The Jackrabbit women’s golf team fought strong winds and finished in third place with a score of 659 (325-334), a year after winning the same event.

Morgan Fitts led the Jacks with a score of 159 (81-78) and finished tied for sixth place. Fitts now has nine career top- 25 finishes, which ties her for third place with Kelly Evans. Alli Plath tallied a 166 (80- 86) and finished tied for 16th. Amber Houser shot a 170 (83-87) and finished tied for 26th. Jordan Trohkimoinen registered a 178 (89-89) and finished tied for 49th. Myranda Dunmire and Lindsey Eisenhuth both competed as individuals. Dunmire carded a 180 (93-87) and finished 55th, while Eisenhuth shot a 181 (90-91) and finished tied for 56th.

Northern Iowa won the 14-team event by one stroke over Southern Illinois with a score of 635 (307-328). Amy Anderson of North Dakota State took medalist honors for the third straight year with a score of 149 (74-75). NDSU finished fourth with a two-round total of 662 (348-314).

The Jackrabbit women play next at the Summit League Championships in Primm, Nev., on April 23.

Track takes seven titles at Duncan Invite 

The South Dakota State men’s and women’s track and field teams combined for seven titles at the Jim Duncan Invite at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

On the men’s side, Greg Vollmer took the top spot in the 3000 meter steeplechase with a time of 9:17.08. It is his best time of the season by over 14 seconds.

In the field events, Jake Sanderson was best in the triple jump with a distance of 44 feet, seven inches.

On the women’s side, Tera Potts matched Vollmer’s feat by taking the steeplechase title. Potts finished more than 13 seconds in front of the runner-up.

Brooke Garner continued to excel in throwing events. Garner won the discus with a throw of 159 feet, seven inches, better than second place by over 11 inches. Garner also won the hammer throw with a toss of 187 feet, 11 inches, best by nearly 20 feet.

The 4×100 meter relay team of Ashley Odegaard, Lora Shearer, Gina Fritz and Megan Bren finished first in 47.23.

Bren also won the 100 meter dash with a time of 12.39.

The Jacks also had numerous second-place finishes.

On the men’s side, Cullen Mack placed second in the discus with a throw of 148 feet, three inches.

Jake Schneller finished in second in the 800 meter run with a time of 1:50.11, the third-best time in SDSU history. In the 400 meter hurdles, Brandon Priebe finished second in 53.09.

For the women, Mary Wirth was second in the high jump with a height of five feet, five inches and McKenzie Johnson finished second in the shot put with a toss of 44 feet, four inches.

In the 800 meter run, Krista Creager was second by .17 seconds. Fritz was the runner-up in the 200 meter dash with a time of 24.94.

Next week SDSU splits its squads between three meets: Mt. Sac Relays and Long Beach State Invitational in California, while the rest of the team will travel to Crete, Neb. for the Doane Relays.

Iowa scored four times in the bottom of the first inning en route to a 6-2 victory over South Dakota State in the opening game of a two-game non-conference baseball series April 3 at Duane Banks Field.

The Hawkeyes improved to 11-14 overall, while SDSU dropped to 6-14-1 on the season.

Iowa used some small ball to post its first run of the game. Mike McQuillan led off the game for the Hawkeyes with a base hit, moved to second on a wild pitch and took third on a bunt single by Jacob Yacinich. McQuillan and Yacinich then executed a double steal to perfection with McQuillan scoring on a steal of home. Yacinich later scored on a base hit by Phill Keppler and Andrew Host delivered a two-run double to cap the four-run outburst.

Jackrabbit starter Kolton Emery settled in after the first inning, throwing four consecutive scoreless innings before exiting after the fifth. Emery surrendered nine hits, walked one and did not strike out a batter in his longest outing of the season.

After Hawkeye starter Andrew Hedrick blanked SDSU through the first five innings, the deficit was cut in half with a two-run sixth. Phil Paquette singled and later moved to second on a groundout. Andrew Phelan extended the inning with an opposite-field double that moved Paquette to third. Zach Briggs walked against reliever Ryan Rumpf to load the bases, setting up Aaron Machbitz for a two-run single.

SDSU threatened again in the seventh as Eric Cain tripled with two outs. However, reliever Nick Hibbing retired Paquette to end the inning.

Iowa put the game away with a two-run home half of the seventh on run-scoring singles by Chett Zeise and pinch-hitter Jake Mangler. Zeise, McQuillan and Host each tallied two of the Hawkeyes’ 11 hits in the game.

Cain was 2-for-4 as the Jackrabbits managed only five hits in the contest.

The South Dakota State University football team wrapped up its second week of spring practices with a scrimmage Saturday.

“We were blessed with a great day and our players responded — the focus was great,” Head Coach John Stiegelmeier said. “We need a number of young guys to mature faster in their role. That is what spring ball is for, so now is the time to do it.”

On offense, sophomore quarterback Austin Sumner led the Jackrabbit offense on three sustained drives in the 65- play scrimmage. The reigning Missouri Valley Football Conference Freshman of the Year, Sumner ended the day 10-of-14 passing for 112 yards.

Redshirt freshman running back Reginald Gandy also turned in an impressive performance, rushing 11 times for 97 yards with a 35-yard touchdown run.

Gandy ran behind an experienced Jackrabbit line under new leadership through the hiring of John Flynn as offensive line coach

“Overall, I thought the line did some things really well,” Flynn said. Of course, we still have a lot of work do, so the rest of our focus this spring will be to get better at what we do and to master our schemes. Our guys have really bought into this system and it is definitely starting to show.”

The Jackrabbit defense was led by end Doug Peete, who finished the afternoon with two sacks. A young secondary also showed some improvement.

“The secondary made some strides on Saturday,” defensive backs coach Jay Christensen said. “For the most part, we were where we needed to be in terms of assignments. We need to be more consistent and tackle much better, which I look forward to the remainder of spring ball to focus on.”

The Jackrabbits return 40 lettermen from a season ago, including nine offensive starters and six on defense. SDSU is scheduled to practice Monday and Wednesday before taking the rest of the week off for the Easter holiday. Practice resumes April 11.

SDSU concludes spring drills with its annual Spring Game April 21 at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium. Start time is set for 3 p.m.

South Dakota State head men’s basketball coach Scott Nagy brought home a pair of honors from the Final Four festivities in New Orleans, La., for his commitment and service to the game of basketball and beyond.

The National Basketball Coaches Association awarded Nagy it’s NABC Guardians of the Game Pillar Award for Service, while Samaritan’s Feet honored Nagy as its Barefoot Coach of the Year.

“One of the hallmarks of our program is understanding the bigger picture,” SDSU director of athletics, Justin Sell said. “Whether that’s getting a degree, community service or being a good role model, coach Nagy exemplifies those traits and we’re really proud of the work he does in our community, across the country and the world.”

Both awards honor Nagy for his work with Samaritan’s Feet, and his efforts to raise money and awareness for children throughout the work without shoes by coaching games in his bare feet. Nagy coached two games at Frost Arena this past season without shoes, including an 85-58 win over UMKC on Jan. 14, and an 86-65 win over Buffalo on Feb. 18, in a game that aired on national television.

“I have traveled with Coach Nagy to Zimbabwe and saw first-hand his humble spirit and his willingness to help the impoverished,” said Manny Ohonme, President and Founder of Samaritan’s Feet. “Nagy’s humility is amazing, and the influence that he has on young people is contagious. It’s my honor to recognize him for his efforts for children around the world.”

Through his barefoot efforts, Nagy provided a voice for the voice-less and created awareness for Samaritan’s Feet, which raised over $10,000, providing 1,000 pairs of shoes to impoverished children, both in the United States and around the world.

Nagy’s work with Samaritan’s Feet does not end with these prestigious awards, and anyone interested in helping the cause can make a donation that can make a difference in a child’s life.

The Jackrabbits, who won two of the three games in the series, moved to 4-10-1 overall. SIUE ended the day 9-10 overall. SDSU’s victory Sunday was the 600th of Jackrabbit head coach Dave Schrage’s career.

In the opener, SDSU scored all of its runs prior to the game being suspended Saturday after four innings due to rain. Andrew Melton opened the scoring with a run-scoring single in the second inning, and the Jackrabbits erupted for seven runs against SIUE starter Brooks McDowell in the top of the third to take an 8-1 lead. Andrew Phelan was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to plate the first run, followed by a Phil Paquette two-run single up the middle. Aaron Machbitz and Zach Rhodes each drove in runs before Daniel Marra capped the big inning with a two-run double to the left-center gap.

The Cougars countered with three runs in the home half of the third, but the Jackrabbits put the game out of reach with a three-run fourth. Paquette doubled in the first run, with Machbitz adding a run-scoring single and Melton a sacrifice fly.

When play resumed Sunday, SIUE scored three runs in the top of the fifth against Jackrabbit reliever Austin Busse, starting with a leadoff home run by Joel Greatting.

Busse was credited with the victory after pitching three innings. Shane Kraemer recorded two strikeouts in the final two innings to pick up his first save of the season.

Freshman Adam Bray started for the Jackrabbits, allowing four runs, seven hits and a walk in four innings. The right-hander struck out two.

Paquette was 3-for-4 with three runs batted in to lead SDSU’s 15-hit attack. Rhodes, Marra, Eric Cain, Machbitz and Melton each tallied two hits.

In the finale, the Jackrabbits jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the third. Steven Autenrieth led off with an infield single, moved to second on a walk to Zach Rhodes and later scored on a groundout. Eric Cain plated Andrew Melton with the final run of the frame with a base hit.

SIUE tied the game in the home half of the inning against Jackrabbit starter Layne Somsen and took the lead in the fourth as Brett Keeler walked with two outs, moved to third on a double by Chase Green and scored on a wild pitch.

The Cougars tacked on a run in the seventh, and ended three potential SDSU rallies with double plays.

SIUE starter Travis Felax struck out four and walked two in seven innings, while allowing six hits. Dustin Quattrocchi retired all six batters he faced to earn his fourth save of the season.

Somsen allowed only two hits in six innings, but surrendered seven walks to go along with two strikeouts.

Paquette again led the Jackrabbits at the plate with two of the team’s six hits, including a triple.

The Jackrabbits opened the series behind Stephen Bougher, who pitched his second consecutive shutout, limiting Southern Illinois-Edwardsville to three hits as the Jackrabbits opened a four-game series with a 5-0 victory Friday night.

The Jackrabbits improved to 3-9-1 overall. SIU-E dropped to 8-9 overall.

SDSU gave Bougher all the run support he would need in the top of the first inning. With one out, Daniel Marra singled, moved to third on an Eric Cain base hit and scored on a sacrifice fly by Daniel Telford. Marra also scored the second Jackrabbit run of the game on a double play grounder after leading off the frame with a base hit.

The Jackrabbits added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth and tacked on one more in the eighth. Andrew Phelan led off the top of the sixth with a base hit and scored on Aaron Machbitz’s triple to right center. Machbitz later scored on a wild pitch. Zach Rhodes scored the eighth-inning run on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Cain.

Bougher, meanwhile, retired 10 hitters in a row in one stretch and allowed singles in the first, sixth and seventh innings. The junior from Papillion, Neb., struck out six and walked four as he evened his record at 2-2 with the complete-game effort.

Marra led the Jackrabbits’ nine-hit attack with a 3-for-5 night at the plate. Cain and Phelan each added two hits.

The SDSU women’s tennis team defeated Metro State, 7-2 while the men dropped a tight decision to the Division II foes from Colorado, 5-4.

SDSU scored the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 2. Jenny Blackburne and Brooke Henry teamed up at the top spot for an 8-4 win, while Bryna Nasenbeny and Megan McDougall rolled to an 8-2 win at No. 2.

In singles, Nasenbeny cruised at No. 1 with a 6-1, 6-1 win, which set the tone for the rest of the team. The Jacks took the top four matches, as well as No. 6. Blackburne, Henry and McDougall won at No. 2, 3 and 4, respectively. Anna Botzet earned a win at No. 6, as well.

The women improved to 5-6 with the win.

On the men’s side on doubles, Dominic Rossetto and Morgan Salo won 8-6 at No. 3, but SDSU was unable to capture either of the top two matches.

The two schools split the singles matches, which was not enough for the Jacks. Parker Lawley posted a convincing 6-1, 6-1 decision at No. 3. James Thorp won at No. 4, and Alejandro Marin won in a third-set tiebreaker at No. 5.

The men drop to 4-8 on the season.

SDSU drops two against Northern Colorado.

The South Dakota State men’s and women’s tennis teams dropped road meets at Northern Colorado, each by a score of 6-1.

The Bears jumped on top early, with a pair of sweeps in doubles.

On the women’s side, the Jacks dropped two hard fought matches at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles. Jenny Blackburne and Brooke Henry lost by a single break at No. 1, 8-5, while Bryna Nasenbeny and Megan McDougall were slowed in a tiebreaker at No. 2, 8-7.

In singles, Blackburne scored the lone team point for the Jacks in a third-set tiebreaker at No. 2, 4-6, 6-3, 13-11. Nasenbeny and McDougall each dropped a set by a 7-5 score at No. 1 and No. 4, respectively.

On the men’s side, the SDSU doubles teams were all bested by 8-3 scores.

In singles, James Thorp notched the team point at No. 4 singles with a 6-0, 6-4 win. Parker Lawley, who had been on a roll as of late, fell in a second-set tiebreaker, 6-2, 7-6 (7-2).

Northern Colorado rallied after an Aaron Pickrel pin in the meet’s second match to win six of the next eight matches.

Pickrel’s fall came at 125 pounds over Jesse Meis at 4:59 in the match. The Jackrabbits took a 6-3 lead with the win but things would slowly slide for SDSU.

The Bears scored three straight matches, one of which came by injury default. Andrew Youngblom was injured in the second period of his match against Justin Gonzales at 149 pounds. The loss cost the Jacks six points and UNC led 15-6.

Nick Flynn helped the Jacks climb closer with a 6-3 decision at 157 pounds, but it was followed by a Northern Colorado fall.

At 174 pounds, Dillon Reid countered with a fall of his own in slightly quicker fashion than Pickrel. It came with 12 seconds remaining in the second period and narrowed the gap.

SDSU did not get any closer, as the Bears won the final two matches by decision.

“Again, we wrestled hard and had an opportunity to win, but lost four close matches that were the deciding factor,” head coach Jason Liles said. “We need to close out a match. There is a fine line between winning and losing. Right now we are trying to figure out how to get on the other side of that line.”

Utah Valley 21, SDSU 18

SDSU continued its string of near misses for dual wins in a three-point loss to the Wolverines in Orem, Utah on Feb. 10.

SDSU suffered a defeat in the opening match at 149 pounds, but found its lone bright spot in the second match of the dual.

Senior Nick Flynn picked up his first Western Wrestling Conference dual win with a third-period fall at 157 pounds. Flynn improved to 20-9 overall and 7-4 in duals with his third fall of the season, moving the Jackrabbits ahead, 6-3.

The Wolverines went on a three-match winning streak at 165, 174 and 184, including one fall, to build a nine-point lead, 15-6.

Redshirt freshman Nick Mart put an end to the stretch, scoring a 5-3 decision in the third period at 197 pounds over UVU’s Bryan Chamberlain.

Down only six points at that point in the dual, junior heavyweight Joe Skow came through in a big way. Skow earned his first WWC dual win with a first-period fall to even the team score with three matches remaining, picking up the pin in 1:58 over Dustin Dennison.

After starting at 149 pounds, the dual rounded back to the top of the lineup to conclude.

Redshirt junior Aaron Pickrel continued his success at 125 pounds with a 7-2 decision. Pickrel improved to 22-8 overall, 9-2 in duals and 3-1 in the WWC.

Utah Valley responded with a decision at 131 pounds before Avery Garner sealed the meet with 10-6 win over Dustin Walraven.

Next up the Jacks return home for the final dual of the season on Feb. 16. SDSU hosts nationally-ranked Wyoming at 7 p.m. in Frost Arena.

TAMPA, Fla. – The South Dakota State men’s and women’s swimming and diving team wrapped up their winter training trip by taking part in the Tampa Relays, hosted by the University of Tampa, on Jan. 8.

The men tied for third in the four team field, while the women placed fourth.

The lone win for the Jacks came from the women in the 500 freestyle scramble relay where Andrea Budahl, Jessica Ferley and Emma Gaulke-Janowski finished in 5 minutes, 35.16 seconds.

The women had a quartet of third place finishes, highlighted by the 3X100 butterfly relay team of Ashley Valdez, Kylie Poel and Emmalee Wright with their time of 3:06.46.

The best finish on the men’s side was the third place 200 freestyle relay of John Bisson, Quinn Holden, Jack Morrow and Jason Garder who clocked in at 1:31.47.

Both the men and women return to the pool this Saturday as they travel to take on the University of St. Louis starting at 5 p.m. The Jacks will then have a rematch with the Billikens on Sunday at 10 a.m.

Women – Final Team Rankings

1. University of Iowa 224

2. University of Tampa 96

3. University of Incarnate Word 76

4. SDSU 44

Men – Final Team Rankings

1. University of Iowa 194

2. University of Tampa 102

T3. SDSU 72

T3. Incarnate Word 72

SDSU fans are invited to watch ESPN’s announcement of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament field Monday, March 16 at Frost Arena.

The selection special is scheduled to air from 6 to 7 p.m., with doors opening at 5 p.m. No admission will be charged and will be open to the public. Concessions will be available.

The Jackrabbit women’s basketball team is expected to be featured prominently in the broadcast, which will include live coverage from Frost Arena. Coach Aaron Johnston will address the crowd following the selectionshow.

SDSU qualified for its first-ever appearance in the Division I NCAA Tournament by winning the Summit League tournament championship on March 10 with a 79-69 victory over Oakland (Mich.). The Jackrabbits, ranked 14th in the USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll and 17th by the Associated Press, enter the 64-team tournament with a 31-2 overall record.