March 22, 2023

March 22, 2023

TJ MAXX OPENS MARCH 26

Annual Wacipi event returns to SDSU April 1-2 in Volstorf Ballroom. STORY, PAGES 6-7

Women’s basketball season ends at NCAA Tournament after a 72-60 loss to VA Tech. STORY, PAGES 10-11

The long-awaited department store is opening its doors this weekend. Inside, see store hours and read about the store’s arrival to Brookings.

STORY, PAGE 2

Photo by SAM SCHOENBAUER (She/Her)

T.J. Maxx grand opening this Sunday

MADELYN MURPHY Reporter

Brookings is welcoming a new retailer this week that will offer items from clothing to home décor. T.J. Maxx is set to host its grand opening, March 26, in the University Marketplace.

The opening is Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the previous JCPenney building at 990 22nd Ave. South in the University Marketplace, according to a news release from T.J. Maxx.

T.J. Maxx is a discount retail chain that offers high-end and brand name fashion as well as designer handbags, accessories, jewelry, beauty and home decor. The inventory in TJ Maxx is constantly changing with new styles arriving frequently, which encourages customers to be on the lookout for new discoveries while shopping, according to the news release.

“Our newest store in Brookings will offer an ever-changing selection of high-quality, on-trend and brand-name merchandise at the amazing prices T.J. Maxx is known for,” Peter Benjamin, president of T.J.Maxx, said in the news release. “Our buyers create a unique mix that offers value for styles in every department, and we’re excited to bring this experience to a new neighborhood.”

Besides providing a new shopping spot in the community, T.J. Maxx is expected to provide nearly 60 full-time and part-time jobs in Brookings, according to the release.

It has been a long process bringing this large retailer to Brookings, Shawn Storhaug, owner of Brookings Property Management, said. His company is the property manager for University Marketplace.

Communication between Brookings Property Management and T.J. Maxx began in 2020 and a deal was finalized in June 2022, Storhaug said.

From that point on, Brookings Property Management has been working to prepare the building for T.J. Maxx’s arrival. To meet the company’s requirements the building has been completely renovated, with just the original exterior walls remaining from the old JCPenney store, Storhaug said.

“Everything is new from the flooring to the roofing,” Storhaug said.

Storhaug is optimistic that the opening of T.J. Maxx will bring more retailers to Brookings.

“We are hopeful that T.J. Maxx will help attract other retailers to the [Uni-

versity] mall,” Storhaug said.

T.J. Maxx also will be beneficial to Brookings’s economy, Tim Reed, CEO of Brookings Economic Development, said. He said the opening of T.J. Maxx will also help increase the sales tax revenue in town.

This will allow for improvements on things like roads and parks in Brookings.

“Getting more retail stores is really good for the community,” Reed said.

The opening of T.J. Maxx will likely encourage more people to live in Brookings, benefitting the city overall, Reed said.

“People move to towns when they have the retailers that they like to shop at,” he said.

Storhaug emphasized the importance

of supporting the new retail store and encourages the community to spend their money in Brookings when opportunities arise.

“The more we support Brookings businesses, the more Brookings businesses that we’ll get,” Storhaug said.

The University Marketplace is filled with various other retailers suitable for a wide range of consumers, such as Glik’s, JOANN Fabrics & Crafts, Karl’s and Lewis Drug.

Store

Tensions high at SA presidential debate

JACOB BOYKO News Editor

Candidates for Students’ Association president and vice president had one final chance Monday to make an appeal to students before the contentious election season wraps up Thursday.

Hunter Eide, junior human biology major and his running mate, Carter Howell, took on business economics major Nick Grote and his running mate,

ag business and political science major Trinity Peterson.

During the debate, Grote took shots at Eide for an ethics complaint earlier this month. The complaint accused Eide of code of ethics violations at an SA Finance Committee meeting. The SA Board of Directors found Eide in violation of seven codes (1, 2, 3, 9, 11, 12, 13), resulting in Eide’s resignation from the committee. The violations include Eide not maintaining confidentiality of

STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION BRIEF

JACOB BOYKO News Editor

At the March 20 South Dakota State University Students’ Association meeting, senators passed a resolution recognizing food insecurity on campus, discussed the upcoming SA election and heard from Faculty Senate President David Wiltse.

Wiltse:

SDSU’s Faculty Senate is an elected body made up of representatives from each academic college. The Senate aims to have one elected representative for every 20 faculty members in any college. Wiltse, an associate professor of political science and director of The SDSU Poll, serves as Faculty Senate president.

“We articulate any kind of concerns or demands the faculty are making from the administration, [and] administration filters ideas down to us … they will vet certain things and certain ideas before it goes into policy,” Wiltse said about the Faculty Senate’s role at the university. “… the most important function of the body is to be that conduit of information.”

In some cases, SA holds a larger influence than the Faculty Senate. SA commands a budget of about $12 million yearly, while the Faculty Senate doesn’t command any money.

Wiltse said he hopes to see SA and Faculty Senate work more closely next year to solve issues affecting students.

“I would say the issue of student mental wellbeing is one of the best areas to focus on over the next year or two, because let’s face it; students are under stress,” Wiltse said. “Faculty members think we’re under stress —we are —but

students are facing pressures that we never did as students, quite honestly.”

SA President Blake Pulse encouraged SA presidential candidates Hunter Eide and Nick Grote to work with Faculty Senate.

“I would recommend to whoever is in this position next year to keep in contact with them frequently,” Pulse said.

Amendments and Resolutions:

The Senate unanimously passed a resolution recognizing food insecurity at SDSU and expressing support for SDSU’s student food pantry, Jack’s Cupboard.

According to Resolution 22-29-R, food insecurity is a problem that 36% of the college population faces, and that college students overall face an increased risk over the national average.

“Lack of nutrition can aggravate and may even lead to stress and depression, severely impacting a student’s mental health,” Resolution 22-29-R reads.

At the Feb. 7 SA meeting, Jack’s Cupboard Club founder Nicole Schilling told the Senate that the food pantry is struggling to keep food on the shelves. Jack’s Cupboard also decreased operating hours this year to just two days per week.

The Senate also amended the bylaws to allow legislation to be recorded as a commemoration. Previously, legislation was either an ordinance or a resolution.

The Senate also approved a $1,000 special allocation for the Men’s Hockey Club. The funds will be used to support the cost of referees and ice time at the Swiftel Center for one game, according to the request.

personal and professional information acquired about colleagues in the course of service, discussing professional matters in an unprofessional manner, using coercive or threatening means in order to influence professional decisions of colleagues, willfully contradicting the needs or desires of students to serve self-interest and criticizing a colleague before students.

The candidates were asked by a member of the audience if their administrations would provide “strict standards relating to how presidential candidates conduct themselves when speaking to the public.”

Eide responded first.

“We believe it’s important to truly have clear communication about what’s going on and we believe in the importance of transparency,” Eide said. “As students, we deserve to know what’s going on behind those closed doors … The general activity fee is something we all pay … by the time we’re done with all four years of college it’s $6,000 … So making sure your general activity fee is [being spent] in the best way possible, making sure that each candidate has

truly clear communication about what’s going on and full knowledge about what the candidate is about.”

Howell said there already is a code of ethics in place and candidates should continue to adhere to that.

“Obviously when a misstep is taken, action has to be taken on the other side,” Howell said. “Obviously that’s something we completely agree with and respect and continue to uphold. Everybody makes mistakes and it’s important to get a second chance and render those mistakes resolved.”

Grote called out Eide directly for the code of ethics violation in his response.

“We have an entire list of things you do not violate when you are a senator,” Grote said. “I’m sure, Hunter, you know, you violated five … seven of those codes of ethics when talking about [Peterson or myself]. That is something that we will not tolerate in any way, shape or form. That is grounds for removal and that can be really, really bad.”

The SA election begins Wednesday at 8 a.m. and wraps up Thursday at 5 p.m.

Students can vote by going to saelection.sdstate.edu.

Opportunity Scholarship gets bump in award money from legislature

BRAYDEN BYERS Reporter

A movement to increase the dollar amount for the South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship has passed through the South Dakota Legislature and is waiting to be signed by Gov. Kristi Noem. House Bill 1055 would increase the total amount from $6,500 over four years to $7,500. If signed, this would apply to any scholarships awarded after July 1 of this year.

The Opportunity Scholarship was first created in 2003 and is a merit-based scholarship aimed at keeping high performing students in South Dakota. This rewards students from South Dakota who achieved at least a 24 on their ACT as well as completed a college prep course throughout high school.

The scholarship started out as a $5,000 award through four years, giving the students $1,000 each of the fi rst three years before awarding $2,000 for their final year. It has grown since it first got funding in 2004 to $6,500 over four years, where it is at today. It currently awards $1,300 for the first three years and $2,600 for the final year.

This bill was brought forward by District 13 Rep. Tony Venhuizen, who believes that the increase would help keep students in South Dakota long term.

“It’s still a very important program for our state,” he said during the bills hearing in the Senate Education Committee. “We know that South Dakotans who stay in South Dakota for college or technical school, 70 percent of them will stay here after they graduate.”

South Dakota State University currently has 1,276 students utilizing this scholarship, which is the most in the state. This data includes both Board of Regents institutions as well as private, technical and tribal schools throughout the state. Three hundred and seventy-four of those students were new students coming in the Fall of 2022.

The Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships at SDSU Beth Vollan thinks that it is a great program that allows students planning on coming to Brookings to save some money in the long run.

“That’s something, as they’re doing their college planning, they can look at the cost of attendance and every year, that’s $1,300 hopefully going up to $1,500 that they don’t have to save

or work over the summer or borrow or secure other funding,” Vollan said.

Over $1 million has been funded in total for the 1,276 students that are utilizing the opportunity scholarship at SDSU.

Kerri Richards, scholarship and financial aid policy analyst for the Board of Regents, said keeping students in South Dakota can also benefit the Board of Regents if a student would choose to attend a regental institution.

“A student that ends up graduating high school and then attends a post-secondary school in South Dakota is more likely to stay in South Dakota then again once they graduate,” she said. “So, keeping them here for post-secondary helps us out in the long run.”

Rep. Venhuizen indicated that the scholarship would not affect the general fund during the bill’s hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations because the program is overfunded and can support the increase for the next three years.

The bill went through appropriations in early February on its way to the House floor, where it

was passed 62-8. It was then sent to the Senate Education Committee and the Senate floor, where it passed 30-4.

The bill was signed by the Senate speaker March 6 and was signed by Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden and delivered to Noem March 7.

This graph shows a few examples of the number of students at each regental university awarded certain kinds of financial aid, according to the South Dakota Board of Regents FY 2023 Factbook.

International Night returns after gap year

KENNETH REBELLO Reporter

International Night, one of South Dakota State University’s largest international cultural events, is all set to take place after a year gap. The event is at 6.30 p.m. March 26 in the Student Union Volstorff Ballroom.

International Night is a social event hosted by International Relations Council (IRC) to promote diversity and culture through different cuisines, fashion shows, dance, skits and vocal talents by students from various countries. Both domestic and international students look forward to this event every year.

“It is one of the events to showcase the talents from our international student population and the international community here at Brookings,” said Islamiah Fuad, international student adviser at the Office of International Affairs (OIA).

Attendees of International Night get to celebrate and gain knowledge of various traditions portrayed across different countries. Internationals students at the event say they feel more comfortable dressing up in traditional attire to showcase their culture.

“Students also come together for this event to connect with others,” Fuad said. “They don’t meet each other very often and (it) gives them a platform to meet other students from their country.”

International Night was canceled in 2022 due to a lack of various resources.

Sodexo, the current dining service, joined campus during fall 2022 and needed some time to settle before hosting a large event.

“Due to staffing and different resources, along with timing in general, we were not able to host it during fall 2022,” Fuad said.

Last held in 2021, International Night had garnered an increase in attendees, which led to a completely packed Volstorff Ballroom.

“I think we had around 450 attendees for the event,” Tricia Serrao, former president of the IRC, said. “We were completely sold out in terms of tickets for seating arrangements as people wished to attend the event, even if it meant to stand throughout the show.”

Food is one main reason people look forward to attending International Night. Aramark catered for the last International Night, and Sodexo will be taking over this year’s menu.

“Without a blink, I can say it’s the food people mainly look forward to International Night–besides the performance,” Serrao said.

The Volstorff Ballroom recently underwent renovations, so attendees can expect new features such as addition of new screens, projectors, updated lighting and carpet flooring.

“The spacing would be more of an advantage when it comes to staging,” Fuad said. “A lot more people would now be able to see the stage more clearly, but the seating plan would be the same.”

A lot of work goes into making

International Night a successful event. From deciding a theme to promoting the event, committee members of IRC work all year to pull it off.

“Coming together as a team to bring in ideas, spreading the word, planning, budgeting and time management is a major challenge for a committee to host these events,” Serrao said.

Janhavi Virkar, a master’s student studying nutrition and exercise science, has attended every International Night since 2018. She said she enjoyed gaining knowledge about different cultures and traditions through different performances and fashion shows over

the years. She also wishes to attend this year’s event and believes that new performances and cuisines would guarantee a fun-filled evening.

Jenna Parliament, a master’s biology major who has also attended International Night since 2018, said she had no idea about what International Night was until she attended and enjoyed the music and food representing many different cultures and traditions.

The ticket sales for International Night are priced at $15 for students and $20 for faculty.

Photos SUBMITTED

(Above) Students from the International Relations Council dish out cruisine from around the world to atendees at the 2021 International Night.

(Left) Students perform a traditional, international dance at the 2021 event. This year’s International Night will take place at 6:30 p.m. March 26 in the Volstorf Ballroom. Tickets are $15 for students and $20 for faculty.

SERENA DAVIS Asst. Lifestyles Editor (She/Her)

South Dakota State University’s annual Wacipi is ready to go for April 1 and 2 in the Volstroff Ballroom in the Student Union.

The Wacipi event features Native American dancers, food and other cultural staples. American Indian Student Association (AISA) club president Dallas Kelso, a sophomore English education major, said this is a great opportunity to show off culture to the community.

“For AISA, this event means a lot, we enjoy putting (it) on and the exposure from the Wacipi event,” Kelso said. “With the amount of people that come, it makes it unique for everyone.”

Wacipi means “they dance” in Lakota, and it is a time to gather and express the traditions from the Indigenous communities. The theme for this year’s Wacipi is “We Heal through Education.” The meaning stems from the hardships that Native ancestors went through when they were sent to residential schools, said Wacipi chairwoman Margaret Bad Warrior, a sophomore early childhood education major.

Bad Warrior said the biggest challenge this year was the budget, but they were able to overcome the challenges the restricted budget brought.

“I have faced many challenges, but they have allowed me to grow as a leader and a young Lakota winyan,” Bad Warrior said. Winyan means “woman” in Lakota.

Kelso, who attended and helped with the Wacipi last year, said this event not only bridges the gap between SDSU and the Brookings community but also helps to bring people of all cultural backgrounds together.

“We really love being able to show our community what makes up our culture and what it means to us,” Kelso said. “It’s also a great opportunity to understand South Dakota culture as a whole, since Native American culture is so prevalent.”

Bad Warrior agreed with Kelso, saying that by doing the event in the Student Union, it is another way to really get students involved.

“We want students of all backgrounds and all majors to come,” Bad Warrior said.

AISA will be selling Indian tacos

Collegian photos by ZOEY SCHENTZEL (She/Her)

Wacipi promotes “healing through education” at annual event

across the two days as well as hosting a free community supper featuring homemade fry bread and a specialty berry pudding called wojapi. The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) will have an Indian taco sale Friday, March 24 to get people excited and ready for the event.

“We’ve been doing Indian taco sales all year,” Kelso said. “This one is important because it’s our last one before the big event, and we really want to get students excited about Wacipi.”

The event starts early on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. with the elder dancers and moves down the line in ages as the day progresses. This year’s host drum band, Bad Nation, is well known in the Indigenous community, according to Bad Warrior. Another special aspect to this year’s Wacipi is a powwow royalty set to be in attendance, however the name has not been disclosed yet.

“With an event as large as ours, we want to have the best of the best when it comes to our cultural pride,” Bad Warrior said.

For students wanting to attend, the

event is free for SDSU students and for the community.

“This is a great way to take a break from studying, and for anyone who has never been, it’s a unique experience,” Kelso said.

ASIA member Bree Eastman said she had never been to a powwow before attending SDSU and thinks this a great way to understand the culture.

“Everything about Native American history is so unique, and I didn’t understand that until I went to my first Wacipi,” Eastman said. “It’s so diverse and I think that diversity is mirrored in the rest of the culture.”

If You Go

When: April 1 at 9 a.m.

x April 2 at 1 p.m.

Where: Volstorff Ballroom

Cost: Free for all

Theme: “We Heal Through Education”

Performers dance during the 2021 Wacipi. This year’s event will feature dancers of all ages at the two day event, April 1-2 in the Volstorff Ballroom.

OPINION

Bands Journey, Toto come to Sioux Falls

JACK MCCARTY Reporter

Legendary rock bands Journey and Toto are stopping in Sioux Falls for their 50th anniversary “Freedom Tour” March 24. This will be the first time that Journey has played in Sioux Falls since 2016 and the first time ever that they’ve played with Toto in the city.

If you are looking to attend and still haven’t gotten tickets, you better hurry because, according to Doria Drost, marketing director for the Denny Sanford Premier Center, “We are expecting a full house with this concert. For ticket sales, our venue nearly reached 3,000 tickets sold in the presale window alone, and

within the first day of the public on sale, we had already hit over 50 percent of our available ticket sales for the show. There are still a few sets available for the show, but we expect it to sell out.”

You also don’t have to worry about any frustration with Ticketmaster since, according to Drost, the people in charge of the tour have chosen AXS Ticketing over the other ticket seller.

And even though this is their 50th anniversary tour, don’t think that their age is going to get in the way of putting on a strong performance.

“We are confi dent with a band with as much experience in touring and performing as Journey has, that this will be a phenomenal and high-quality show

for all of our audience members,” Drost said.

According to their website, while famed lead vocalist for Journey, Steve Perry, will not be returning, Arnel Pineda, who has been lead singer since 2007, will continue to take up the mantle as front man for the band.

Toto also has undergone some role changes over the years, with the only remaining original member being lead vocalist and guitarist Steve Lukather.

While Toto is the lesser-known band of the two, most fans have heard something by one of their many previous members. This is because the members of Toto are prolific studio musicians and have played on, according to their web

site, 5,000 total records and have sold over half a billion records in total. This means that 95 percent of the world has heard a song by a member of Toto. While they are the smaller name on the ticket, they are one of the most listened to bands in history.

Drost said she wants people who attend the concert to know that, “We are very excited to be able to bring these artists to the Sioux Falls community.”

The facility has policies in place for all ticketed events, including cashless concession stands and a clear bag policy. Information on both policies can be found on the website.

Short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” provides insight into psychology and mental health care

ANDREA

HUETE Copy Editor

One SDSU professor assigned four students taking his Introduction to Literature course to read “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The psychological horror short story follows the journey of a young woman suffering through “temporary nervous depression” after delivering her child.

Justin Blessinger, a professor of English and director of the AdapT Lab for Accessibility through Tech at Dakota State University selected the story because he loves how the narrator is eventually discovered to be unreliable.

“[It] causes the reader to try to reconsider the entire story,” Blessinger said. Readers experience the events of the short through journal entries written by the young woman. As the story evolves, the woman’s hysterical breakdowns do too.

Over time, the young woman and her husband, who is also her doctor, move into a new house. The husband imprisons her in the home due to her condition and supposed hallucinations.

The room she is held in is described to have a patterned yellow wallpaper, barred windows, metal rings in the

walls, floors that have been gouged and a bed bolted to the floor.

The story challenges us to think about how we are driven to discover meaning in the chaos around us.

“It’s why our species has survived,” Blessinger said. “We notice patterns, and assign meaning to those patterns. That’s language itself, but it’s also faith and art and truth.”

In the text, readers see how the main character receives medical treatment and how it backfires. Her husband belittles her, prescribes her medication and limits her actions. She can’t write, work or socialize with others. These actions cause her mind to wander as she stares at the yellow wallpaper which surrounds her in the room her husband is holding her captive in.

“The main character is trapped in a room and she’s convinced that the wallpaper contains a message,” Blessinger said.

She tries to read and interpret the wallpaper throughout her days. Her interpretations consume her time, and she eventually sees a woman hiding behind the pattern and wants to free her.

Blessinger adds that the story invites us to consider the origin of the science of psychology and the primitive, often sexist, methods that were employed as

the science developed.

“Each reader decides where the narrator becomes no longer trustworthy,” Blessinger said, “Some decide that the physician in the story is not the main character’s husband, because it is common for patients in asylums or in captivity generally to form imagined bonds with their captors, a condition commonly called Stockholm Syndrome.”

Dayeon Lee, a junior nursing student, said that she is glad to have experience in mental health care at a human service center. It was certainly a different experience to other clinical experiences she has had.

There were some protocols in terms of what patients can have access to and what they can’t.

“I was taught that I can’t leave patients inside of their room alone by themselves because they might cause harm to themselves or commit suicide,” Lee said.

To me, the main character shows signs of schizophrenia, as she is portrayed to be delusional and slightly disoriented.

Lee mentions that schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that affects thinking, language, emotions, social behavior and ability to accurately perceive reality.

“Symptoms may vary in types, but

auditory hallucination is most common. It is unknown why schizophrenia occurs, but there is a strong genetic link,” Lee said. “One of the things that was interesting to me was that, contrary to popular belief, schizophrenia patients are often not violent.”

At the end of the text, the main character finally loses her mind, as she locks herself in the room, unwilling to come out. She seemed to be possessed, as she mentions that the woman in the wall can’t be trapped anymore. She peels off the wallpaper and when her husband manages to get inside he is shocked.

At the scene, she drops dead once her husband enters.

As a reader, I believe the wallpaper symbolizes her skin. Her actions were most likely due to her wanting to escape the situation.

“Literature is important because art is important, for all the same reasons in that it allows us to perceive beauty others may never see and to communicate truths that others have only felt but never noticed,” Blessinger said.

In the end, I wonder what other symbols readers can find and interpret within the text.

SLOAN A NATIONAL RUNNER-UP

EIGHT JACKS COMPETE AT NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS

EVAN PATZWALD Co-Sports Editor

A national runner-up finish from Tanner Sloan in the NCAA Wrestling Championships highlighted the SDSU wrestling team’s trip to Tulsa.

Sloan was the No. 7 seed in the 197-pound weight class and managed to upset both of his opponents in the quarterfinal and semifi nal rounds before losing to the No. 1 seed Nino Bonaccorsi from Pittsburgh by decision 5-3.

Sloan finished the season as an all-American and with a 27-3 overall record.

“He did what we all know he could do,” coach Damion Hahn said of Sloan’s tournament performance. “We’ve been saying this for how long? When you get to the national tournament, everybody’s got something. It’s a long season, it’s a grind. One of the biggest things I think is staying somewhat injuryfree. This has been the first season Tanner has been relatively healthy.”

On his way to the championship round, Sloan beat No. 26 Gavin Hoffman from Ohio State, 8-1. Then beat No. 10 Jacob Cardenas of Cornell 4-0 before upsetting No. 2 Bernie Truax of Cal Poly 6-4 and No. 3 Rocky Elam of Missouri 7-2. Sloan had just lost to Elam two weeks prior in the Big 12 Championships.

“Not only did he go out there and win, but he absolutely dominated the guy,” Hahn said of Sloan’s win over Elam. “It was an amazing moment for Tanner, no doubt about it. It was an amazing moment for our program. I’m extremely happy for a lot of people and he did well.”

Clay Carlson was the other AllAmerican wrestler for the Jacks after finishing with a 6-2 overall record in Tulsa. No. 11 Carlson in the 141-pound weight class defeated No. 22 Malyke Hines of Lehigh before falling in the next round to No. 6 Beau Bartlett of Penn State 3-2. He picked up four straight wins after that and lost to Bartlett again 12-2. Carlson finished out the tournament beating No. 4 Brock Hardy of Nebraska by injury default. Carlson finished the tournament in fi fth place in his weight class and had a 27-10 overall record on the year.

“He’s not the most athletic or the most gifted guy out there, but he gives maximum effort in all that he does,” Hahn said of Carlson. “It showed in his match where he’s wrestling Allan Hart, a guy that has beaten him multiple times. He had to get a last second takedown to become a two-time All-American. I was ecstatic.”

As a team, SDSU finished 14th in total points in the tournament with 37.0, half a point behind Princeton for 13th. The Jacks’ fi nish was the second-highest fi nish at nationals since joining Division I in 2004-05. Penn State finished first overall with 137.5 points, followed by Iowa with 82.5 and Cornell rounding out the top three with 76.5 points.

“We finished 14th in the country in dual meets. We finished 14th in the country at the NCAA Tournament,” Hahn said. “If that doesn’t say something about being a well-balanced team, then I don’t know what does.”

Read full story online at sdsucollegian.com

Photo from GoJacks.com by JUSTIN HOCH Tanner Sloan at the Division I NCAA Wrestling Championships in Tulsa, OK. Sloan finished as a national runner-up after losing to Nino Bonaccorsi in the championship round for the 197-pound weight class.

JACKS SEASON ENDS

Photos by KEITH LUCAS / SIDELINE MEDIA PRODUCTIONS

South Dakota State’s Paiton Burckhard looks to pass the ball in a first round NCAA Tournament women’s basketball game March 17 against Southern California. That game would prove to be Burckhard’s second to last game in her Jackrabbit career as SDSU defeated the No. 8 seed Trojans 62-57. The Jacks then faced Virginia Tech March 19 and fell to the Hokies 72-60.

SKYLER JACKSON Co-Sports Editor (He/Him)

The South Dakota State women’s basketball team saw one of its best seasons ever come to an end Sunday in the NCAA Tournament.

The No. 9 seed Jackrabbits were defeated by the 4th-ranked and No. 1 seed Virginia Tech 72-60 in front of 8,925 VT fans at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Virginia. SDSU ended its season with 29-6 overall, and its school-record 22-game win streak was snapped. The Hokies (29-4) advance to just their second Sweet 16 in program history where they’ll face Tennessee.

The Jacks faced an early deficit and eventually trailed by 23 at halftime. Despite facing that deficit in a tough environment, SDSU continued to fight, but it was too much of an uphill battle.

“Congratulations to (Virginia Tech), they’re certainly very deserving and they’ve had a great year,” Jacks coach Aaron Johnston said. “It was a challenging game because of the opponent and how good they are, but really appreciative of the atmosphere.”

Heading into Sunday’s game, not many people believed SDSU could win it. But the Jackrabbits had reason to believe they could, considering they’ve had a recent history of success in the tournament. They were also coming off a 62-57 win over the No. 8 seed USC Trojans Friday.

Myah Selland carried the Jacks in that game, scoring 29 points, just one shy of her career-high. It is the most points any Summit League player has ever scored in an NCAA Tournament game, beating Macy Miller’s 28 points against Quinnipiac in 2019.

So the Jacks entered Sunday’s matchup with confidence. But the Hokies put a stop to any potential chances of an upset right away.

Georgia Amoore’s 3-pointer in the opening seconds set the tone for the Hokies. Ranked third in the nation in made 3-pointers, Amoore hit two more in the first quarter and 7-of-19 total in the game.

The 3-pointer is what killed the Jackrabbits throughout the contest. Virginia Tech hit eight of them in the first half, including five of its first six in the first quarter. They led by 12 at the end of the quarter. The Hokies’ lead grew in the second quarter, thanks to

a 10-0 run to end the quarter to take a 46-23 lead into the break.

At that point, the lead seemed too big for the Jackrabbits to come back from, but they never gave up. In the second half, the Jackrabbit defense began to step up. They outscored the Hokies 20-13 in the third quarter to cut the lead to 16.

“In the first half, they were really good, and we weren’t good enough in the first half,” Johnston said. “I thought we settled in as the game went on and we played well. We gave ourselves a chance to be in the game and be competitive.”

The Jacks kept fighting and cut it down to 10 with 3:13 left in the game, but they couldn’t get any closer. From there, the Hokies answered with three more 3-pointers to put the game away.

“That’s just something about this team this year, we just never felt like we were ever quite out of it,” Selland said. “We believed in each other until the very end and that’s something that I’ve

appreciated about this team the whole year.”

Throughout the game, SDSU had many chances to change momentum but failed to capitalize on many open shots. It seemed like every time the Jackrabbits could hit one of those shots, the Hokies immediately answered.

“We’ll definitely lose some sleep over a few plays,” Selland said. “But like (Johnston) said, this is a great program, it’s a great team and (The Hokies) played great too. We’ll try to have to let those go and just reflect on the whole season.”

Selland scored 17 points to lead the Jacks in her final collegiate game. Paige Meyer and Haleigh Timmer each scored 12 points, and Tori Nelson added nine. Paiton Burckhard and Dru Gylten also played in their final games Sunday. Burckhard attempted only three shots and scored two points. Gylten played 14 minutes and had one assist.

Amoore played all 40 minutes and led the Hokies with 21 points, all on 3-pointers and added three assists.

Elizabeth Kitley finished with 14 points, Taylor Soule scored 13 and Kayana Traylor added 11. As a team, Virginia Tech hit 12 threes compared to SDSU’s two and shot 41.8% from the field.

Despite the loss, the Jackrabbits feel they could compete with a No. 1 seed in the future. They’ve managed to compete with No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the past. They even beat No. 3 seed Syracuse in the second round of the 2019 tournament en route to the program’s only Sweet 16 appearance. They also threatened to beat No. 2 seed Baylor in 2009 but lost 60-58.

While beating a No. 1 seed is always a tough task, the Jackrabbits believe they are capable of doing it if they get other opportunities.

“That’s not a knock against No. 1 seeds, I just think that’s more of a belief in our program for sure,” Johnston said. “If you’re going to beat a No. 1, the bottom line is, you’ve got to have some things go your way and you’ve got to have some things go against them.”

Jackrabbit forward Myah Selland drives the ball in a first round NCAA Tournament game against Southern California. In that game, Selland scored 29 points, the most any Summit League player has ever scored in a Tournament game. She also finished one point shy of her career high.

VOLLEYBALL TRANSFER COMES HOME

SYDNI SCHETNAN COMES TO BROOKINGS AFTER A SEASON AT LOUISVILLE

NATALIE DEAN Reporter

After playing basketball and volleyball for the University of Louisville, freshman Sydni Schetnan has returned to her home state to join the Jackrabbit volleyball team.

“I have a lot of family connections that drew me back to SDSU,” Schetnan, a Sioux Falls Washington graduate, said. “Only being an hour away from home was a really big thing.”

Schetnan’s seven family members are former Jackrabbit athletes. Her cousin Ellie Benson played volleyball, her uncle was on the football team and her aunt played basketball. Schetnan’s mom, Kim Schetnan, also played for the SDSU basketball team, bringing more meaning to Sydni’s decision to come back to South Dakota.

“Being on the same court that she played on is a really cool thing,” Schetnan said. “I’m very excited to experience that.”

During her time with the Cardinals, Schetnan’s basketball team advanced to the Final Four in the 20212022 season. The volleyball team also advanced to the national title game in Omaha last season.

Schetnan had traveled to Omaha previously for club volleyball tournaments, but this was her first time traveling there to compete for a championship, an experience Schetnan said she will never forget.

While with the Cardinals, Schetnan enjoyed creating connections with her team. She gained a deeper relationship with her Jackrabbit teammates, and she looks

forward to playing at SDSU for the next few years.

“I hope to have a much deeper connection with the girls here,” Schetnan said. “I’ll be playing with them for three years and hope to become really good friends with everyone.”

Once Schetnan came to SDSU, her Jackrabbit teammates were quick in making her feel a part of the team, and she has found it fun meeting everyone.

“I feel like I’ve been doing a pretty good job at getting to know everyone,” Schetnan said. “They are all welcoming and they’ve been amazing.”

The Jackrabbits have started their spring season, where they started with eight hours each week and now are training twenty hours a week. The spring season began at the beginning of March with away tournaments on the weekends.

Teammate Annalee Ventling-Brown said that she and Schetnan are locker neighbors, and that she has enjoyed getting to know Schetnan through practices and going out to dinner.

“She got here and she gelled really well with the team,” Ventling-Brown said. “It was pretty easy to get to know her and be good teammates and friends with her.”

The Jackrabbit volleyball program has been growing for the past three years, and two of their main goals are to bring home a Summit League championship and to play in December at the NCAA Tournament.

The volleyball team accomplished many of its team goals this past season. They had a seven-game winning streak, were invited to play in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC), and were the last

team out of the Summit League schools to still be playing into December.

“To bring in a transfer who has been to the final four in both basketball and volleyball and seen that championship experience is big,” Jacks coach Dan Georgalas said. “Sydni’s edition to what we already have coming and built on the team matches up really well.”

It has been evident that Schetnan not only loves competing and playing volleyball but also has joy playing on the court and has proved to be a strong player.

“She doesn’t really do things half-speed,” Georgalas said. “You can tell she likes to go all out, and that matches our gym culture.”

Teammate Masa Scheierman has enjoyed getting to know Schetnan and said that Schetnan can help the Jackrabbit team reach their goals because of her past championship experiences and her athleticism in being an outside and right-side hitter.

“Physically, she’s probably going to be one of the tallest girls in the Summit League,” Scheierman said. “That presence is going to be helpful, especially at the net and blocking-wise.”

Though Schetnan was a two-sport athlete in Louisville, she plans to just focus on volleyball for the time being and has high hopes to help the team accomplish its goals.

“I really hope to bring a Summit League championship to SDSU volleyball,” Schetnan said. “I feel like that is something they have been working towards and that we can accomplish.”

Photo SUBMITTED Sydni Schetnan hits the ball at a recent SDSU volleyball practice. She will be part of the roster for the upcoming season after spending the season as a dual-sport athlete, playing both volleyball and basketball for Louisville.