The South Dakota State University men’s golf team finished in a tie for 13 in a field of 17 teams in the Northwest Region Spring Tournament at Firethorn Country Club in Lincoln, Neb. on April 14-15.

Senior Ryan Cooley fired rounds of 85-79-79 to lead the SDSU squad with 243. Brian Schultz followed at 245 (87-79-79). Joel Harrington came in at 250 (83-88-79).

John Oien finished the 54-hole tournament with 257 (85-83-89) and was followed by Matt Conlon with 259 (86-90-83).

“We had to deal with a strong wind,” coach Bob Brotsky said. “We got it figured out on Tuesday and our three seniors shot 79s, so we were happy with that.”

Colorado-Colorado Springs won the regional qualifier with a team total of 937. Back by one stroke to take second was Fort Lewis (Colo.) with 938. Mankato finished third with 942.

The Jacks finished 13th in the pack with 988.

Mankato’s Jonathon Lauzon earned medalist honors with 221 (73-73-75).

The Jacks travel to Littleton, Colo. for the West/Northwest Super Regional tournament May 5-7.

The SDSU men’s and women’s golf teams traveled to Vermillion last Thursday for the 36-hole

The SDSU men’s and women’s golf teams have pulled the clubs

The smile still rests on the face of the SDSU campus.

It is a contagious smile. It is the smile of destiny.

It was a smile enhanced when Gov. Mike Rounds proclaimed there would be no classes Monday.

It was a smile broadened when the raucous crowd at Frost Arena on Sunday were introduced to their first women’s basketball national championship.

It was a smile that crossed everyone’s face when head coach Aaron Johnston stepped to the microphone.

“It was an amazing year for us,” he said.

That amazing year hit its apex Saturday night with SDSU’s 65-50 win over Northern Kentucky

Northern Kentucky entered the game 26-7, looking for their second title in four years.

But senior, Melissa Pater was was also looking for a title of her own.

Pater had 22 points and 11 rebounds in her last game, cementing her place as tournament’s Most Valuable Player- all with a smile on her face.

But then again, leading for the entire championship game can keep a smile on one’s face.

The Jacks started fast out of the gate against Northern Kentucky, scoring the first six points.

Amy Mobley hit a three-pointer for the Norse, bringing the score to 6-3. That was the closest Northern Kentucky got.

The Jacks got into their up-tempo style using it to gain the crowd momentum.

Accumulating a 32-17 halftime lead after a Cizek three-pointer in the final seconds of the half, the Lady Jacks wanted to keep those smiles.

“We kew that if we just continued the way we had started the game and kept playing good defense we’d be fine,” sophomore guard Stephanie Bolden said.

The teams traded baskets for the majority of the second half of the physical game, but the Jacks kept the pressure on.

Pater played strong throughout the match, scoring 10 points in the second half.

Davis was 6-of-7 from the free throw line in the final minutes to finalize the victory.

Rebounding was a key factor in the game. The Jacks won the battle of the boards 47-35.

SDSU forced 21 turnovers from the Norse.

Both teams struggled offensively. SDSU shot 34.5 percent, while Northern Kentucky, who ended the season 26-8, hit 34 percent.

Peggy Gordon Elliot Miller was on hand to congratulate the team Sunday as well.

Miller emphasized the pride the university holds for it to have a championship team.

“What a pleasure it is to be number one,” Miller said.

No surprise-she said it with a smile.

Click here for slideshow of the tournament

#1.887124:2584329346.jpg:Pater B&W.jpg::Eric Landwehr/University Relations
#1.887123:3705255042.jpg:celebratecolor.jpg:The Lady Jackrabbits? Basketball Team celebrate their national championship win over Northern Kentucky, 65-50, Saturday evening in St. Joseph?s, Missouri. :Eric Landwehr/University Relations

The SDSU men’s basketball team ended the season with an 86-85

The season is winding down. Time is short for the Jacks and every game is a must.

The SDSU men’s basketball team improved to 20-5 for the season and 10-4 in the North Central Conference with crucial wins over Augustana and Minnesota State-Mankato.

Chris Stoebner scored his 1,000th career point as the Jacks hosted Augustana. Stoebner became the 35th member of SDSU’s 1,000 point club in the 77-58 Jackrabbit

The SDSU men’s basketball team continued their road rollercoaster this week, defeating the University of Northern Colorado and falling to the University of South Dakota.

On Thursday night

The SDSU men’s tennis team opened the season last Saturday with a 9-0 loss to Nebraska Wesleyan at Woodlake Athletic Club in Sioux Falls.

The closest SDSU ever came was in the last match off the day. Jeff Everson and Luke Hoover teamed up to take on a pair of Prairie Wolves. The game went to 9-8 but Everson and Hoover lost 8-1 in the tiebreak.

“Nebraska Wesleyan is a very good team. They finished fifth in the region and

The SDSU men’s basketball team dominated the Augustana Vikings in every facet of the game last Thursday night in Sioux Falls winning 83-50.

Although Augustana led early in the game, the Jacks took control on a three pointer by Luke Geiver, pushing the score to 16-14. The lead expanded to 43-24 at the half.

SDSU exploded in the second half, increasing the lead to 22 with just under 12 minutes remaining in the game.

The Jacks played precision basketball, hitting 55.2 percent from the field, while Augustana was held to 28.8 percent and a season-low 50 points.

“Coach has really been emphasizing defense in practice. In the Augie game we got the shots off on offense, then got back and played good defense,” Jared DeJong said.

Senior guard Austin Hansen led the Jackrabbits in the victory with 23 points and 8 rebounds. Calvin Melaney added 13 points. Chris Stoebner finished with 10 points and 9 rebounds. DeJong grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds and added 8 points.

The Jacks dominated the boards, 51-26.

SDSU improved to 16-3 for the season and 6-2 in conference play. Augustana fell to 10-9 overall and 1-7 in the NCC. The Jacks remain in second place in the conference race, right behind St. Cloud

Women shake preseason doubters, cement selves as #1

Preseason #1? Ladies and gentlemen you have been introduced to the ultimate revenge for a basketball team; revenge against the system.

The SDSU women’s basketball team maintained their perfect record this weekend, hopping by St. Cloud State and North Dakota. The Jacks improved their record to 18-0 for the season and 7-0 in the North Central Conference.

Saturday night was