areas, will be extremely affordable.”
Onnika Dale, a sophomore psychology major from Hutchinson, Minnesota, said she doesn’t like talk of a tuition hike, “However, I understand why it may have to happen. SDSU is still significantly cheaper than other schools I had looked at attending.”
How to say ‘thank you’ to your professors
Program started 12 years ago as a way to express gratitude
BROOKLYN FRANKENSTEIN
Reporter
The Thank-a-Professor Program is a way students can formally show their appreciation to the professors who have had a positive impact on their experience at SDSU.
The executive director and Center for Professional Enrichment and Teaching Excellence assistant professor, Kevin Sackreiter, started the Thanka-Professor Program.
Sackreiter said that he started the program about 12 years ago after he got the idea from Stanford University.
The Thank-a-Professor program was started at Nova Southeastern University (NSU). Dr. Emily Schmitt Lavin, a faculty member at NSU’s Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, proposed the program. Since then, universities across the United States have used the Thank-aProfessor Program to encourage student appreciation for their instructors, promote positive faculty morale and foster a stronger sense of community.
Just saying thank you can be beneficial, said Sackreiter. Saying
THANK YOUR PROFESSOR
Link to the website: https://www.sdstate.edu/ center-professional-enrichment-teaching-excellence/ thank-professor-program
thank you expresses gratitude, which can significantly improve relationships by making others feel valued and appreciated. It can boost your own mood and well-being, and even have positive physiological effects like reducing stress levels and promoting relaxation.
“I like the idea of an anonymous platform,” said Sackreiter, “A platform for students to just say thank you to their professors. I thought it would be a great opportunity for students to do.”
When the program first started, Sackreiter got over 100 ‘thank-you’ forms each semester. Now, he said he typically receives around 40 to 50 forms every semester. He said there are many other platforms where students can say thank you, so the numbers have gone down through the years.
It seems many students don’t know
about this program. Students often bypass bulletin boards, skipping over the opportunities that they provide.
The poster for the thank-you program competes with many others on bulletin boards across campus and can go unnoticed.
“I had no idea that there was a program for that,” said Rachel Huizenga, an SDSU student, “In the past, I’ve just emailed them at the end of the semester to thank them.”
Sackreiter said that they do receive a lot of not-so-friendly forms from students. But, all the forms go through Sackreiter himself, so he refrains from sending the negative forms.
“This platform was made to spread positivity, but I have received some negative forms,” Sackreiter said.
Sackreiter sends the positive forms to the professors and also to their supervisors as well. Sackreiter wants to show their supervisors the gratitude that professors are receiving.
The process of filling out a ‘thank-you’ form is simple. There are posters hanging all around campus. On those posters, there is a QR code that you can scan with your smartphone, and it will take you to a form that you can fill out.
There is also a webpage on SDSU’s website. On this webpage, you’ll find the same form, allowing you to fill out your information, the professor’s information, and why you’re choosing to say thank you.
“I had no idea that there was a program for that.”
Rachel Huizenga, SDSU student
KEVIN SACKREITER
Bringing Art to Life Through Food
South Dakota
VERONICA WAAGMEESTER Reporter
Art Museum hosted The Art of Charcuterie by Corey Shelsta
The Art of Charcuterie took place on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at the South Dakota Art Museum. The morning was filled with great food and faces and many participants took home new ideas on how to bring food to life through a charcuterie board.
Corey Shelsta, a theater professor at South Dakota State, has taken up the hobby of charcuterie and said he loves to share his passion with others. Shelsta said this hobby started from his love of cooking and he has been doing it for about 20 years.
“My favorite part about it is making something that people can enjoy together, sharing new foods and stories,” he said.
Shelsta’s favorite board to make is something simple, but he also loves to make fun boards for his daughter when her friends come over to hang out and watch movies.
Katherine Power is a freshman at SDSU and one of Shelsta’s students. She says her favorite part of the event was seeing all the different boards Shelsta had done in the past, and how he taught the class.
“He is a very well-spoken person, a good leader, and I like learning from him,” Power said.
An attendee of the event, Rae McKeown, said his favorite part of Shelsta’s presentation was his personality and enjoyed the Alp Blossom cheese.
“And now I have many new ideas for charcuterie boards I can make at home,” McKeown said.
6.)
Collegian photo by VERONICA WAAGMEESTER
A charcuterie board that was displayed at the Art Museum made by one of the participants at the event
Collegian photo by BRADY KNIGHT
Corey Shelsta, a theater professor at South Dakota State, holding his charcuterie board.
Psychological thriller grips audience
PEYTEN WIESE Reporter
Turn of the Screw, the third production in the university’s theater and dance season, finished its run this past Sunday.
The show, described as disturbing, psychological and horrific, held the audience’s attention from start to finish. Out of the 346 audience members, 164 were SDSU students.
Turn of the Screw is a chilling play written by Jeffrey Hatcher based on Henry James’ gothic book. It tells the story of a young governess who has been sent to take care of two children in a remote country house. The Governess starts to believe that the children are influenced by ghosts with the play ending in a tragic outcome.
The director, Casey Paradies, had been wanting to do this show for a long time.
“I like scaring an audience and I am a big fan of classic novels and horror,” Paradies said, “This play contains both of those and is a challenge to the actors and director and designers as it has to be very minimal so that the audience can really delve into the scariest place, their own minds.”
Paradies directed his first show by himself in the fall of 2002. He joined the Theatre Directors Union, known as The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society in 2014 at the associate level.
He said the biggest challenge was to let the story be ambiguous and not put his own opinion on it.
“Are the ghosts real or is the governess having a mental breakdown? I am not allowed, in this piece, to take sides,” Paradies said, “So that was a huge challenge of keeping myself and the creative team out of that decision while letting the actors decide for themselves and play to that.”
When asked how the audience reacted to this horror story, Paradies said they went on a journey.
“They are visibly disturbed at the end and after they walk out into the real
world again, they are able to breathe and talk about the experience,”
Paradies said, “Audiences seem to be truly sharing the space as they cling together to face the horrors seen in the eyes of the governess.”
“I loved the implication of ghosts and how the lighting design supported the suspenseful moments.”
Grant Taylor, audience member
The finished product of this show is very special to Paradies.
Barbara Gonzalez, who played The Governess, said her and her character are both hopeless romantics and would do anything for the people they care about.
Gonzalez said the most challenging part of the production was going through the same emotional state that her character was going through for the first time.
“My favorite part of the show is when The Governess and Miles have their last
conversation and we get to scream at each other. Even though it was an emotional moment, it was fun to find new things in it every night.”
Gonzalez said she had takeaways from this production.
“Always try to find something new in your character, and be open to trying new things, and get to know the people you’re gonna work with,” Gonzalez said. “I feel like getting to know Willelm made working together more comfortable for the both of us.”
Willem Lim, who played The Man, said the audience had many different reactions with gasps, scares, and laughs.
Lim said his favorite part of the show
was watching everyone’s hard work pay off.
“From the set, to the lighting, to the performances, everyone worked so hard and it really really showed,” Lim said.
Lim said the most challenging part of the production was blocking out the movement.
“I had never performed in a ‘thrust’ theater before and it really bended my mind trying to get used to that, as opposed to a normal theater.”
A thrust theater is a type of theater where the stage is near the center of the room, and has audiences on all three sides.
Lim said his biggest takeaway from the production was that it is important to get to know the people that you are working with.
“I have never worked with Barbara before, and I barely even knew her before this, but getting to know her really amplified the performance. I think the care we had really showed on the stage.”
Grant Taylor, an audience member, said he loves horror stories.
“I think they are so unique and fascinating, and they portray experiences many people don’t have in real life. Or if they have the experience, it makes it all the more terrifying.”
Taylor enjoyed how the show left a lot to the imagination, and how it provoked the audience’s imagination.
“I loved the implication of ghosts and how the lighting design supported the suspenseful moments.”
State University Theatre and Dance has two more productions left for the year, Bright Star and the Spring Dance Concert: Be.
Collegian photo by PEYTEN WIESE The Governess is learning the true story of what happened at Bly.
Chocolate Crawl continues despite previous fire damage
RYANN DAVIS
Assistant News Editor
As a part of downtown Brookings’ Frost Fest, participating businesses hosted customers starting at 10 a.m. for the annual Chocolate Crawl on Saturday. Twenty-five different downtown locations had a form of chocolate available to customers, 15 of which were giving their chocolate treats away for free.
After suffering losses from the recent fire that burnt down Brost’s Fashions, the Chocolate Crawl looked a little different this year for some locations.
However, one aspect of the event remained the same: the ice sculpture. During the two days before the Chocolate Crawl, two men worked to carve an ice sculpture next to Nick’s Hamburger Shop. The sculpture was available for viewing and taking pictures all day on Saturday.
A Kool Beans Coffee and Roasterie employee reported having a lot of business on Saturday morning as they were sampling their chocolate-covered espresso beans. With the purchase of a drink, customers could also enter a giveaway to win a variety pack of chocolate bars.
After having to temporarily relocate the store due to fire damage, Emerald Grace Clothing Company also reported having a busy Saturday. The clothing store had an assortment of chocolate treats available to customers as well as some water to wash them down.
This year’s Chocolate Crawl was also out of the ordinary for The Nook, a bookstore that was in the same building as Emerald Grace Clothing Company at 314 Main Ave. The Nook has a temporary pop-up shop inside of Pasque, another store on Main Avenue.
Brooklyn Fredrickson, an employee at The Nook, said the store will be inside of Pasque for six more months. On Saturday both Pasque and The Nook hosted many customers and were offering pink, heart-shaped chocolates made by Choco Latte, a coffee shop in Brookings.
Meraki Threads & Design, a shop that opened just after Black Friday last year, participated in its first Chocolate Crawl on Saturday.
Meraki is located at 411 4th St. and offers chocolate cupcakes with espresso buttercream as well as a hot chocolate bar. Upon store entry customers were also allowed to gain a discount on their purchase by choosing a Hershey’s Chocolate Kiss with a color on the bottom, determining the discount percentage.
Collegian photo by RYANN DAVIS
A variety of businesses gave out free samples of chocolate during the Chocolate Crawl on Feb. 25. The chocolates here were served at Pasque and The Nook.
Courtesy of KAROL HAAS
Pictured are espresso brownie cupcakes, chocolate raspberry parfaits, and Oreos. These were handed out at Meraki Threads & Design.
Collegian photo by RYANN DAVIS
Five different flavors of Hammond’s Chocolate Bars were available to sample. These flavors included cookies & cream, sodapop!, peanut butter cup, sea side caramel and toffee brittle. These were at The Carrot Seed Kitchen Co.
Potential plans outlined for SDSU’s future
DANIELLE NOWELL Co-News Editor
South Dakota State University has almost finished creating their master plan for the future of SDSU’s campus.
SDSU’s website for the comprehensive master plan says that the goal is to make a realistic and feasible plan for the University using advanced planning.
The university is working with DLR Group, who the website says is “…a nationally recognized campus master planning and design firm.”
The website says that, “The Master Plan is a shared vision that will guide the development of SDSU over the next decade and beyond.”
Jonathan Meendering, the Director of Planning & Design for SDSU Facilities & Services says that the biggest thing to understand about the master plan is to know that it’s just a framework for progress. “At this point, you know, a master plan is more of a framework than ‘this is going to happen,’ It’s overarching goals.”
“Nothing is set in stone until we start digging into the projects,” Meendering says.
The University will use the master plan to have clear goals for the future of the university. They are subject to change though.
“It’s nice to have a roadmap. If you don’t have a road map, you don’t have direction.” Meendering says it’s hard to tie all of the projects that need done on campus into a cohesive plan, because there are so many projects that could be done. “A master plan lets you take those into a plan that supports all of campus.”
More details will come out in a few weeks when the official masterplan is released. However, here are some ideas according to their Master Plan Engagement Report which can be found on the SDSU comprehensive master plan website.
Within their analysis diagrams, it was briefly noted to:
• Remove unnecessary functions from
Morrill Hall (Morrill Hall is outdated and overloaded).
• Expand the Athletics district east, per the Athletics Master plan.
• Small-scale improvements to add more functional outdoor space.
• Use trees to screen parking lots along public edges.
• Find ways to reduce pedestrian and vehicular conflicts
• Increase multi-modal paths on campus (include more bike lanes).
• Upgrade and improve overall stormwater and wastewater.
• Replacement of aging sewer lines needed.
It was also noted without further solution that:
• There are inconsistent academic environments in Wagner, Crothers, and Pugsley
• Many interior lots interfere with pedestrian flow.
FUNDING FOR THESE PROJECTS
Meendering says that funding comes from multiple sources. For example, an existing building needing maintenance and repairs can get funding from the Board of Regents. The university also receives a portion of state general funds. Student fees can contribute towards certain projects. University strategic funds
can help with capital improvements and once in a while the university receives grant funds.
“Typically, on projects, there is a significant donor-funded portion,” Meendering says.
DLR Group has been working on this campus master plan since 2023. The firm put together many different focus groups made up of students, community members, and faculty to discuss current issues and come up with new ideas. Many more ideas and issues were discussed than the ones listed above. To see more, read the full Master Plan Engagement Report visit the link on our website, SDSUCollegian. com.
Collegian photo by COLLEGIAN STAFF Phase one of the master plan outlined in a graphic.
ATHLETICS DISTRICT
The expanding Athletics district project “…has to do with some of the needs by the SJAC, just lack of rooms and limited study rooms around the SJAC and the Stiegelmeier Student Athlete Center,” Meendering says, “You know how they re-did the wrestling complex? Their plan is to expand similarly on the east side.”
MORRILL HALL
Meendering says that Morrill Hall will not be renovated entirely. “A lot of that has more to do with maintenance and repairs in the building. Plumbing, electrical, those kinds of improvements.”
OUTDOOR IMPROVEMENTS
Concerning the mentioned improvements to outdoor space, Meendering says, “That’s probably some of the less defined pieces.” A lot of it will have to do with the way the outsides of the buildings will change. Meendering says they want the buildings to have better connection to the green spaces, and better activate outdoor spaces. They would like to add more tables with chairs and decorative pieces outside of buildings so students can study outside more when the weather is nice.
“Right now, Jackrabbit Green is a little disconnected from all of the buildings that line it. The goal would be to kinda create more of a direct connection for everyone who is using those buildings, and that would activate the green a little more,” Meendering says.
SEWER LINES, STORMWATER AND WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT
The replacement of sewer lines and upgrading the stormwater and wastewater managements Meendering says will mean, “…tearing up a lot of campus. A lot of that is going to happen this next summer.”
They’ve been working on parts of it over the past two summers Meendering says, but that, “The next summer’s project will be more disruptive, right around the Union and the residence halls.”
Meendering said they’ve had to consider how to get access to the Union for things like new student orientations, sports camps, and other camps held at SDSU. “We need to make sure we can get the construction done in a timely manner, but still let all of the functions happen.”
ANIMAL SCIENCE COMPLEX
The Animal Science Complex may also be looking at some future upgrades. It was written in the comprehensive master plan on SDSU’s website that the, “Animal Science complex is in need of renovation or new building, a lot of space has been around since the 1970s.”
“Yeah, it’s definitely on our list,” Meendering says, “Again, it’s about priorities. They have an ongoing meat lab project that they’ve been trying to address pieces at a time. Lab and classroom spaces need updated.” Meendering said that graduate spaces got updated last year.
said that what spurred the Lincoln Hall renovation, was that it needed renovated and it’s a historic building on the green. Plus, when music moved out, it was an opportunity to go in and do a lot.
Meendering says that it was a similar situation with Harding Hall as well – once mathematics moved out of Harding Hall and it was vacated, that’s when they took the opportunity to renovate it. However, Wagner, Crothers, and Pugsley are still in use. “So, for Wagner,” Meendering says, “that will have to be more of a phase type approach. Taking it by floors or areas to get it completed.”
The HVAC and restrooms have already been renovated.
PARKING LOTS
At a meeting Wednesday, Feb. 12, about the official master plan, it was mentioned by Linsey Graff, a senior campus planner for DLR Group, that some internal parking lots on campus are in the way of student’s walking path. Meendering says, “I think the biggest conflict would be Campanile Avenue into the Wagner lot. That’s the heaviest street into campus right now.”
WAGNER, CROTHERS AND PUGSLEY
“Those are all buildings on our list for our improvements.” But Meendering says that, “There are a few mindsets for maintenance and repairs on the building. Some mindsets are to make small improvements a little at a time. Or, you can do a full overhaul of the building, renovate it all at one time.”
Meendering says that, “They’ve been doing the latter approach. Take Lincoln, those were full renovations, everything was touched. Now, you walk through those buildings, and there are still characters of the old building, but they are new. So that’s been our strategy.”
“The one drawback to that is that you’re not impacting as many buildings as often. You have to put so many resources into one building. There isn’t funding available to do that,” Meendering says.
“It kinda comes down to buildings that have the greatest need.” Meendering
Newman Center; they’ve been working on it for ten years,” Meendering says. “That whole area would become a more efficient.” Parking could be redone to be more connected with union lots. “It’s hard to say if or when that’s going to happen,” Meendering says. In the SE corner of campus, they have a parking lot that will be constructed next summer to address some of the parking challenges they experienced this year.
MULTI-MODAL TRANSPORTATION
The mention of increasing multi-modal paths on campus would mean having “…a painted section dedicated to bikes, skateboards, scooters, whatever that might be. That’s what you see on a lot of campuses,” Meendering says.
“For our campus, we are a long ways from that. We don’t have pedestrian and multi-modal traffic that is dense enough to have problems with that yet. Once it starts to get congested, then you have to start limiting where you can use multimodal.” Meendering says this should be easy whenever the university decides to do it because “A lot of our sidewalks are already extremely wide.”
BRIGGS LIBRARY
The north side of the barn and Yeager has three small lots, which Meendering says students cut through and that they bring more cars into the center of campus. “Reducing that would limit traffic without having to take out the Wagner parking lot,” Meendering says. “It’s been marked for removal in the past, and in this masterplan, they recommended taking a portion of the west parking lot out and expanding the green space over there to better connect buildings.”
Meendering says that in 2018, SDSU did a building renovation study for Briggs Library. They identified through that process that they could put more student and academic services in the library, and that there was “some discussion about bringing the IT helpdesk into the library.”
The master plan has drawn from that 2018 study Meendering says, but that they are also now looking at needed changes to support the university’s transition to an R1 Institution. Meendering says, “Now it will be also, how can the library better support research?”
Meendering said that they did parking calculations, and they found that if they removed certain spots and added certain new ones, that they would actually gain parking spots.
“They are planning to redo the
Meendering said about the library project that, “It will likely happen. This is a phase one project. Phase one is a 10-year span. So anywhere in that 10-year plan, it could happen.” The goal for phase one projects would be to get all of them finished within 10 years if possible.
Student journalism is ‘at the forefront’ of SDSU
BRAYDEN BYERS
Editor-inChief
The Collegian just celebrated its 140th birthday on Jan. 31, and with the print edition of The Collegian taking a break last week for Presidents’ Day, it left some time for me to reflect and do some research.
All this happens between full class schedules, part-time jobs, other student organization meetings and obligations, all for a few hundred dollars a month. I would say there are few student groups that work harder and are more dedicated to what we do than a team of student journalists.
to students. A space for diverse voices, whether through opinion pieces or through shedding light on issues around campus.
Emily Attrill
Collegian Report Producer
Natalie Dean
Managing Editor
Matthew Wieberdink
KSDJ Program Director
Ben Anderson
KSDJ Sports Director
Brindy Bolander
KSDJ News Director
Jack McCarty
Entertainment Editor
The College Sheaves, as the newspaper was called upon its founding, was a monthly publication led by then Editor-in-Chief E.A. Anderson serving the community of the Dakota Agricultural College.
And we are committed to what we do. To providing information to the SDSU community that may be overlooked but still affect students and faculty. A college campus is a world filled with unique people and experiences, and we are a part of it. We have access to different groups and information and have the ability to critically focus on university
We are an education-based organization – we welcome students who have never held a camera or opened Adobe Creative Cloud, and we give them an opportunity to try these things out. We are a professional organization and take pride in the professional quality of our work, but it takes every single person who is a part of it to make us who we are.
Marshall Minihan Sports Editor
Fast-forward to 2025, and we are so much more than just a newspaper and mean so much more to this community of over 12,000 students and faculty. Perhaps more now than ever before. Allow me to explain.
The changing landscape of media and journalism is often on my mind and discussed in the circles that surround me and my staff, but it’s not something that is often talked about outside the walls of the newsroom.
With Feb. 27 marking Student Press Freedom Day, placed near the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District decision on Feb. 24, 1969, which established that students’ First Amendment right applies in public schools, – now is the time to shed some light on what we do. Because our existence is as important as it has ever been.
Danielle Nowell News Editor
Members of the staff of The Collegian spend many hours every week in the newsroom laying out pages, editing stories, designing pages and much more. And that’s not mentioning the hours spent with the recent ventures into weekly video newscasts and rotating news on a 24/7 broadcast radio station.
issues.
South Dakota State
Jordan Roemeling News Editor
Ella Stiefvater
Collegian Report Anchor
Annie Witt
Collegian Report Anchor
Jacob Brende
Asst. Sports Editor
Ryann Davis
Asst. News Editor
Emily DeCock
Asst. News Editor
Emma Mernaugh
Asst. News Editor
University needs us to hold our administration accountable.
Collegian Media is independent. This means that we are independent of South Dakota State University, which prevents us from being filtered by the administration. This allows us to tell stories that need to be told without being afraid of retaliation.
If student journalism was not needed, The Collegian wouldn’t still be printing 140 years later.
Equally as important as the information that we offer is the platform we give
A collaborative learning environment is something I strived to create once I took on the title of Editor-in-Chief, and I feel we have accomplished just that. Without an independent student press, university administrators would not be held accountable. Student voices would be stifled, stories would go untold and aspiring journalists, ad salespeople, designers, photographers, videographers, anchors, producers and announcers would not have access to hands-on, peer-collaborated learning outside of the classroom. The SDSU community would only receive information through one point of view and not be able to explore other sides of an issue or see into our campus culture.
The Collegian has been a part of South Dakota State University since 1885 and we, along with other student publications, aren’t going anywhere. In a political climate where the media is painted as the enemy, we as college students are needed to keep our small communities held accountable and informed.
To the right, you can find the names of the dedicated group of students that make up Collegian Media.
Logan Olsen
Collegian Report Editor
Taylor Tennant
Asst. News Editor
Cordell Vitense
Asst. Sports Editor
Owen Boyd
Photographer
Emma Waage
Photographer
Ean Wetzel
Photographer
SPORTS BRIEFS
Seven athletes take first at SDSU Last Chance Meet
CORDELL VITENSE
Assistant Sports Editor
Last Friday, Brookings hosted the SDSU Last Chance Meet and seven Jacks took home first place.
Women
SDSU women’s throwers had a good outing with Cloe Kalanick grabbing gold with a personal best of 13.39m. Freshman Jalyn Shepherd took home second with a PR of 13.26m.
In the weight throw, Milee Young took home silver with a PR of 18.07m, while Josie Curry finished third with a mark of 16.42.
Brielle Dixon crossed the line first in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.33.
“Brielle continues to be Brielle. Another meet, another prelim victory, another finals victory. Her consistency is at a really high level,” said head coach Rod DeHaven. “Admittedly, maybe the energy wasn’t great in the building for our group on Friday…but she handled it well and we did have some good stuff.”
A top-ten all-time performance occurred in the 400-meter when Erika Kuntz finished with a time of 56.24 to put her seventh on the SDSU all-time leaderboard and to take gold in the event. Kuntz also took first in the 4x400-meter team event with Reese Luze, Maggie Madsen and Jenna Johnson. The team finished the event with a time of 3:49.33. In the 800-meter, Kayla Christopherson finished runner-up with a time of 2:16.07.
Men
In the 3000-meter, Dale Johnson won the event with a time of 8:31.84, with Josh Becker coming in second and Cormick Logue taking the final podium spot. In the 60-meter hurdles, the Jackrabbits
took spots one through four, with Carter Johnson leading the way with a time of 8.21, followed by Ben Morningstar, Gunnar Gunderson and Ryan Benson.
The 400-meter saw Thailan Hallman get a runner-up finish after posting a time of 48.17 seconds.
Another second-place finish for the Jacks was recorded by Jared Wipf in the 60-meter with a time of 6.76.
Cade Savanik took home a silver in the mile with a time of 4:23.52.
Up Next
The next time you can see these athletes in action is Friday, February 28 to March 1 when SDSU hosts the Summit League Championships for Indoor Track and Field.
“We’re excited to host; it’s a great opportunity for our student-athletes to be able to compete at home in our facility, which hopefully is a positive thing for our student-athletes,” DeHaven on the upcoming Summit League Championship.
Jacks place third and
fifth
at conference swimming and diving championships
CORDELL VITENSE Assistant Sports Editor
Last Saturday, the SDSU swimming and diving team traveled to Iowa City, Iowa to compete in the Summit League Championships.
The men took home a third-place finish while the women finished fifth overall.
Graduate student Denilson Cyprianos finished second as an individual in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:47.77. Denver swimmer Dylan Wright took home first place in the event.
Sophomore and Brookings native Cody Vertin also finished second individually in the 200 breaststroke. Vertin set a career-best time of 1:58.04, which fell short of first-place finisher Marco Nosack of Denver, who swam a time of 1:57.54.
Nik Keuser came out strong in prelims, clocking the top time and a school record. Unfortunately, Keuser’s time slipped in finals and finished with a time of 1:59.54, which was good enough for fourth in the 200 breaststroke.
The Jacks qualified six swimmers in the A and B 200 butterfly finals. SDSU’s top finish was third place by Braxton McGrath with a time of 1:48.32. Austin Smith also managed a fifth-place finish.
The Jackrabbit’s 400 freestyle relay team, made up of Charles Sieglaff, Denilson Cyprianos, Sam Johnson and Zavier Kranz, took home a third-place finish.
Denver took home the title with a score of 975 points, USD was second with 697.5 and SDSU managed third with 544. Sophomore Poppy Mead finished seventh in the 1650 freestyle and the 200 butterfly on Saturday.
Emma Ingalls also competed in the 200 butterfly and came away with a sixth-place finish followed by Isabella Gnewuch in ninth.
Gigi Hioki, Jenna Currier, Sara Juez and Emma Schultz placed fifth in the 400 freestyle relay.
Denver took home their 12th consecutive title with 1078 points, followed by USD, Omaha, St. Thomas and SDSU.
Photo courtsey of: Becca Bell/SDSU Athletics
Women to return home against Tommies with undefeated Summit streak on the line
MADISON GILLETTE
Sports Editor
Brooklyn Meyer led the Jacks in an 80-60 victory over the Kansas City Roos with a career-high 34 points.
“Obviously Brooklyn’s numbers were fantastic, she went over 30 points again and just had an enourmous game for us and was as good as anybody can be in that game,” head coach Aaron Johnston on Brooklyn Meyer.
The Jacks kept the intensity up as they ended the 1st quarter with a 23-15 lead.
In the second quarter the momentum for the Roo’s started to heat up. With six minutes left in the quarter, the Roo’s trailed only by two points.
A pair of free throws by Paige Meyer kept SDSU’s lead, but hot hands by KC’s Alayna Contreras drained a shot behind the arc putting the Roo’s up 31-33.
A quick jumper in the paint by Meyer evened the playing field at 33-33.
With back-and-forth baskets between each team, there were a total of two lead changes and one tie during this battle.
To end the 2nd quarter the Jacks regained the lead once more sending them to halftime with a 3-point lead, 39-36.
The third quarter was slow for both teams. The Jacks scored 17 points while the Roo’s scored 11. The Jacks went into the 4th quarter with a 56-47 lead.
In the 4th, KC couldn’t find their groove as they scored 13 points compared to SDSU’s 24.
Adding to Meyer’s 34 points, she totaled five rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal.
Haleigh Timmer contributed 16 points, 12 of which came from beyond the arc. Timmer also grabbed five boards and had three assists and a steal.
Paige Meyer was all about assists with seven as well as 11 points and five rebounds.
Leading the Roo’s was Alayna Contreras with 24 points. Emani Bennett was second in line with 14 points and four rebounds.
Denver
The Women’s Jackrabbit basketball team will play their second to last game of the regular season against Denver.
The Jacks still sit at the top of the conference with a record of 14-0, and an overall record of 24-3. The Pioneers are ranked ninth in the league with a record of 1-13, and an overall record of 8-19.
The last time the Jacks and the Pioneers met was on Jan. 4 with a 79-42 victory for the Jacks.
Leading Denver is junior Jordan Jones. Jones averages almost 20 points a game and she leads the team in rebounds as well at 6.7. On the season Jones has 180 rebounds and 81 assists.
Against the Jacks, Jones was all over the stat sheet. She tallied 13 points, five rebounds, four assists,a block and steal.
Assisting Jones is junior Emma Smith. Smith averages around ten points a game and 5.7 rebounds. She leads the Pioneers in assists as she totals 109 so far this season.
As a team, the Pioneers shot 39% from the field and 29% from behind the arc. The team averages about 31 rebounds and 11 assists.
The Jacks and Pioneers will play today at First Bank & Trust Arena with a tip-off time slated for 7 p.m.
St. Thomas
After battling it out with the Pioneers, the Jacks will face St. Thomas in their last conference game of the season.
The Tommies are ranked 4th in the Summit League
with a conference record of 7-7 and an overall record of 15-12.
The last time the Jacks and Tommies met was Jan. 22nd with the Jacks winning 83-76.
The Tommies have several key players who contribute by averaging double-digit points per game.
Junior Amber Scalia averages 14.9 points and leads the team with 402 points so far this season.
Senior Jo Langbehn is another standout player for the Tommies. Langbehn also averages 14.9 points per game and shoots 63% from the field. Langbehn leads the Tommies in rebounds as she has tallied 144 this season.
Senior Jade Hill leads the Tommies in assists with 131 on the season so far, but she also averages 14.5 points herself.
As a team, St. Thomas shoots 45% from the field and 33% beyond the arc.
The game is set for Saturday at 1 p.m. at First Bank & Trust Arena.
Courtesy of MEGAN GOLVER/SDSU ATHLETICS
Brooklyn Meyer shoots the ball over Kansas City defender. Meyer is averaging over 17.5 points per game this seasonin 26.5 minutes per game. Meyer is also shooting over 64% from the field.
Wrestling finishes season 14-4 after dual win over Bison on the road
MARSHALL MINIHAN
Sports Editor
Over the weekend, The Jackrabbits hit the road and took down NDSU 23-10 in their final dual of the season.
Out of the 10 matches with their conference opponent, South Dakota State won seven of them.
“You come away with the win, which is nice,” said head coach Damion Hahn. “But, I’ll be honest with you, a little too close for comfort.”
South Dakota State’s first victory came by way of ranked Julian Tagg after he defeated Michael Olson 5-0 at 141 pounds. Tagg’s five points came by takedown, escape and a ride time point at the end of the match.
Avery Allen followed Tagg at 149 pounds and took down Gavin Drexler. Allen tallied takedowns in both the first and second periods and beat Drexler 7-4.
“I knew that match [Allen and Drexler] was going to be a dog fight and you know Avery [Allen] has had some ups and downs this season,” said Hahn. “He’s beaten some decent guys and lost to some guys he probably should not have. Man, Avery went out there and he was on. That’s the Avery Allen that we know, that we see in the room.”
The Jackrabbits kept momentum going at 157 pounds with Moses EspinozaOwens beating Clay Radentz by major decision, ending with a final score of 15-4.
No. 12 Drake Rhodes narrowly escaped 165-pounder Boeden Greenley of North Dakota State, winning 6-5 thanks to a late escape in the match.
At 174 pounds, Cade DeVos controlled the pace in his dominant victory by major decision over Devin Wasley 14-2.
The Jackrabbits went on to win two of the final three matches of the dual.
Bennett Berge took the mat against 184-pounder Aidan Brenot and won with a close 5-4 finish by decision. Berge set the pace in the first period with a takedown
and stayed on top of Brenot for the rest of the fi rst. Brenot ended up scoring a takedown late in the final period of the match but was unable to breach the deficit.
Scoring the fi nal points of the night for the Jacks was transfer Zach Glazier at 197 pounds. The No. 14 ranked wrestler in the weight class took his 8-6 victory over Tayshaun Glover. Both wrestlers hit the gas in the third, adding points for both sides but Glazier left the mat victorious.
In the victory, three Jackrabbits took losses in their fi nal dual of the 2024-25 season.
Ranked Tanner Jordan was beaten by Ezekiel Witt 3-2. After leading for the first two periods, Witt took Jordan down at 125 pounds.
Derrick Cardinal was the only SDSU wrestler to lose by major decision as he fell to Kyle Burwick 18-7.
Luke Rasmussen lost his second match in a row to end the season, this time against Drew Blackburn-Frost. Rasmussen fired back in the third after giving up a takedown and reversal in the first two periods, scoring a takedown of his own but ultimately falling short 7-5.
“It wasn’t the prettiest, but we got it done,” said Hahn.
UP NEXT
The Jackrabbit will be back in Tulsa, Oklahoma on March 8 and 9 for the Big 12 Wrestling Championships, competing against 13 other Big 12 schools at the BOK Center. The first session is set to begin at 10 a.m. on March 8.
Collegian photo by
EAN WETZEL
SDSU wrestler Cobe Siebrecht in his match against Iowa State’s Cody Chittum. The match ended in a Chittum victory 9-8 on Feb. 14 in Brookings.
JACKS BOUNCE ROOS
Late surge leads Jacks past Kansas City 70-65
JON AKRE
Sports Reporter
A late second-half surge propelled the South Dakota State men’s basketball team to a Senior Day victory on Sunday, stunning the Kansas City Roos 70-65.
The Jacks improved to 19-10 on the season and 10-4 in the Summit League, but the last home regular season game wasn’t an easy out for the Yellow and Blue.
SDSU shot over 52% from the field in the opening 20 minutes, but the Roos kept it close with a 6-for-13 half from three-point range, while the Jacks shot 20% (2-10) from three.
Despite going into the half with a 34-32 lead, disaster struck the Jacks on the last possession before halftime when true freshman point guard Owen Larson went down with a knee injury that kept the facilitator out the rest of the game.
“It’s kind of classified as a knee sprain right now,” SDSU Head Coach Eric Henderson said about Larson’s injury. “It’s so early to tell. Who knows right now, but we’re optimistic. Until we do some further testing, we’re not going to know for sure.”
The Jacks’ backcourt just recently dealt with an ankle injury involving Kalen Garry, who returned after a one-game absence, but anything more than a minor tweak could see the Jacks could be without Larson for the Summit League tournament. With 5:25 to play in the second
half, UMKC guard Jamar Brown hit his fifth three-pointer of the game, pushing the Roo’s lead to seven. A late-season upset was beginning to brew in Brookings.
The Jacks lacked energy and consistent shooting throughout the second half, but true freshman Jaden Jackson continues to show his talent down the stretch. The Bellevue, Nebraska native scored 11 points in 21 minutes off the bench, hitting two big threes in the final four minutes of the game.
“I think we’ve been seeing this coming for a long time,” Henderson said about Jackson. “It was just a matter of time. He’s been more than a capable shooter for his whole life, but it’s nice to see him get rewarded too and make those shots.”
A layup by UMKC guard Davontae Hall tied things up at 64 with under a minute to play while over 3,400
Jackrabbit fans inside First Bank & Trust Arena came alive. Senior center
Oscar Cluff put in a huge go-ahead basket, followed by a steal on the defensive end that helped seal the victory.
Cluff led all Jackrabbit scorers with his 20th double-double of the season, logging 17 points, 10 rebounds and four steals. Kalen Garry and Jackson each ended with 11 points, Stoney Hadnot tallied 10 points and four rebounds, shooting 4-for-5 from the field, while Joe Sayler added eight points in the win.
UMKC’s Brown led all scorers with 21 points, while Babacar Diallo had 17 points and seven assists in the loss.
Collegian photo by EAN WETZEL Oscar Cluff shoots over a Kansas City defender on Sunday during a Summit League basketball game at First Bank and Trust Arena. Cluff recorded his 20th double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
ORAL ROBERTS
The Jacks will be on the road for their final two games of the season, starting with the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles.
ORU sits at the bottom of the Summit League with a 3-11 conference record but can still toss a wrench in the top half of the standings, especially coming off a victory over No. 2 St. Thomas, 71-66, Saturday.
While the Jacks are no longer in the hunt for the Summit League regular season title with Omaha clinching outright, the Tommies’ loss on Saturday kept them well within reach for a top-2 seed with two games to go.
SDSU head coach Eric Henderson said during Tuesday’s weekly press conference that the Jacks will be without starting point guard Owen Larson for both games this week due to injury but are optimistic he’ll be able to return come tournament time in Sioux Falls.
“This week we’re certainly not planning on playing him, but any further than that it’s way too early to tell,” said Henderson.
You can’t talk about ORU without mentioning AllConference guard Issac McBride, averaging 19.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and one steal per contest. McBride torched SDSU in their first matchup on Jan. 18, netting 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting in Brookings.
Sam Alajiki and JoJo Moore are also heavily involved in the Golden Eagle offense, as both players enter today’s game averaging 11 points while Moore brings down nearly six rebounds per contest.
The Jacks and Golden Eagles tip off inside the Mabee Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Today at 7 p.m. and can be watched on Midco Sports Plus.
DENVER
The Jacks will round out conference play on Saturday with a trip out west, taking on the Denver Pioneers.
It’s been nearly two months since the Jacks last played DU, a 91-70 victory in Brookings, but this game could feature multiple seeding implications.
For South Dakota State, this game could push the Jacks to the No. 2 seed depending on a UST loss against North Dakota or Kansas City, while the current No. 7 seeded Pioneers are trying to stay out of the play-in game at the Summit League Tournament.
“We want to have momentum. We want to have our team feeling about themselves and making sure we understand what our DNA is,” said Henderson. “You want to win every game you play, but more importantly, we want to make sure we play the right way and control the things we can control.”
Denver has a three-headed monster in the backcourt with DeAndre Craig, Nicholas Shogbonyo and Sebastian Akins each averaging 13 points a game and will try to drop a late-season stunner on the Jackrabbits.
Tip-off inside the Hamilton Gymnasium in Denver
SUMMIT LEAGUE STANDINGS
No. 1: Omaha- 18-12 (12-3)
No. 2: St. Thomas: 20-9 (10-4)
No. 3: South Dakota State: 19-10 (10-4)
No. 4: North Dakota State: 20-10 (9-6)
No. 5: South Dakota: 17-12 (8-6)
No. 6: North Dakota: 11-18 (5-9)
No. 7: Denver: 10-19 (4-10)
No. 8: Kansas City: 11-18 (3-11)
No. 9: Oral Roberts: 7-20 (3-11)
is set for 2 p.m. Saturday and can be watched on the Summit League Network through Midco Sports Plus.
Collegian photo by EAN WETZEL
ABOVE: Freshman Jaden Jackson works past a Roos defender on his way to the basket. The freshman scored 11 points on three o-for o-three shooting from behind the arc in 22 minutes of play.
Collegian photo by EAN WETZEL
RIGHT: Stoney Hadnot shoots over Kansas City’s Melvyn Ebonkoli, during a game against Kansas City on Monday at First Bank & Trust Arena.
CALLING THE SHOTS
Two-time NCAA champion oversees wrestling program
MARSHALL MINIHAN Sports Editor
Since arriving at South Dakota State, SDSU wrestling head coach Damion Hahn has led the wrestling team in a positive direction.
Hahn’s Jackrabbits are ranked No. 13 in the nation and are they fourth-highest ranked school in their conference.
Head coach of the SDSU wrestling team, Damion Hahn has spearheaded the program since he arrived in 2018.
Hahn has found success both on and around the mat, leading SDSU to back-to-back 13-4 seasons in the Big 12 and in the 2023-24 season, tied SDSU’s best finish in Big 12, third place.
The New Jersey native first hit the mat when he was in second grade but it wasn’t what he thought it would be.
“I got into wrestling when I was in second grade,” said Hahn. “I literally had no idea what I was getting myself into. I thought, I’ll be honest, I thought it was the WWE at the time. I was like man, I’m going to jump off the top ropes and I’m going to dropkick people.”
Though disappointed, Hahn’s parents decided to sign him up to see how it goes.
“She [Hahn’s mother] signed me up and I loved it,” said Hahn. “I kind of took to it and that was it. I was hooked.”
Hahn quickly excelled at the sport, gaining national attention from some of the best wrestling schools in the nation.
“When I was coming out [of high school], I was the top recruit in the country,” said Hahn. “I was poundfor-pound the number one recruit and I was pretty heavily recruited by a lot of schools. At that time, you were only allowed to take five official visits. When we started narrowing it down, it came down to Minnesota and Oklahoma State. If I were to do it all over again, I’d make the same choice.”
At the high school level, Hahn compiled a 131-3 record and multiple accolades including being named as a 1999 National High School champion, two-time Junior National Freestyle champion and a member of the 1999 High School All-America Team and was named the 1999 Most Outstanding Wrestler.
As a wrestler at Minnesota, Hahn finished his
DAMION HAHN
Title: Head Coach
Alma Mater: Minnesota
From: Lakewood, NJ
Accolades: Two-Time NCAA Champion
Four-Time All-American
Three-Time Big Ten Champion
2004 Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year award winner for top male athlete in the Big Ten
2008 Olympic Trials runner-up
New Jersey Sports Hall of Fame
career with a 118-21 record and two individual national championships to pair with his two-team national championships the Golden Gophers earned in his first two years.
In his freshman season, Hahn placed fifth in the nation at the 71st NCAA Wrestling Tournament. Hahn went 4-2, losing his first and final matches in the tournament.
Hahn wasn’t the only 184-pounder that season to make a career out of wrestling. In the championship match, Iowa State’s Cael Sanderson faced off against Oklahoma State’s Daniel Cormier, two athletes who are known throughout the sport and two athletes Hahn battled on the mat.
“I feel it was a privilege,” said Hahn. “It was a privilege to go out there and compete at that level and compete with guys that were great in the sport of wrestling.”
Sanderson, an Iowa native who finished his collegiate wrestling career with a perfect 159-0 record went on to win a gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens while Cormier spent time as both the Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Champion in the UFC, becoming the second person in history to hold two titles in different weight classes simultaneously.
“In college, me and Cormier wrestled twice and we split,” said Hahn. “We never wrestled again until we were done with our college careers and were competing on the freestyle circuit to make teams and he kept me off every World and Olympic team. He was my Kryptonite.”
In Hahn’s bout with Sanderson in his first season as a collegiate wrestler, he lost by a point (4-3), one of the closest matches of the Cyclone’s collegiate career.
“I had one match with Cael [Sanderson], never wrestled him again in college and he ended up beating me,” said Hahn. “I was chasing. I was trying to chase that and beat him and never had another opportunity to do it.”
In 2002, for the second time in a row, Minnesota finished first in the national tournament and Hahn took fifth.
“Anything less than a national title was a disappointment to me,” said Hahn. “I hate to put it like that because being an All-American at the Division 1 level is an amazing, an incredible feat, and when our guys achieve that status, you have to be proud about that because it’s so hard. I wanted to be a national champ so the next task was three [national championships] and sure enough, I took fifth again.”
In his first two years as a collegiate wrestler, Hahn totaled 17 losses. In his final two years, Hahn lost just four times.
In his junior year, Hahn went into the 2003 NCAA Wrestling Championship as the No. 6 ranked wrestler in the 197pound weight class. Hahn ran through the bracket, upsetting both No. 2 Muhammed Lawal of Oklahoma State in the semifinals and No. 1 Jon Trenge of Lehigh in the championship round, becoming a national champion for the first time.
Hahn then went back-to-back in the 197-pound weight class in the 2003-04 season, again becoming a national champion again and finished his final season with a 33-1 record.
But the two-time national champion wasn’t finished on the mat.
Hahn went on to compete in the 2008 Olympic Team Trials and earned runner-up, behind Cormier.
Before that, Hahn joined the Cornell wrestling team as an assistant coach in 2006 where he worked under Rob Koll, and before the 2013-14 season, Hahn was promoted to Associate Head Coach, a spot he held till 2018.
In his tenure with the Big Red, Hahn and Cornell won the Ivy League title every year he was on the staff.
During his time at Cornell, Hahn coached Cam Simaz and in 2012, Simaz won a national title at 197 pounds, the same weight class Hahn won two years in a row.
After Simaz left and graduated from Cornell, he, like Hahn, stayed involved with wrestling. Before coming to South Dakota State, Simaz was involved with other programs across the country.
“I was moving in a different direction at the time,” said Simaz. “I was at West Point coaching their prep school and I was really considering moving toward the military in terms of my career. It was a difficult decision at the time for me. Looking back, I am really happy and I’m grateful that I decided to come out to South Dakota State and I don’t know if I would’ve made that decision if it wasn’t anyone other than Coach Hahn.”
Simaz joined the staff in 2018 and has continued working with his
former coach since.
“I think that he’s [Hahn] uniquely talented in developing strong relationships built on trust in a pretty quick fashion, I think that is one of his strengths.”
Together, the pair have molded SDSU’s wrestling program into one of the best teams in the nation.
“Coming out here and really putting a staff together that we did is a part of the success that we’re having,” said Hahn. “I have Cam Simaz here with me, I recruited Cam and coached Cam at Cornell, he knew me, he understood me and what my expectations were. I developed a great relationship with Cody [Caldwell], our other assistant coach and the three of us have been here since day one.”
South Dakota State had one of their best seasons to date and finished 13-4 (7-2, Big 12 Conference) and sent eight wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, featuring four AllAmericans (Bennett Berge, Cade DeVos, Tanner Jordan and Tanner Sloan).
“Being in a conference like the Big 12 and being a mid-major, we don’t look the same as the legacy Big 12 schools,” said Hahn. “I think one of the big things to [the] success that we have is our culture within our program, the standards that we have set and that helps us not only compete but beat these perennial powers in the Big 12 or in the country for that matter.”
This season, Hahn went toe-to-toe with his Alma Mater in a home dual in December. Now ranked No. 6 in the nation, Minnesota handed SDSU their second loss of the season with a final score of 3-30.
“I want to beat them,” said Hahn. “I want to beat them at everything. It doesn’t mean I don’t love Minnesota, but we’re competitors and I want to win. I knew it was going to be a tough dual. They did a really good job of shutting our stuff down. They came out hot and were ready.”
Now done with the regular season, Hahn and the No. 13 Jackrabbits finished 14-4 and will take the mat in Tulsa, Oklahoma on March 8 and 9 for the Big 12 Wrestling Championships.
Collegian photo by EAN WETZEL
Cody Caldwell (left), Damion Hahn (middle) and Jordan Lindberg (right) at SDSU’s loss to Iowa State 15-20 on Feb. 14 at First Bank & Trust Arena.
