OF THE WEEK
This week in Collegian Media AWESOME ALUM
TUESDAY, 11 A.M.
ON FARM TIME
Hosts Allison Wright and Luke Gordon moderate informational and entertaining interviews from the world of agriculture.
THURSDAY, 4 P.M.
THE JACKRABBIT SPORTS HOUR
Hosts Brent Bowen and Austin Senger get you caught up on all things Jackrabbit athletics, chat with student athletes and give you their hot takes in local and national sports.
Available to listen live on KSDJ 90.7 at 4 p.m. or on demand at Collegian Media’s YouTube channel or SDSUCollegian.com.
MONDAY, 8 A.M.
CONVERSATIONS w/ COJO
Student host Natalie Dean visits with film historian and SDSU alum Janine Basinger. The episode first airs every morning at 8 on KSDJ 90.7 and is available on demand on Apple Music, Spotify, Collegian Media’s YouTube channel and SDSUCollegian.com.
THE COLLEGIAN REPORT 01-28-25
In our second episode of the semester, we introduce you to South Dakota’s new governor and we get an update on South Dakota State dance and theatre.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS NDSU
For coverage of the women’s basketball game against North Dakota State late Wednesday, visit SDSUCollegian.com or look to the Collegian Socials
Collegian photo by EMMA WAAGE
PHOTO
FEDERAL AID FREEZE
Memorandum halted by judge before 4 p.m. deadline
EMILY DECOCK & DANIELLE NOWELL
Collegian Staff
An executive order issued by President Trump on the night of Jan. 27 won’t affect Federal Aid given to students.
The order created nationwide chaos among officials and universities.
A memorandum from Mattew J. Vaeth, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, and was titled “Temporary Pause of Agency Grant, Loan, and Other Financial Assistance Programs,” and was set to go into effect on Tuesday at 4 p.m. Central time.
However, a story by the Associated Press reports that, “U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan blocked the funding freeze only minutes before it was scheduled to take effect.”
The memorandum said that of the $10 trillion that was spent by the federal government, over $3 trillion was federal fi nancial assistance, such as grants and loans.
It also said that the executive branch and the political appointees “...have a duty to align federal spending and action with the will of the American People as expressed through Presidential priorities.”
SDSU Campus Communication sent out an email Tuesday at noon, letting students know that they were aware of the memorandum and that, “SDSU administrators continue to work at understanding the impact this will have on the university, its staff and students.”
Students’ Association Vice President Hayden Bentz said, “I’m sure there’s a lot of questions that students will have, I have a lot of questions myself.”
“I would just trust that all of the administration at SDSU is working as hard as they can to ensure that students are as minimally affected by this as possible,” Bentz added.
uncertain about how this would affect their students, faculty and research programs.
“Trillions of dollars are potentially under review,” according to the AP story.
SDSU University Marketing and Communication later sent out an email at 5 p.m. which said that the U.S. Department of Education confirmed the Title IV federal funding would not be impacted by the action of the current administration.
The email also said that, “State, SDSU and SDSU Foundation-sponsored scholarships are not impacted and will remain in place.”
“I wouldn’t go quite towards worrying about it before we have all the facts surrounding how it will ultimately affect students,” Bentz said. “We’ll likely have conversations soon with campus leadership to see how they might view any potential impacts occurring to students. We will be sure that any of those will be communicated as soon as possible.”
In regards to research grants, SDSU University Marketing Communication said that the memorandum will have all federal agencies review their financial assistance programs to determine what might be impacted.
Activities such as conducting merit review panels and other Notices of Funding Opportunities have been instructed to be paused. New awards are also not currently allowed to be given out.
An article by the Associated Press said that universities everywhere were
This includes Pell grants, federal direct loans, work study, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity grants and Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education grants.
An email from SDSU University Marketing and Communication said, “This remains a fluid situation. We appreciate everyone’s patience and will update you as information becomes available.”
DONALD TRUMP
CAMPANILE BELLS CHIME AGAIN
Construction brings back a sound not heard since 2019
NATALIE DEAN Managing Editor
On the hour, the Coughlin Campanile bells play from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. A sound the campus has not heard since 2019.
“I really enjoy the campanile bells,” senior ag business and animal science double-major, Aubrina Melville said. “They make me smile as I walk to and from class and they give me a little bit of joy on the bleaker days.”
While the bells’ sound can be heard all across campus, there are actually no physical bells present at the top of the Campanile.
“There used to be sixteen actual bells with hammers that would ring. “Old Faithful” that used to be in Old Central bell tower had been relocated to the top of the Campanile and that would also chime,” Jonathon Meendering, Architect and Director of Planning and Design, said. “Now there are actually no physical bells in the top of the Campanile.”
The bell sound students hear as they walk to and from their classes is actually a carillon that operates with an electronic controller, speakers and amplifier by the company Schulmerich.
The Schulmerich carillon offers a song library and programmable bells that connect to a keyboard that helps replicate the bells’ sound from atop the Campanile to reach across campus.
“Our system includes the 61-note portable keyboard,” Meendering said.
The Campanile bells can play Yellow and Blue, Ring the Bells and also have 3,000 other programmed songs.
The controller, a piece of the carillon, is a computer that connects to the keyboard to maintain the scheduling of when the bells ring and what songs are programmed to play during the scheduled time.
Now, the controller and amplifier are housed in a room filled with other electronics in Lincoln Hall, while the speakers are located in the Campanile.
The bells’ sound stopped when phase one of renovations began in Lincoln Hall. The controller for the sound system, when it became a digital system, moved to Lincoln Hall. The controller was housed in a storage closet to be controlled and maintained by the music school.
Lincoln Hall’s phase one renovations began in 2019. When the construction crew began renovating the second floor to add restrooms, the controller was then moved to make room for the renovations.
Through this process, the cable that connected the controller to the carillon in the Campanile got cut. At that point, moving the controller to a new location had to wait as the second phase of construction in Lincoln Hall was going to take place upon completion of phase one. Therefore, the chimes of the bells were silent until their return at the beginning of this year.
“I like [the bells] because it reminds me when I was in Germany and they would have clock towers go off every hour,” recent nursing graduate Anika Fast said, “It’s a fun way to keep track of time.” controller had were
Year built
Height in Feet
$75,000
Cost to build in 1929
180 Steps to the top
Collegian photo by NATALIE DEAN Coughlin Campanile as it nears the end of it’s outdoor restoration on October 14th, 2024
COUGHLIN CAMPANILE
Capers! An Alpha Psi Omega tradition
PEYTEN WIESE Reporter
As an SDSU tradition for over 70 years, Capers is back.
With skits featuring Dora going to The Nine and people sexting over email, Capers has been described as exciting, epic and hilarious.
The production has performances tonight, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with a 2 p.m. matinee on Feb. 1 at the Oscar Larson Theater. Tickets for SDSU students are $10, and tickets for the general public are $15.
The 1990s and 2000s have inspired the theme for this year’s production with the title Y2Kapers! It follows the story of a family preparing for Y2K and how they handle their emotions with the world supposedly coming to an end with skits and dances.
Breana Nupen, the publicity head of Alpha Psi Omega, came up with the concept of Y2Kapers. Saying her dad helped inspire the idea and Alpha Psi Omega member, El Stucker, came up with the name. Nupen pitched it to the rest of the organization and it won the majority vote.
When asked what her favorite skit in the show is, Nupen said it is “The Office Preps for Y2Kapers.”
“When we selected Y2Kapers, I knew at that moment I’d be writing The Office into our show, and I’m not only lucky enough to be able to act in the skit, but act along with my sister,” Nupen said. She enjoys watching the progression from the first week of rehearsals to seeing the final product in performance.
“We plan for so long that when all of the songs, dances and little pieces come together it just feels all worth it in the end.”
Carl Steinlicht, Capers’s artistic director, says the writing process is “chaotic” and the biggest hurdle is coming up with good ideas.
“It’s a lot of throwing ideas at the wall and seeing what can become something and what we think doesn’t have legs,” Steinlicht said.
As the artistic director, Steinlicht gets to be hands-on with aspects of Capers.
He helps write and direct skits. Steinlicht says his favorite part of Capers is the first week of rehearsal.
“This is when the cast members all see their scripts for the first time. It’s just a moment of discovery that always makes me smile,” he said.
Grant Taylor, the stage manager, facilitates communication for the cast and crew to ensure the process runs smoothly. He says his favorite part of Capers is meeting new people across campus and providing a fun performance opportunity to anyone who is interested.
Taylor also writes skits.
“My favorite skit is ‘SpongeBob Fever Dream.’ I wrote it to be how I imagine the creative process behind that show to be,” he said.
This is Rylin Yerdon’s first time participating in Capers, and she said her only regret was not being involved in Capers
in her early college years.
“My favorite part about Capers is that I get to have fun with people I otherwise wouldn’t have met if I hadn’t joined,” she said. “It’s a safe environment to be who you really are and everyone around you is accepting of that. I was nervous when I joined that nobody would know me or talk to me, but that couldn’t be more untrue.”
Yerdon’s favorite dance in the show is “Wannabe” by The Spice Girls because it allows her to truly let loose and have a good time.
Israel Caldron said he decided to audition for Capers this year because he had so much fun in it last year. He thinks SDSU students should come see Capers because there’s something for everyone in the show.
“Y’know Shakespeare or musicals might not be someone’s cup of tea showwise, but Capers brings a little bit of everything to the table,” he said.
Caldron is thankful for the friends he has made because of Capers.
“My favorite part of Capers is that, for three weeks, I get to come and perform and hang out with the family and friends I’ve made because of State University Theatre and Dance,” Caldron said. “I met a lot of new friends too because of just Capers.”
Capers contains explicit language and themes.
What: Capers!
Where: The Oscar Larson Theater in The Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center
When: Jan. 30 - Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 1 at 2 p.m.
Illustration courtesy ALPHA PSI OMEGA The Alpha Psi Omega fraternity tradition returns to the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center this weekend featuring many comical skits.
Dance team places top-5 at nationals
VICTORIA MEIER • Reporter
The SDSU dance team made program history by placing fourth in the nation for their pom routine, eighth for game day, and 12th for their jazz routine at the United Dance Association National competition on Jan. 17 in Orlando.
The team placed higher than every team in the Summit League conference in pom.
“As a senior, it has brought me nothing but joy to see the continued growth and success that this program has acquired over the last four years,” senior Shaylen Andal said. “UDA is the face of collegiate dance, so being able to
Photo courtesy EVAN PATZWALD/SDSU ATHLETICS
SDSU Dance team performs their jazz routine for the UDA College Dance Nationals during the Jackrabbit women’s basketball game on the Jan. 11 against the Kansis City Roos
said. “UDA is the face of collegiate dance, so being able to go and make a name for ourselves this early in our time at this level is an incredible accomplishment.”
The team began preparing for the season last June. Team members learned their choreography for the national competition in October and spent winter break practicing eight hours each day.
“The main thing that made this year so successful was the motivation and drive of the 28 dancers on the team,” head coach Christie Pekoske said. “Each girl committed and sacrificed so much of themselves for the betterment of the team.”
The trip was significant for the team, since the SDSU athletic department and university offered some funding to help with operational expenses. This funding helped alleviate some financial stressors compared to previous years, when the team did not receive funding and had to finance their own uniforms, practice gear and travel expenses.
“It helped immensely,” Haylea Stockwell said. “I take loans out already for school and I would work two jobs a week during the summer to come up with money for dance, but now I can use some of that money and put it into school funding.”
The team still fundraised throughout the season by running concessions at different sporting events to continue to help with expenses. In addition to competing at the national level, the team dances at home football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball games throughout fall and spring.
“We’re extremely proud of the hard work the dance team puts forth to not only support the Jackrabbits at home events, but their willingness and dedication to compete on the national stage,” Assistant Athletic Director of Marketing, Maggan Froseth said. “They represent SDSU so well.”
After a successful season, the dance team is already planning for what’s next.
“We are hosting a prep clinic for all high school and college dancers interested in dancing at the college level,” Pekoske said.
Applications for tryouts for the 2025-2026 SDSU dance team are currently open. The spring prep clinic will take place on March 1 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Photo courtesy SDSU CHEER AND DANCE TEAM
The SDSU Dance team performs their pom routine at the UDA College Dance Nationals competition Jan. 17 through the 19 in Orland, Florida. The team placed fourth overall in the Division I pom
Photo courtesy AVA WORNSON
SDSU Dance team members pose for a photo with “ears up” for the Jacks while in Oralando, Florida. The team placed 8th overall in Dance - Gameday
NEWS BRIEFS
Students’ Association participates in Students’ For Higher Education Day
EMILY DECOCK
Assistant News Editor
The SDSU Students’ Association met with Board of Regents representatives and state representatives during their annual trip to the state capitol Sunday and Monday. Student senators travelled to Pierre to connect with government officials and learn more about laws coming up in the current legislative session.
According to Hayden Bentz, vice president of the SDSU Students’ Association, the tuition freeze was a topic that was discussed in Pierre.
“Funding for the entire state budget revenues are down for the state this year – quite substantially – which means that, in the (former Governor Kristi Noem’s) proposed budget, there were some cuts for lots of different areas for higher education included in the state budget,” Bentz said.
situation with the state for what the likelihood of what another freeze would be.”
Student senators also had the opportunity to speak with Regents representatives, including Regents president Tim Rave.
“We talked with him about how he views our role of student government and how important it is for advocating for the students across South Dakota attending a Board of Regents institution,” Bentz said. “We were able to ask him about a few different pieces of legislation that might be pertaining to higher education in the coming legislative cycle.”
SA also had the opportunity to meet with Nathan Lucas, the executive director and CEO of the Regents.
$2 million was proposed to be cut from the Regents base budget. $9 million was proposed to be cut in the form of maintenance and repair dollars that came as a cut to the entire state.
For the past five years, SDSU students have enjoyed a tuition freeze. Bentz doesn’t know the likelihood that the tuition freeze will continue.
“I would still say my goal is to keep tuition as low and as affordable for students as possible,” Bentz said. “But just trying to be realistic, given the current financial
“We were able to meet with (Lucas) as well and talk about a few different issues important to students on all six of the Regent campuses across South Dakota,” Bentz said.
Rebecca Herman is the field representative for senator Mike Rounds.
Student senators spoke with her about a few different pieces of legislation affecting college students on the federal side that Senator Rounds has introduced.
According to Bentz, all 28 SDSU student senators were able to attend the overnight trip to Pierre.
“The SA at SDSU was the only [Regents] school that had all members of our student government attend, so we were very proud of that,” Bentz said.
SDSU named a top packaging innovation research university
Researchers in SDSU’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences have helped earn recognition as a top university in packaging innovation.
The top 5 ranking came from The Packaging School, which aims to bring academia and industry closer together by partnering with companies, experts and associations to create a shared learning management system.
“Biobased products are our future,” said Daniel Scholl, vice president for research and economic development.
“Dr. Janaswamy’s innovative and outside-the-box thinking highlights why South Dakota State University and other land-grant universities are critical to the vitality of American society.”
Srinivas Janaswamy, an associate professor in SDSU’s Department of Dairy and Food Science, is researching how residue from biowaste, like spent coffee grounds, corn husks and banana and avocado peels, can be used to develop films.
The films look and feel like plastic packaging while maintaining traits similar to traditional films, like high tensile strength. The main difference is
that Janaswamy’s films can biodegrade in the environment in less than 60 days, compared to the 700 years most plastics take.
“We are researching different biomaterials from agricultural biomass, agricultural processing byproducts and wastes generated during the vegetables and fruits production to make films that stand out as both promising and inexpensive,” Janaswamy said.
— Collegian Staff
HAYDEN BENTZ
SRINVAS JANASWAMY
Whooping cough related death reported
The South Dakota Department of Health has reported the death of a child due to infection of pertussis and influenza.
“I, along with everyone at the Department of Health, extend our heartfelt condolences to the grieving family during this unimaginable loss,” Department of Health Secretary Melissa Magstadt said in a news release.
Officials did not release the age or where the child was from.
The department says that whooping cough has been present in multiple communities, including in Brookings last fall.
In late October, reports of pertussis infection came in from South Dakota State University, Brookings High School and the Sanford Brookings Clinic. On Oct. 28, a vaccine clinic offering TDaP and influenza shots was held.
The DOH maintains that protection is highest among those fully vaccinated, but that protection decreases over time.
“Pertussis or whooping cough can be a very serious illness,” Dr. Joshua Clayton, State Epidemiologist for the Department of Health, said in the release. “Taking preventative measures like washing hands often and staying current with the pertussis vaccine helps protect you and your family.”
The department also encourages all parties to take the following steps to avoid becoming sick or spreading disease:
• Avoid close contact with sick people
• If sick, limit contact with others
• Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze
• Cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hands, if you don’t have a tissue
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
Pertussis is spread from person-to-person when breathing in respiratory particles from an infected person. The respiratory particles are spread when a person with pertussis sneezes or coughs.
For more information on whooping cough, you can visit the DOH website.
THE CLASH IS BACK
28
restaurants face off against each other in this years Burger Clash
JACK MCCARTY
Entertainment Editor
The Brookings Burger Clash is heating up this year with 28 potential winners for people to try and vote on.
This year’s Clash began on Jan. 1 and will continue until Feb. 28. You can get more information on the Burgers at visitbrookingssd.com and cast your vote at brookingshometeam.com.
The Brookings Burger Clash was created by Shane Andersen, a realtor with over 15 years in the food industry. Andersen says that he started the contest in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and because the food industry “Still has a piece of my heart.”
“The main idea was to showcase these restaurants. That was the main idea for all this,” said Andersen. “It’s my way to give back to the community.”
He also says it’s a way to help businesses during a typically slow part of the year.
Andersen says that the process of getting the Burger Clash put together is “like herding cats,” and that, “every year I learn something new about this.”
Andersen reaches out to participants as early as October in order to get businesses thinking about what they want to do, and then it takes him about a week to get all of them on the website.
Voter turnout has been a little higher this year than it has been in the past, and this year’s competition will feature four new restaurants, Andersen said.
To him, the Burger Clash has succeeded in helping out businesses during this lull in the financial year. Andersen said, “I’ve been told by some businesses that they’ve had some record breaking January’s due to the burger clash.”
Andersen wants people who participate in the Burger Clash to know that, “I always like to thank the community for taking time out of their day and supporting the community.”
Kevin Raab, owner of Pints and Quarts says, “It is a great event for the local restaurants. It gets people going out at a time that is usually slow. I enjoy that people come out that
Photo courtesy SHANE ANDERSEN
This year Pints and Quarts entered their “50/50” into this years Burger Clash. The patty of this burger is made up of half ground beef and half ground bacon, hence the name.
might not have tried us before or haven’t been in a while,” said Raab.
Raab won last year’s Burger clash with their “Drunken Lucy” burger. Pints and Quarts also won in 2022.
This year, the restaurant is throwing their hat into the ring with their “50/50” burger. “The patty of the burger is half ground beef and half ground bacon. That’s why we called it the 50/50 burger,” said Raab.
What makes this year’s burger stand out amongst the competition, according to Raab is “the patty is half bacon makes it very unique. I wanted to try something different and give people an experience they couldn’t get from anywhere else.”
He says that his inspiration for creating new burgers comes from wanting guests to have a good experience. “I want to try to have quality unique burgers so that it would be memorable for our guests,” Raab said.
Raab also agrees with the efficacy of Andersens initial intent for the Burger Clash.
“I think the Burger Clash is a good idea and I hope it helps local restaurants grow and thrive,” Rabb said.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Photo courtesy SHANE ANDERSEN
Kristi and Kevin Raab were the winners of the 2024 Burger Clash. They entered and won with their “Drunken Lucy” burger. Kevin and Kristi also won the Burger Clash in 2022.
Collegian photo by RYANN DAVIS
This is a picture of 2024’s winning burger, the “Drunken Lucy”. The Burger is still sold at Pints and Quarts
NEW CLUB ON CAMPUS
The Medical Anatomy and Surgery Club is here
BROOKE BURNETTE Reporter
A new student organization on campus is the Medical Anatomy and Surgery Club.
The purpose of this club is to help students pursuing a career in the medical field receive hands-on experience before becoming a professional.
“Our whole mission is to provide more hands-on activities,” said Evan Feedly, the club’s vice president. Give people more skills to work with before they go to pre-professional schools,” said Evan Feeldy, the club’s vice president. So it’s not the first time they see it when they get to those schools. Then, eventually expanding out so all majors can be included in it and get something out of it.”
The idea for this club came about in the 2024 spring semester. Three freshmen came up with an idea and ran with it. They recruited three other students and founded their executive board.
Their board consists of President Ethan Young, Vice President Feely, Treasurer Gavin Smith, Secretary Blair Blasius, Social Media Coordinator Kendahl Andresen and Public Relations Officer Joe Osmundson.
Young, Smith, and Feely formed the idea to start the club, then they recruited others. These founders wanted their club to be different from the other medical clubs on campus.
“We wanted to stand out from the other medical clubs because we wanted to be more hands-on experiences but still going back to have guest speakers come in from different professions instead of just focusing on doctors,” Kendahl Anderson said
The team then recruited their adviser, Ethan Snow, assistant professor of innovation in anatomy, who oversees all of the anatomy and physiology programs on campus.
“When these guys came to me it fit right into my wheelhouse in terms of what I love to see on campus,” Snow said. “This club developed from these six who may not have taken anatomy yet in any discipline but they knew it was very interesting and there was a gap in student organizations that was not being served on campus. That is what I think is very cool from a staff standpoint, seeing them develop and serve students of all interests regardless of experience.”
The club is sponsored by the department of biology and microbiology and the College of Natural Sciences. They have held several events/club
meetings this year. Their first event was a suturing night with medical students leading it as well as hosting a speaker event.
On average the club has around 30 to 50 members who attend their monthly club meetings. This club is not only for medical majors and students from any major are welcome.
“We don’t tailor to one major.”
Anyone that has an interest in anatomy or medical side or surgery side of the medical field is welcome to come as that is what we focus on.”said Joe Osmundson, the club public relations officer.
President: Ethan Young
Vice President Feely
Treasurer: Gavin Smith
Secretary: Blair Blasius
Social Media Coordinator: Kendahl Andresen
Public Relations Officer: Joe Osmndson
Photo courtesy MEDICAL ANATOMY AND SURGERY CLUB
Members of the executive team for the Medical Anatomy and Surgery Club at South Dakota State pose for a photo.
Jackrabbits show out in front of fans at Jim Emmerich Alumni Meet
MARSHALL MINIHAN Sports Editor
The Jackrabbits hosted the Jim Emmerich Alumni Meet over the weekend. Throughout the course of the event, multiple Jackrabbits took home gold.
Women
In the women’s 60-meter dash, three South Dakota State runners placed in the top seven spots including a first-place finish.
Jaiden Boomsma, a senior from Yankton, South Dakota, finished in first place with a time of 7.66 seconds.
Ellie Harris (7.78) and Maggie Madsen (7.80) finished back-to-back in six and seventh respectively while Brielle Dixon took home the gold in the women’s 60-meter hurdles.
While taking fifth with a time of 56.67, Jenna Johnson put her name in the record books with the ninth-fastest time in South Dakota State history.
Lindsey Rotz won the 1000-meter with a time of 2:55.36 which is the third-fastest time in school history while teammate Claire Beckman followed close at 2:56.59 which landed her in second and fourth alltime for the Jacks. Hannah Spoden took fourth in the 100-meter at 2:57.89 and earned the sixth-fastest time in school history.
For the 3k, Grace Waage, Jessica Lutmer and Courtney Stadter finished back-to-back-to-back in fourth through sixth place respectively. Waage’s time was 9:42.39, Lutmer finished at 9:45.11 and Stadter ended with a time of 9:49.34.
In the field events, Boomsma took second in the long jump with a jump of 18-07.25.
Madison Kizer and Cadence Nuttbrock competed in the high jump with Kizer, who took first at 5-07.00 and Nuttbrock at 5-03.00 for fourth.
Men
60% of the top-five finishers in the 60-meter dash were jackrabbits including Jared Wipf securing a firstplace finish with a time of 6.74 seconds. Carter Toews followed Wipf and finished as the runner-up for the event at 6.76 while junior Evan Henderson finished at 6.91 for fifth. Hudson Schroeder earned sixth with a time of 6.95 seconds.
Toews then won the 200-meter race and earned the second-fastest time in school history, 21.49. Wipf (21.83) took second, Schroeder (21.93) finished third and Henderson (22.36) snagged fifth.
In the 400-meter, SDSU’s James Pierce took second place with a time of 48.42 seconds while Sam Castle took fourth in the 800-meter with a time of 1:51.85.
Similar to Pierce, Jackson Dutcher finished in second in the mile with a time of 4:08.24 while teammate Nathan Notgrass took fourth at 4:14.47.
Carson Noecker, a standout on both the SDSU cross
country and track and field teams earned second in the 3k, just three seconds behind North Dakota freshman Matej Hrebacka.
SDSU’s Hunter Wallster took a victory in the weight throw with a mark of 19.99 meters with fellow teammate Caiden Fredrick taking second at 19.74 meters.
The Jackrabbits also took first and second in the high jump by way of Brooks Holen and Grayson Ring with Holen taking first at 6-04.75.
In the pole vault, Ryan Karajanis finished in first at 15-05.00.
Collegian photo by EMMA WAAGE
SDSU’s next home meet is the SDSU Open Meet which starts tommorow and will finish Saturday .
Jacks hit the mat for three week home stretch to finish Big 12 Conference play
MARSHALL MINIHAN
Sports Editor
After a week of rest, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits look onto a pair of duals against Utah Valley and Wyoming tomorrow and Saturday respectively. Both duals will start at 7 p.m. and will be in First Bank & Trust Arena.
This season, the Jackrabbits sit at 10-3 on the year and 2-1 in Big 12 conference play.
SDSU’s three losses this season have come by ranked teams, losing to Minnesota in December and dropping two to Northern Iowa.
As of Jan. 19, the Jacks sit at No. 11 in the national rankings with two Big 12 opponents being ranked above them (No. 3 Oklahoma State and No. 5 Northern Iowa).
Ranked at No. 13 are the Cyclones of Iowa State, a team the Jackrabbits will face soon on Feb. 14, their last of a four-dual home stint.
“We’re in the bulk of the Big 12 season,” said head coach Damion Hahn. “From here on out… five remaining matches and four at home which is super, super nice.”
Utah Valley
In their first of dual of the weekend, the Jacks will take on the Wolverines of Utah Valley. This season, the Wolverines are 5-6 overall and 1-3 in the Big 12 Conference (Oklahoma State, Missouri and Wyoming).
Utah Valley has matched up against a plethora of ranked opponents including No. 16 Stanford, No. 7 Nebraska, No. 3 Oklahoma State, No. 6 North Carolina State and No. 23 Mizzou. Before the end of the season, the Wolverines will have a matchup against the No. 12 Jackrabbits and the No. 20 Mountaineers of West Virginia.
The Jackrabbits and the Wolverines first hit the mat together in 2006 where
Utah Valley won the home meet 25-16. They went on to win the next seven of eight duals.
In 2015, the Jackrabbits won their second dual against Utah Valley and started what is now a 9-0 run.
In the 165 pound weight class, Terrell Barraclough is currently ranked No. 4 nationally. The Penn State transfer will match up against SDSU’s Drake Rhodes, who is ranked at No. 11 in the nation. This season, Rhodes is 16-3 while Barraclough has only lost a single match.
Wyoming
The Cowboys are 8-5 this season and are 2-2 in conference play. Wyoming
has had some tough duals this season, wrestling teams such as No. 3 Oklahoma State (L, 6-32), No. 22 Oklahoma (L,6-27) and No. 1 Penn State (L, 0-54) while also suffering losses to Northern Colorado and the University of Pennsylvania.
Throughout the years, Wyoming is 2-7 on the mat against the Jacks. Last season, South Dakota State handed Wyoming a 33-3 loss in Laramie, Wyoming. To add, the Cowboys are 0-5 when competing in duals against the Jackrabbits.
At 197 pounds, sophomore No. 11 Joey Novak has had quite a season so far. Novak is 14-3 on the year with five ranked wins. The New Prague, Minnesota native leads the team in pins this season with four.
Heavyweight Sam Mitchell has been solid for the Cowboys this season as well. Currently 17-6, Mitchell has scored the second most reversals on the team with seven behind Novak.
Gabe Willochell, a redshirt junior, has faced twelve 149 pound ranked opponents this season and will have to face NDSU’s No. 23 Gavin Drexler before coming to Brookings.
“We haven’t been home since the end of November, beginning of December and I think our fans kind’ve forgot that South Dakota State has a wrestling team, because we haven’t been home,” Hahn joked in a press conference. “It’s nice to get back home and finish the year out.”
Photo courtesy EVAN PATZWALD/SDSU ATHLETICS
SDSU wrestling hosts their first home dual tomorrow since their December loss against No. 8 Minnesota. The Jackrabbits will face off against No. 13 Iowa State on Feb. 14 for Senior Night in a Big 12 ranked matchup.
Jacks continue to sweep Summit League play with nine games remaining in season
MADISON GILLETTE
Sports Reporter
The Jackrabbit Women’s Basketball team defeats their instate rival USD 77-59. This win pushes the Jacks onto a 7-game-win streak with a conference record of 7-0 and an overall record of 17-3. Although the Jacks took home the victory in an 18-point difference, they seemed to be in a shooting slump, especially behind the arc. The Jacks went 9-33 from the 3-point line.
“We did a good job moving the ball and making shots, I think we played well offensively, but we didn’t shoot it well, especially from the 3-point line, which is pretty uncommon from us... but we still did a good job scoring,” Head Coach Aaron Johnston stated in a post-game press conference.
Both Brooklyn Meyer and Haleigh Timmer lead the Jacks with 15 points each. Timmer also contributed 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Mesa Byom grabbed board after board with 7 rebounds and 13 points.
From the bench, both Katie Vasecka and Emilee Fox are stepping up as freshmen to contribute to SDSU’s success. Vasecka added 12 points and 5 rebounds, while Fox had 6 points and 2 assists.
“Those 2 freshmen [Vasecka and Fox] are really talented, really elite players,” said Johnston. “They’re very much team-oriented people. When they get their opportunities they take advantage of them... those 2 are just getting started, they’re going to be a couple of good careers for us.”
On defense, the Jacks limited the Coyotes to 15 points or less in every quarter except the second. While limiting the Coyotes, the Jacks didn’t have problems getting to the rim, scoring over 12 points every quarter.
“I think a big emphasis for us is defense, and defense leads to offense a lot of times, and that energy we generate on
the defensive end can create offensive plays too,” said Timmer. “I think when we’re together offensively and defensively that’s when we play the best and it starts on defense a lot of times.”
Overall, the Jacks have had a 58-36 win streak against the Coyotes.
Omaha
Looking ahead to the Jacks schedule, they face No. 8 Omaha, on Saturday, with a tip-off of 1 pm. Omaha has a conference record of 1-6, and an overall record of 9-11.
The last time the Jacks and the Mavericks went head-to-head was this season
in early January. The Jacks defeated the Mavericks 93-55, almost a 40-point difference. To help with the SDSU victory, they scored over 18 points every quarter while limiting Omaha to less than 20 points a quarter.
Omaha is led by a scoring duo, with senior guard Grace Cave averaging 13.9 points a game while shooting just over 41 percent from the field, Cave also leads the team in assists dishing out 70 on the season. Another senior guard Ja Harvey is averaging 13.3 poi nts per game while shooting just under 40 percent a game. Freshman center
Harriet Ford leads the Mavericks in rebounding grabbing 7.4 boards a game and scoring just under eight points a game.
North Dakota
After traveling to Omaha, the Jacks will have to turn around and drive to Grand Forks, ND, to take on the Fighting Hawks. These two teams met recently on January 18th in Brookings with a Jacks victory of 87-73. The Hawks are 6th in the Summit League with a conference record of 3-4.
Sophomore Kiera Pemberton will be a player to watch in this matchup. Pemberton leads the Hawks in scoring with 15.9 points a game while shooting 40 percent from three on the season. Pemberton’s 15.9 points a game is good enough to be the seventh-highest scorer in the Summit League this year. Pemberton is also second on the team in rebounding behind junior center Walker Demers, who is averaging 6.9 rebounds per game.
Freshman standout Jocelyn Schiller has the most assists for the Hawks, with 53 total assists on the season to go along with her 12.4 points a game. T he Jacks are looking to continue their on-the-road win streak at Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. The game takes place Wednesday with a tip-off time scheduled for 7 p.m.
Kallie Theisen getting boxed out by a USD defender in SDSU’s dominant 77-59 victory over the Coyotes on Saturday.
Photo by MEGAN GLOVER/SDSU ATHLETICS
Minnesota native’s scoring propels SDSU through season
Mathiowetz helps Jacks stay at the top of Summit League
CORDELL VITENSE
Assistant Sports Editor
Madison Mathiowetz, a junior guard for the SDSU Jackrabbits, comes from a basketball family. But just saying she comes from a basketball family is an understatement.
All four of her grandpa’s kids were 1,000-point scorers in high school, including her dad, and an aunt who also played Division III college basketball.
Just like some of her relatives, Mathiowetz also ended her career with over 1,000 points in high school while she attended Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s High School in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota.
To be more specific, Mathiowetz had 3,762 points, 1,343 rebounds, 498 assists and 458 steals during her high school career. She also holds the St. Mary’s school record for points in a single game with 50, and the record for points in a season with 1,046.
“I had an awesome high school expe-
rience,” Mathiowetz said.
Mathiowetz played at a small school in Minnesota, where she had 20 kids in her graduating class. She had the opportunity to compete for state championships in her time in high school.
“When I was younger, I got to watch my family play a lot,” said Mathiowetz.
Her aunts, uncles and parents all played basketball. She was surrounded by the sport growing up. That environment is where she says her competitive nature came from. It’s what made her fall in love with basketball because it brought her family together.
After graduating, she committed to SDSU. Mathiowetz was drawn to the close-knit community that SDSU has, the fan base and their love of women’s basketball.
“The second I stepped foot on campus, I knew that the girls here and Coach AJ [Aaron Johnston] and the staff wanted what was best for everyone around them and really supported each
MADISON MATHIOWETZ
Sport: Basketball Points: 651
Position: Guard Rebounds: 242
Height: 5’10” Assists: 131
Games Played: 51 Steals: 45
This season, the junior guard is averaging 8.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.4 steals a game while shooting 35.4% from the arc, the second highest on the team.
Summit League Honorable Mention: 2023-24
Summit League All-Tournament Team: 2024
Summit League Academic Honor Roll: 2022-23, 2023-24
Jacks will be home next on Saturday, Feb. 8 against Oral Robersts at 11 a.m.
other through everything, and that was something I knew I wanted to be a part of,” said Mathiowetz.
Mathiowetz had a solid freshman season where she started one game and averaged just over three points per outing.
But it was her sophomore season when she broke out.
Mathiowetz averaged double-digit points for the Jackrabbits and helped lead the team to a conference championship and an appearance in the NCAA tournament.
This season, Mathiowetz is currently averaging over eight points a game, and almost four rebounds. She is shooting over 37 percent behind the three-point line. Mathiowetz is doing this while starting every game and playing almost 24 minutes per game.
Mathiowetz attributed her jump from her freshman to her sophomore year to her team.
“I think being part of a really good team was a big part of that,” Mathiowetz said. “It made me push myself to get better, and it allowed me to learn from the players that came before me. And I think just that attention to detail and knowing what I needed to do to help our team be successful, that’s what helped with that.”
Even though Mathiowetz contributed right away in her freshman season, it wasn’t easy.
“Yeah, the transition [from high school to college] was definitely tough,” Mathiowetz said. “I would say the biggest difference is the level of detail that the college game entails, just on every side of the basketball, like offense defense, there are just so many different things that I definitely didn’t think of when I was in high school.”
Head coach Johnston agrees that the adjustment period was probably hard for Mathiowetz, or for any freshman who is used to playing entire games and scoring most of the points to come to SDSU and have to sit and play minimal minutes when they first join the team.
Scoring points is not the only thing Mathiowetz brings to the Jackrabbits.
Junior Jackrabbit guard and Mathiowetz’s roommate, Ellie Colbeck, described Mathiowetz as a leader who is very caring. “Super humble” and “great leader” are some of the words Colbeck used to describe Mathiowetz.
“She’ll go down and make a big play, then run down the court like nothing even happened, just ready for the next play,” said Colbeck. “She’s super encouraging as well, whether that’s in the locker room or on the court.”
Mathiowetz lifts up her teammates on the court and off the court as well.
“She’s super kind and intentional outside of basketball, always just looking for how she can make your day better, your life better,” Colbeck said. “She asks how your class went or how your day went.”
“I think Maddie is just a great teammate, a great overall person,” Johnston said. “I think she’s someone that’s really thoughtful. Thinks of others first. I think she wants to do really well in her role, but she wants to
do really well in her role because it helps the team. She’s just a very giving personality, very positive, high energy. Yeah, she’s a lot of fun to have on the team.”
Besides being a leader for the Jackrabbits on and off the court, Mathiowetz is also a biology major and has made the Summit League Academic Honor Roll in her freshman and sophomore years.
Mathiowetz’s goal is to attend Northwestern Health and Sciences grad school after her senior year and become a chiropractor.
“It’s a fun balance,” Mathiowetz said. “It’s tough, but I enjoy learning and growing for my future too.”
According to head coach Johnston and teammate Colbeck, Mathiowetz is a leader for the Jackrabbits and
is someone who makes the right plays on the court. Off the court, she is a kind person who is always looking out for her teammates and friends.
Mathiowetz is a big reason why the Jackrabbits are back-to-back Summit League Champions, and if the Jacks are able to make it three in a row, Mathiowetz will also be a big reason for that.
For coverage of Mathiowetz and SDSU’s game against North Dakota State on Wednesday night, check sdsucollegian.com.
Photo courtesy DAVE EGGEN/INTERIA SPORTS
Mathiowetz driving up against a guard from the University of Duke in SDSU’s narrow 71-75 loss. Mathiowetz picked up eight points, two boards and an assist while shooting 3/7 from the field. The Sleepy Eye, Minnesota natvie holds fourth spot in Minnesota State history for career points in Minnesota girls state basketball history.
SDSU earns three game win streak as they approach end of conference play
JON AKRE
Sports Reporter
The South Dakota State men’s basketball team will hit the road this week after increasing its win streak to four games, knocking off Kansas City and in-state rival South Dakota.
“Super proud of our guys, how they were able to get better last week,” said SDSU head coach Eric Henderson. “To go on the road and get a quality victory against Kansas City and then back home against your in-state rival in front of an incredible crowd.”
The Jacks will head to Fargo on Thursday to take on the North Dakota State Bison at 7 p.m.followed by a Saturday afternoon matchup in Grand Forks against the Fighting Hawks of North Dakota at 1 p.m.
“This week is obviously going to be a challenge up at North Dakota State and UND, but a fun challenge,” said Henderson.
Both games will be broadcast on the Summit League Network or tune in through the Jackrabbit Sports Network.
Kansas City
Picking up its first road win of the season, SDSU hung on in a defensive battle with UMKC for the 65-64 victory.
The back-and-forth battle at the Swinney Center built up one emotional finish as the Roos, down by one, forced a shot clock violation with just eight ticks remaining.
Out of a timeout, UMKC guard Babacar Diallo was stripped of the basketball by SDSU forward Matthew Mors, with redshirt sophomore Kalen Garry diving for the loose ball as time expired for the win.
Senior center Oscar Cluff paced the Jackrabbits’ offense with 23 points, 19 rebounds and four blocks, Mors added 10 points and four boards, while redshirt freshman guard Joe Sayler tallied nine points in the win.
The Jacks’ defense held the Roos to just 23% shooting from beyond the arc in the win.
South Dakota
After Thursday’s victory, the Jacks returned to Brookings for the first interstate series matchup of the season with the Coyotes.
USD, which came into Saturday’s contest with the second-highest-scoring offense in the conference and was looking to end the Jacks’ eight-game winning streak in the interstate series.
But in a tough environment inside First Bank & Trust
Arena with over 4,700 fans in attendance, USD got down early and couldn’t climb back.
The Jacks jumped out to a 19-7 just over five minutes into the game, and the ‘Yotes never got the deficit within 10 the rest of the way as SDSU took its 9th straight win over South Dakota, 90-71.
“Got off to a great start,” said SDSU head coach Eric Henderson. “I thought we played extremely unselfish. I thought our toughness on the defensive end early was awesome, and I thought at the end of the day we got a
lot of contributions from a lot of different guys.”
Oscar Cluff was just three assists shy of a triple-double in the win, collecting 11 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, and two blocks, Kalen Garry tallied 19 points and nine boards, while true freshman Owen Larson and Stoney Hadnot each posted 18 points and 14 points, respectively.
North Dakota State
South Dakota State will have back-to-back road
Collegian photo by EAN WETZEL
SDSU’s Owen Larson takes a jump shot while USD’s Mayuom Buom tries to contest during a game against South Dakota, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, at First Bank & Trust Arena.
games in North Dakota this weekend, starting in Fargo against the NDSU.
Both the Jacks and Bison will enter Thursday’s contest riding conference win streaks, with the Jacks at four games while North Dakota State has won five straight, including wins over Oral Roberts, Denver, UMKC, USD and most recently, UND on Jan. 25.
This Bison team, led by head coach David Richman, is spearheaded by two veteran players with tons of experience.
Jackson Moni, a 6-foot-10 senior transfer from Northern State, is lighting up defenses averaging just shy of 20 points, five rebounds and four assists per game. In the backcourt, Jacari White has been the facilitator averaging 16 points, four rebounds and two assists as well.
A key in this game is how will NDSU forward Noah Fedderson stack up against SDSU center Oscar Cluff. Fedderson, at 6-foot-10, 250 pounds, could be a problem for one of the nation’s top rebounders.
North Dakota
After a bout with the Bison, SDSU heads further North to face UND for the second time this season.
The Jacks took down North Dakota just a few weeks ago on Jan. 16, a 109-73 victory in Brookings, but have continued to skid down the Summit League standings.
The Fighting Hawks are sitting at 2-6 in conference play along with an 8-15 overall record but have had many narrow losses as of late including a fivepoint loss to NDSU on Jan. 25.
Treysen Eaglestaff continues to play at a high level for UND, averaging over 18 points per contest. The Jacks held Eaglestaff to just 12 points on 3-of-11 shooting in the first matchup.
Another factor will be shooting, as SDSU knocked down 65.6% of shots in the first matchup while shooting 14-of-27 from three-point range, while UND shot just 25% from beyond the arc and 34.4% from the field.
Jackrabbit freshman Jaden Jackson goes to the board against USD defender for a basket. This season, Jackson has averages 5.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.
EAN WETZEL
