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Spearfish returns experienced golf team By Jason Gross Black Hills Pioneer SPEARFISH — A group of experienced players will guide the Spearfish girls’ golf squad into the 2015 season, which is scheduled to open March 24 with the Rapid City Invitational at the Meadowbrook course. Nellie Enderby, Marissa Hight, and Madi Ulin represent the senior class. Head coach Eric Ligtenberg also cited junior Haley Jensen, eighth-grader Rachel Jensen, and eighth-grader Jenna Geist as other key returning players. Enderby finished 21st at last season’s state AA tournament. Haley Jensen, Hight, and Ulin also competed at state. Jillian Enderby excelled for Spearfish last season, but her status for this season is uncer-
tain. Ligtenberg said the junior is dealing with a concussion issue. The roster as of press time includes six other players. They are junior Jessica Hartman; ninth-graders Tiana Blacketer, Maren Long, and Olivia Murray; eighth-grader Savanna Sewell; and seventh-grader Lyric Williams. “Our record last season was not quite what we hoped for, but we had some positives,” Ligtenberg said of last season. He added Ulin was a nice addition to the team, and Hight showed considerable improvement. That group of returning upperclassmen constitutes what Ligtenberg considers the team’s strongest point. He is starting his ninth season as coach of the girls’ team. “They have been through a lot
Back row, Maren Long, Marissa Hight, Nellie Enderby, Madi Ulin, Jillian Enderby, and coach Eric Ligtenberg. Front row, Olivia Murray, Rachel Jensen, Jenna Geist, and Savanna Sewell. Haley Jensen, Jessica Hartman, Tiana Blacketer, and Lyric Williams are not pictured. Pioneer photo by Jason Gross
of tournaments and practice,” Ligtenberg said in describing the experienced players. “They should feel comfortable with the process, and they understand the purpose of the practices.” One of the things players must work on this season is to not be so frustrated after certain shots, Ligtenberg said. He added this happens because they have high expectations and want to hit perfect shots. Spearfish’s schedule has remained constant over the years. “There are a lot of good courses West River, and we see some really good players,” Ligtenberg said. The Spartans will host three events this season, including the Black Hills Conference tournament set for April 23. Rapid City hosts the state AA tournament May 18 and 19. Ligtenberg said the Black Hills
Conference race could be wide open this year. St. Thomas More is the defending champion and returns individual title winner Alex Kandolin. Sturgis returns to the conference this season. Ligtenberg said Belle Fourche graduated two seniors, but should be solid. “We could be kind of up there,” Ligtenberg said of the conference standings. “It takes four decent scores, but if one girl shoots lights out, anyone can do it.” Rapid City Stevens provides the strongest competition in the area, according to Ligtenberg. What will mark success for the Spartans this season? Ligtenberg uses scores at last season’s events as a guide. “We hope we will be able to improve our scores as a team on 75 percent of those tournaments,” he said.
Official practice sessions began March 9. Players walked and played the Spearfish Canyon Country Club course that day and worked on fundamentals the next three days. Those sessions centered on fundamentals and were split equally among putting, short chipping, and 100-yard shots. Ligtenberg said Hight can use the comfort and confidence she gained at last year’s state tournament as a foundation for this season. He added the other players may also build on their understanding of their swings and games. Spearfish tended to rely on the same players over and over again last season, Ligtenberg said. He hopes to have a few more players to pick up the team if one of the top players endures an off day.
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Spartan golfers in action
Spearfish High School girl golfers Nellie Enderby, top leftt, Madi Ulin, top middle, Jillian Enderby, top right, Marissa Hight, far left, and Haley Jensen, left, hope to maintain low golf scores for the Lady Spartans this season. Pioneer file photos
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SPORTS PREVIEW / BLACK HILLS PIONEER
Golddiggers golfers more experienced By Dennis Knuckles Black Hills Pioneer LEAD — Last season the LeadDeadwood Lady Golddiggers took a young, inexperience group of golfers to state and finished eighth at the girls’ state A golf tournament. “Last year we wanted a full team to go to state, which we did accomplish. Last year we had one girl who had experience playing golf, but none of them had experience playing at the state level. We did very well and ended up eighth overall,” said Laurie Rogers, the Lead-Deadwood golf coach. The Lady Diggers are hoping to use last year’s showing at state as a building block for this season.
The Lead-Deadwood 2015 girls’ golf team includes: Front row, All Specht (manager), Alexia Wright, Gracie Kosters, and Raygan Mattson. Back row, Emily Fox, Hailey Trunella, Courtney Gould, Sydney Auld, Taylor Beagle, and Coach Laurie Rogers. Not pictured is Suyi Shin Missing. Pioneer photo by Dennis Knuckles
“We have everybody back from last year, except for one girl, which gives us four individual scores, which is enough for a team score, which is a great thing to have, so we are hoping for a great season,” Rogers said. The Lady Golddiggers have been working on getting used to swinging the club the first couple of weeks of practice. “Just swinging the club and getting back in the mindset of being able to put together a consistent round,” said Rogers. “That was our big thing last year, being able to put together 18 holes of golf. Being young last year that was something we had to focus on and carrying that over into this year is our main focus.”
Lead-Deadwood opens its 2015 spring golf schedule Thursday against Spearfish and Sturgis Brown, at the Elkhorn Ridge Golf Course. “It looks like the weather is going to hold for us, which is crazy that our first meet of the year will be a home meet,” Rogers said. Rogers said it’s nice to get an early start to spring golf season. “We didn’t even get to go out to the driving range before our first meet last year which was at Douglas, and that one isn’t until the second week in April this year,” “Last year I don’t think we even got to get outdoors to practice in March,” said Rogers. “We’ve already been outside this spring.
We hit balls in the snow the other night and we’ll be out the rest of the week and next week and hopefully get some good practice time in.” Rogers said the first match will be just getting used to playing on the golf course. “Just getting the girls’ back in the mindset, because golf is such a mental sport. Getting everybody back in the mindset of that concentration, confidence, and being able to put their whole game back together, especially with this iffy spring weather that is so up and down for us,” Rogers said. The lady Diggers are excited about hosting their first home meet on March 26. “They’re all really, really ex-
cited about the home meet,” said Rogers. “They’re excited about getting back on the golf course and we are looking forward to a good season.” Lead-Deadwood’s goal this season is to again qualify for state as a team, and finish higher than eighth place and possibly bring home some hardware. “I think finishing higher than eighth place is possible for us, and I think they surprised themselves a little bit last year with doing so well at state. All these girls’ at the varsity level have a good ball striking ability and have the potential to play very well. They just need some confidence and maturity and being able to put their game together,” Rogers said.
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Lady Golddigger golfers in action
The Lead-Deadwood girls’ golf team hopes to improve in its eighth place finish at the 2014 state A golf tournament. Pioneer file photos
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Bronc girls’ golf team ready to start season By Jason Gross Black Hills Pioneer BELLE FOURCHE — Belle Fourche carries a lot of optimism into the 2015 girls’ golf season, which is set to begin March 26 with the Belle Fourche Triangular. “We have a really young team, but four of our girls have state tournament experience,” Broncs’ head coach Clark Gusso said. Ninth-grader Jade Burr tied for seventh place at last season’s state A tournament, with senior captain Bailee Ward finishing in a 16th-place tie. Sophomore Emily Collins and eighth-grader Avery Middleton also gained experience at that event in helping the Broncs place fourth as a team. “That makes you optimistic,” said Gusso, who is beginning his 15th year as Belle Fourche head girls’ coach. Five other players are on the roster as of press time. They are eighth-graders Caitlin Ringling, Kayla Olson, Payson Birkeland,
and Rylee Young; and seventh-grader Juliann Lange. Belle Fourche lost Liz Day from last season’s team due to graduation. She tied for third place at state to cap a career including five state appearances, two region championships, and numerous tournament titles. “Last season really ended on a high note,” Gusso said. “It’s really fun to come back.” Official practice sessions began March 9. Players were able to go outdoors each day that week, which presents a marked departure from past years. Broncs’ players have been working on a lot of ball contact, spending time on the practice green, and playing Belle Fourche Country Club a couple of times. “How do you spell chipping and putting?” Gusso responded when asked what players must work on this season. “You can’t over-emphasize this.” Gusso said he would like to see how
some of the eighth-graders progress. He added he would also like for the team to build a bit of depth, like it did last season. The March 26 triangular is the first of three home events for the Broncs. They also host Sturgis in an April 13 dual and the Belle Fourche Invitational on April 27. All events are at Belle Fourche Country Club. Three other major events are on the slate. Spearfish hosts the Black Hills Conference tournament on April 23. Custer hosts the Region 4A tournament on May 7, with Madison hosting the state A tournament May 18-19. Gusso said golf schedules remain pretty consistent from year to year. He was asked who he sees as the Black Hills Conference favorite. “The big thing is, the tournament is in Spearfish,” Gusso said. “They should be pretty decent, and it’s on their home course.” St. Thomas More, Sturgis, Hot Springs,
and Belle Fourche should also contend, according to Gusso. “In the conference and region, we should be in the mix,” Gusso said. “It depends on how other teams progress.” Those membership lists are very similar. The 10 Black Hills Conference teams are Belle Fourche, Custer, Hot Springs, LeadDeadwood, Red Cloud, St. Thomas More, Spearfish, Douglas, Sturgis, and Hill City. Region 4A consists of eight schools. They are St. Thomas More, Red Cloud, Pine Ridge, Little Wound, Lead-Deadwood, Hot Springs, Custer, and Belle Fourche. “We are stressing that one shot makes all the difference,” Gusso said. He recalled the weather at last season’s region tournament was ugly, and the team’s fourth golfer (Collins) chipped in her final shot of the day. That enabled Belle Fourche to finish two shots ahead of Hot Springs for third place and the final state tournament team spot.
The 2015 Belle Fourche girls’ golf team includes: Back row, Payson Birkeland, Kayla Olson, Bailee Ward, Avery Middleton, and Emily Collins. Front row, Jade Burr, Rylee Young, Juliann Lang, and Caitlin Ringling. Not pictured is Kayla Olson and Avery Middleton. Pioneer photo by Jason Gross
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Lady Broncs golfers in action
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Consistency will be the key if the Broncs hope to contend for the Black Hills Conference and region titles. Pioneer file photos
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SPORTS PREVIEW / BLACK HILLS PIONEER
Spring 2015
BHSU golfers hoping to have success By Dennis Knuckles Black Hills Pioneer SPEARFISH — The Black Hills State women’s golf team is hoping to have a successful spring golf season. “In the fall I thought we grew up and learned a lot. We got a little better and we have a pretty young team,” said Jamie Bentley, BHSU’s golf coach. “It takes a little while for them to transition to the college game and I felt they did a good job of that by the end of the year, so I’m looking forward to using that going into this spring.” Bentley said she saw some bright spots from her veteran golfers during the fall season. “We have two upper classmen that are really good players and really good teammates. Amanda Johnson is a senior
Members of the 2015 spring Black Hills State women’s golf team are: coach Jamie Bentley, Kaitlin Stevens, Ashlyn Pearson, Paige Erickson, Kennede Mathis, Madison Hand, Amanda Kopren, and Kelsey Williams. Photo courtesy BHSU Athletics Department
and Paige Erickson is a junior. They are both really good players and I think they did a good job of mentoring the younger kids as far as what to expect and put their mind at ease a little bit that way,” Bentley said. From a golf standpoint the Lady Jackets had one had of their lowest rounds of the year at the final tournament of the fall season, in Grand Junction, Colo. “All you can hope for obviously is to continue to get better,” said Bentley. “We had our ups and downs, but that really low score in our last tournament ended the year on a good note for everybody,” Bentley said. The Lady Jackets were supposed to officially begin spring practice on Match 16, but due to cold weather they didn’t hit the links until March 18. “The nicer weather this spring has al-
lowed the girls to get out on their own a little bit and it’s really showing,” said Bentley. “Usually in the spring it takes awhile to get the dust off from the winter, but I feel we are ahead of the game at this point.” Black Hills State opens its 2015 spring golf season on the road, traveling to Billings, Mont. March 30 and 31, for the MSU-Billings Invite. “The first tournament going in, you usually look for the little things. Obviously we want to shoot a good score and we want to play well, but at the same time now you’re frustrated because you realized it is the first tournament of the year and we haven’t played. So it’s kind of a double edged sword you want to play well, but you don’t want to set the tone for the season in a negative way either,” Bentley said.
This season Black Hills State does not have a home tournament on its schedule. “We probably won’t have a home tournament in the upcoming years,” said Bentley. “SD School of Mines is hosting a tournament this year and a lot of teams will probably come up for theirs. We are used to a lot of travel, there are some of the schools that don’t have to travel very far and don’t like to travel if they don’t have to.” Bentley said there is a possibility that BHSU and School of Mines could jointly host a golf tournament in the future, even though it has not been formally discussed. “We haven’t really talked about it. School of Mines is doing a tournament this year as a test and see how many teams we can get, and if that’s the case we may do something where we co-host a tournament in the future,” Bentley said.
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Lady Jacket golfers in action
The Black Hills State women’s golf team opens its 2015 spring golf season March 30-31, at MSU-Billings. Photos courtesy BHSU Athletics Department
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Spring 2015
Spartans open 2015 track season in Box Elder
By Jason Gross Black Hills Pioneer
SPEARFISH — Spearfish is scheduled to begin its track season at the Douglas Early Bird meet, set for March 28 in Box Elder. Aaron Nida is in his 12th season as the Spartans’ head coach. His rosters as of press time features 124 athletes in grades nine through 12, 79 boys and 45 girls. The Spartan boys’ lineup includes five athletes who earned top-eight placings at last season’s state AA meet. Senior Tyrell Rosencranz placed fourth in the triple jump, and classmate Damian Hall earned sixth place in the 100-meter dash. Senior Drew Kaitfors, junior Dylan Reiners, and sophomore Matt Peterson return from the 4x400-meter relay that finished fifth. Nida listed four other key athletes returning for the boys’ team. They are senior Remington Wood, senior Joseph Barnes, junior Devon Braun, and sophomore Brendan Rotert. Other seniors on the boys’ roster are Tanner Batka, Curtis Campbell, Taylor DuPont, Oscar Franck, Jade Heairet, Cole Heser, Isaac Hill, Connor Janovy, Michael Lochner, Kyle Potratz, Kyler Schmidt, Chase Sewell, Rance Sivertsen, Evan Steiner, Parker Sutton, and Cory Whalen. The rest of the junior class on the boys’ team features Skyler Beringer, Garrett Feeser, Justin Harris, Jaxon Hinch, Matt Hovdennes, Hunter Nordwick, Tweeter Rice, Cole Richards, Isai Rodriguez, and Logan Stalder. Jackson Bogue, Cordell Dryden, Devan Fox, Ethan Iron Rope, Cesar Mendez, Edgar Meza, Beau Nelson, Matt Parker, Jaxon Rosencranz, Calvin Tohm, Nathan Tysdal, Thomas Undlin, and Matthew Woodard also represent the sophomore class. Ninth-graders Matt Ackerman, Tayven Aga, Tavian Ashurst, Dillon Batka, Jake Braun, Caleb Buth, Brayden Case, Isaiah Childers, Bobby Clark, Jackson Dana, Drake Dittman, Max Ellingsen, Jace Engesser, Will Evridge, Brendon Fuhr, Tanner Gednalske, Ryan Harris, Stran Holben, Taylor Janovy, Mason Krier, Alec Lapov, Michael Lord, Logan Lucas, Alex Prillwitz, Jakob Rodriguez, Hunter Seyer, Connor Speirs, Dawson Sundsted, Brodell Van Zee, Marc Williams, and Zac Zwaschka round out the boys’ roster. Four returning members of the Spearfish girls’ team placed at state last season. Ninth-grader Lauren Hight finished third
in the 400-meter dash. Junior Taylor Koch earned fourth place in the 300-meter hurdles, and junior Shelby Dittman returns from the 4x800-meter relay team that finished fifth. Senior Hannah Riley tied for eighth place in the pole vault. Nida said senior Lexy Burket, senior Michaela Cermak, and sophomore Gretchen Blain are among the other key returnees for the girls’ team. Katherine Hall is the other senior on the girls’ team. Others representing the junior class are Breonna Beasley, Ashton Burditt, Gabby Dryden, Hannah Dunn, Alyssa Griffith, Brooke Grout, Kaycee Jo Johnson, Madison Kaitfors, Kaity Lloyd, Hallie Schmidt, and Lauren Sparrow. Twelve sophomores are also on the girls’ roster. They are Carly Cooper, Kaylee DuPont, Allison Kephart, Ashley Odenbach, Samantha Pedneau, Zoe Sailor, Annabelle Schulz, Halle Seyer, Elaina Sparrow, Madison Walker, Jewel West, and Hannah Young. Ninth-graders are Maddy Boe, Caitlin Buckley, Grace Cihak, Amanda Dean, Madison Gould, Brooke Heairet, Chaylynn Heaton, Jacey Keller, Jensen Markley, Emma Murphy, Jordan Orth, Kiera Stark, Riley Ullrich, and Samantha Wood. Savannah Childers, Caitlin Gehner, Blake Bacon, Chad Dunbar, Kevin Coffield, Trevor Rombough, Trevor Sigmond, and Luke Wietgrefe were among the athletes graduating from last year’s teams. “We have good depth,” Nida said. “The boys’ team has four good throwers, and the sprints have strong depth.” He added the girls’ squad features two solid throwers, with the sprinting core also showing depth. Nida was asked what would make this a successful season. “If we get better and we improve, the places have to fall where they may,” he said. He added the athletes have no control over what others do. Another sign of success is if athletes work as a team and help one another, according to Nida. Spearfish started official workouts on March 2. “Having great weather now allows us to get outside,” Nida said. He added one of the tasks is to figure out where to move specific athletes. Those early sessions have centered on endurance and basic conditioning. Participants in the field events have also worked on some technical things. Nida said the Spartans have one of the state’s tougher schedules and see Rapid City Central, Rapid City Stevens, and Sturgis on a regular basis. “We get to see a lot of quality kids and meets,” he added. What about the Black Hills Conference
race? Nida said Custer boasts a strong program, with St. Thomas More being strong in the girls’ division and improving in the boys’ division. “I think we can compete, and it should be a nice meet,” Nida said of an event slated for May 15 in Belle Fourche that will also include Sturgis. He added both teams could make a run for one of the top three places. Spearfish earned the girls’ team title at last season’s conference meet, with the
Spartan boys placing second. “Many athletes stepped up and had personal records at that meet,” Nida said. What can Spearfish use from last year to build on for this season? Nida looks for the athletes to record their best times and distances at the end-of-the-season title meets (conference and state). Prom, graduation, and other activities provide distractions during a track season. Nida said he would like to see this year’s team members better deal with those.
The Spearfish track and field team returns nine athletes who placed at state in 2014. Pioneer file photos
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2015 Spearfish Spartans track and field team
Members of the 2015 Spearfish High School girls’ track and field team include: (not in order): Kaycee Jo Johnson, Shelby Dittman, Taylor Koch, Hallie Schmidt, Alyssa Griffith, Halle Seyer, Hannah Riley, Hannah Dunn, Lauren Hight, Allison Kephart, Jordan Orth, Amanda Dean, Chaylynn Heaton, Brooke Heairet, Caitlin Buckley, Emma Murphy, Madison Gould, Samantha Wood, Grace Cihak, Jacey Keller, Jensen Markley, Kaylee DuPont, Kaity Lloyd, Gretchen Blain, Ashton Burditt, Hannah Young, Brooke Grout, Michaela Cermak, Madison Kaitfors, Lexy Burket, Elaina Sparrow, Maddy Boe, Kiera Stark, Zoe Sailor, Breonna Beasley, and Gabby Dryden. Carly Cooper, Katherine Hall, Ashley Odenbach, Samantha Pedneau, Annabelle Schulz, Lauren Sparrow, Riley Ullrich, Madison Walker, and Jewel West are not pictured. Pioneer photo by Jason Gross
Members of the 2015 Spearfish boys track and field team include: (not in order): Jade Heairet, Michael Lochner, Damian Hall, Tyrell Rosencranz, Rance Sivertsen, Parker Sutton, Garrett Feeser, Cory Whalen, Connor Janovy, Dylan Reiners, Isai Rodriguez, Logan Stalder, Jaxon Rosencranz, Evan Steiner, Matt Peterson, Matt Parker, Joseph Barnes, Stran Holben, Brodell Van Zee, Max Ellingsen, Logan Lucas, Oscar Franck, Tweeter Rice, Chase Sewell, Isaac Hill, Devon Braun, Tanner Batka, Drake Dittman, Isaiah Childers, Connor Speirs, Justin Harris, Matt Hovdennes, Taylor DuPont, Nathan Tysdal, Matthew Woodard, Brendan Rotert, Hunter Nordwick, Beau Nelson, Calvin Tohm, Kyle Potratz, Skyler Beringer, Marc Williams, Ryan Harris, Jackson Dana, Alec Lapov, Matt Ackerman, Jakob Rodriguez, Brendon Fuhr, Will Evridge, Caleb Buth, Brayden Case, Bobby Clark, Tavian Ashurst, Alex Prillwitz, Dawson Sundsted, Taylor Janovy, Hunter Seyer, Kyler Schmidt, Jake Braun, Dillon Batka, and Tayven Aga. Jackson Bogue, Curtis Campbell, Cordell Dryden, Jace Engesser, Devan Fox, Tanner Gednalske, Cole Heser, Jaxon Hinch, Ethan Iron Rope, Drew Kaitfors, Mason Krier, Michael Lord, Cesar Mendez, Edgar Meza, Cole Richards, Thomas Undlin, Remington Wood, and Zac Zwaschka are not pictured. Pioneer photo by Jason Gross
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Spring 2015
Digger track team has new coach By Dennis Knuckles Black Hills Pioneer LEAD — The Lead-Deadwood High School track and field team has a new coach. Will Malde will oversee the Golddiggers track and field team, replacing Jordan Proefrock, who reisned at the end of the last school year to accept a position in the Sturgis school system. Malde, a 2006 graduate of Hot Springs High School, was an assistant coach for the Golddiggers last season. “I’ve always been very interested in coaching track and field. I competed in track down at Hot Springs all through middle school and high school, and even on the college level. It’s always been something I’ve been passionate about and I’m very excited to
work with these kids and lead this team,” Malde said. Malde said the Golddiggers had a good team in 2014. “It was a good tea, especially with the girls’. They had a good group of athletes and they represented themselves very well, and in fact placed fifth as a team at state,” said Malde. “Between the different relays and some great individual efforts that team was a solid group, and we have a majority of them returning.” The Diggers’ boys team has a lot of athletes out this spring. “On the guys’ team we have great numbers. We have a couple of guys coming back that went to state last year. Jett Rogers (pole vault) and Joel Fish (discuss),” Malde said. Youth will dominate the boys’ team this spring.
“We have a lot of young guys that are freshman and I’m so excited to watch them develop,” said Malde. “I’m looking forward to seeing how this team comes together.” Conditioning has been the main focus of the practices so far. “For our distance kids we’ve been doing a lot of base mileage. For the sprinters and jumpers its just getting out and getting them moving again, because there’s a lot of kids out that didn’t do a winter sport, so I’m trying to get them back in the physical condition they need to be in. Next week we’ll start working on some more of the technical aspects,” Malde said. During the spring sports season Mother Nature has made it a habit of hampering practices and spring events, but Malde said so far the
weather has been very cooperative. “It was a little cold, but especially with that spring break weekend it got really warm and melted the snow and cleaned off our track completely,” said Malde. “ We’ve been running all of our practices up there, which is a very unusual thing for our track program, but to be able to get on the track at the beginning of the season is huge for us, because I think we are normally at a disadvantage because we usually have to spend more time down here in the gym.” Malde has high expectations for the Golddiggers girls’ track and field team for the upcoming season. “For the girls hopefully they will have very similar success as they did last year. We lost a couple
of girls from last year, but I still think they have the capability to have a similar performance (like they did in 2014) at the state level,” said Malde. “I’d like to see them continue to grow a little bit and individually be able to demonstrate their talents.” Malde said the Golddiggers boys’ track and field team is a work in progress. “For the guys I’d like to see these young guys develop and see what we can do. I think goals for them is to see how competitive they can be individually and see where our strengths are, and then just see how well we do in the conference, Malde said. Lead-Deadwood opens its 2015 track and field season Saturday at the Douglas Early Bird, in Box Elder.
Jett Rogers, left, and Maddisen Larsen, right, both hope to qualify for state during the spring track and field season. Pioneer file photos
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2015 Lead-Deadwood track and field team
Members of the 2015 Lead-Deadwood girls’ and boys’ track and field team include: (not in order) Taylor Anderson, Aisha Baum, Miranda Gallagher, Jade Derby, Alexis Simpson, Mara Jacobs, Kelsey Stuen, Carolyn Groeger, Cobi Stokes, Connor Kuhl, Wade Shoop, Thomas Sperlin, Bailey Norton, Jordan Wetz, Brigham Williams, Wyatt Hess, Stewart Job, Dylin Johnson, Gavin Haefs, and Logan Almendinger. Not pictured are: Megan Erickson, Marron Williams, Maddisen Larsen, Katelynn Covell, Sydnee Hamann, Kanicee Gilmore, Stephanie Stagner, Jaci Petsch, Bridger Larson, Jackson Percy, Zach Pearson, Nathan Finster, Joel Fish, Aidan Laurenti, Jett Rogers, Christian Casias, Nick Scott, Zach Ulmer, Chris Thomas, Jared Aman, Alex Kruske, and Garrett Kiefer. Pioneer photos by Dennis Knuckles
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Spring 2015
Broncs’ getting prepared for outdoor track season By Jason Gross Black Hills Pioneer BELLE FOURCHE — Belle Fourche is getting ready for a track season set to begin March 28 with the Douglas Early Bird meet, in Box Elder. Second-year head coach Bill Abell said 72 athletes said there is a good turnout for track this spring. Updated numbers as of press time reveal a total of 71 athletes. The girls’ squad has 42 members, with the boys’ team consisting of 29 athletes. Abell said the first couple of weeks of practice they have been focusing on working on strength training, forms, and technical things. The lineup for the girls’ team starts with ninth-grader Shayla Howell. She snared the state A girls’ 100-meter dash title last season and also finished third in the 200-meter dash, third in the 400-meter dash, and tied for fourth place in the high jump. Abell also listed senior Brooke Howell, junior Jordan Hanson, and ninth-grader Taylor Hanson as key returning members of the girls’ team. The Hansons were part of the medley relay that qualified for state.
The girls’ team also includes seniors Janie McAmis, Nicole Kling, Autumn Thorstenson, Dayna Dickson, Kaycee Monnens, Alicia Absher, Alyx Mitchell, and Alix Thorstenson. Sami Dittman represents the junior class. Sophomores are Addison Middleton, Lauren Christy, Alyssa Juelfs, Dylana Ward, Bret Woelber, and Brittany Hunsley. Twenty-three other ninth-graders round out the roster. They are Britton Drolc, Sarah Graves, Hannah Juelfs, Raymie Keegan, Alejandra Mesa, Gretchen Satzinger, Kathleen Stairs, Jessica Woelber, Jayce Williams, Destanie Miranda, Kortni Grubb, Jade Kellem, Autumn Bushell, Fallon Budmayr, Shayney Peterson, Sierra Ward, Katie McCoy, Holly Thorson, Susy Jewett, Morgan Rancour, Sierra Lawrence, Teresa Lambert, and Heaven Lane. “The girls’ team was fairly solid, and they have made a lot of gains,” Abell said in recalling last year. He added many of those athletes are returning, with Alyssa Juelfs and Dylana Ward progressing in the throwing events last season. Abell said it is hard to figure the key returnees for the boys’ team, as members
are feeling out what their roles will be. He added junior Tevin Gomez is showing a lot of promise. Damian Tobar and Jared Habeck are the only seniors on the boys’ roster. Juniors also feature Bryson Westland, Tucker Chytka, Ryan Nelson, Cody Tupper, Breck Young, Jalen Powers, Brett Reynolds, and Jace Horman. The boys’ roster also includes 13 sophomores. They are Noah Nixon, Zach Lange, Jon Peterson, Jake O’Byrne, Louis Budmayr, Chase Irwin, Tate Gatzke, Austin Mette, Taylor Pickett, Bailey Lawrence, David Mead, Matthew Embry, and Cory Sowers. Ninth-graders Jeremiah Helton, Nicholas Peterson, Dylan Burns, Joseph Russo, and Riley Hoard round out the boys’ roster. Belle Fourche lost Kassie Willard, Tori Dungey, Josh O’Byrne, and Thomas Green from last year’s team due to graduation. Keeping a positive attitude is what Abell said would be a key for this season. He added the Broncs have a talented ninth-grade group. Things were spread thin from a coaching standpoint last season.
Abell said this season’s staff consists of a weight room coach, two volunteers, and four staff members. “The schedule is great,” Abell said. “We can pick and choose our meets. Because of that flexibility, we will see some tough teams.” This slate includes the Black Hills Conference meet, which Belle Fourche will host on May 15. Abell said St. Thomas More is always strong, with Spearfish and Sturgis having large numbers. How does Abell see Belle Fourche stacking up? “We’re going to take what we can,” he said. Abell said the number of state qualifiers helps to define success. He added a more significant indicator is if the athletes still want to come to practice as the season starts to wind down. Belle Fourche had good numbers last year, and Abell said the Broncs can build on that for this spring. “We had more athletes pre-signed,” he said. “We would also like to keep that positive attitude.” “We would like to see the teams improve in relays, long jump, triple jump, and hurdling events.
The Broncs girls’ track team will be solid, while the Broncs boys’ track team is still trying to find its identity as the 2015 track season opens March 26, in Box Elder.Pioneer file photos
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2015 Belle Fourche track and field teams
Members of the 2015 Belle Fourche girls’ and boys’ track in field team include: (not in order) Janie McAmis, Nicole Kling, Autumn Thorstenson, Dayna Dickson, Kaycee Monnens, Brooke Howell, Jordan Hanson, Alix Thorstenson, Sami Dittman, Addison Middleton, Lauren Christy, Alyssa Juelfs, Shayla Howell, Britton Drolc, Taylor Hanson, Destanie Miranda, Kortni Grubb, Dylana Ward, Jade Kellem, Autumn Bushell, Fallon Budmayr, Shayney Peterson, Sierra Ward, Katie McCoy, Holly Thorson, Susy Jewett, Morgan Rancour, Sierra Lawrence, Teresa Lambert, Heaven Lane, Bryson Westland, Tucker Chytka, Ryan Nelson, Noah Nixon, Zach Lange, Cody Tupper, Jon Peterson, Breck Young, Jake O’Byrne, Jalen Powers, Louis Budmayr, Chase Irwin, Tate Gatzke, Damian Tobar, Austin Mette, Jeremiah Helton, Taylor Pickett, Bailey Lawrence, Nicholas Peterson, Dylan Burns, Joseph Russo, Riley Hoard, and Tevin Gomez. Not pictured are: TBrittany Hunsley, Alicia Absher, Alyx Mitchell, Bret Woelber, Sarah Graves, Hannah Juelfs, Raymie Keegan, Alejandra Mesa, Gretchen Satzinger, Kathleen Stairs, Jessica Woelber, Jayce Williams, Brett Reynolds, Jared Habeck, David Mead, Matthew Embry, Jace Horman, and Cory Sowers. Pioneer photos by Jason Gross
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Spring 2015
SPORTS PREVIEW / BLACK HILLS PIONEER
BHSU track team ready for outdoor season By Jason Gross Black Hills Pioneer SPEARFISH — Black Hills State University will begin its outdoor track season with the Yellow Jacket Spring Open, set for March 26-28 at Lyle Hare Stadium in Spearfish. Fourth-year head coach Seth Mischke said many athletes who competed in the indoor season are returning for the outdoor campaign. Men’s athletes include junior Alec Baldwin, senior Mitch Kraft, junior Jacob Johnson, and sophomore Alex Anderson. Key returning athletes for the women’s team include senior Trisha Koch, junior Madison McLaughlin, and junior Avery Allen. Senior Kelli Anderson returns for her final outdoor season after competing as an unattached runner indoors. Other seniors on the men’s roster are Eric Chilson, Baker Diede, Gage McSpadden, and Seth Ulvestad. Trent Baldwin and Jake Gill also represent the junior class. The Black Hills State men’s team also includes sophomores Leighton Blanchard, Donald Decker, Mark Fruechte, Maurcel Gaines-Banister, Tanner Gillette, Kendall
Murie, Garrett Peterson, Joe Rath, and Aaron Schone. Courtney Chase, Becca Ellis, and Kristin Rath also represent the senior class on the women’s team. Other juniors are Abbi Klyiac and Cassidy Koski. Six sophomores round out the women’s roster. They are Courtney Cassen, Sarah Coomes, Kate Griffin, Atlanta Lundstrom, Sierra Miles, and Heidi VanLishout. The Yellow Jackets lost Mark Wilcox, Jake Wilson, Jon Grace, Paige Follett, and Abby Albers to graduation. Mischke said the men’s team is quite sound in the middle distance events and added three or four members may reach the national meet. He added the Yellow Jacket women’s group is small but includes talented athletes. Depth poses a concern for the squads, according to Mischke. He said it is important for the athletes to get their rest and make the transition from indoor to outdoor track. “We have to give ourselves one to two weeks to get back from spring break,” Mischke said. The RMAC schedule is traditionally difficult, and Mischke cited the need for athletes to be flexible, and athletes might have to run in different conditions like sun and rain.
Avery Allen, Kelli Anderson, Courtney Cassen, Courtney Chase, Sarah Coomes, Becca Ellis, Kate Griffin, Kaitlyn Hadley, Hannah Kirk, Abbi Klyiac, Trisha Koch, Cassidy Koski, Atlanta Lundstrom, Madison McLaughlin, Kristie Mettler, Sierra Miles, Kristin Rath, Shelby Stoltz, Heidi VanLishout, Katelyn Woten, Alex Anderson, Alec Baldwin, Trent Baldwin, Travis Bieber, Leighton Blanchard, Walter Bordewyk, Bryce Boser, Brady Chase, Eric Chilson, Josh Davis, Donald Decker, Baker Diede, Kyler Flock, Nathan Fredrick, Mark Fruechte, Maurcel Gaines-Banister, Jake Gill, Tanner Gillette, Isaac Iverson, Chris Johnson, Jacob Johnson, Mitch Kraft, Laketon McLaughlin, Gage McSpadden, Ryan Mehalick, Kendall Murie, Garrett Peterson, Joe Rath, Miles Robertson, Bobby Russell, Aaron Schone, Raymond Thomas, Seth Ulvestad, Austin Williamson, head coach Seth Mischke, assistant coaches: Scott Walkinshaw, Ben Jasinski, and Ben Held. Photo courtesy of BHSU Athletic Department
Mischke tabs Adams State and New Mexico Highlands as the favorites in the RMAC women’s division. He said Chadron State, Colorado School of Mines, Western State, and Adams State could contend in the men’s division. “Our good kids can do well against their good kids,” Mischke said. “When it comes to depth, that’s where they have us.” What would mark a successful season for the Yellow Jackets? “We must make ourselves consistent and be competitive,” Mischke said. He added athletes must push the envelope and do their best to achieve. Mischke said several freshmen performed well during the indoor season. “They learned a lot for the first year, and what they did indoors will benefit them during the outdoor season,” he said. Travis Bieber, Walter Bordewyk, Bryce Boser, Brady Chase, Josh Davis, Kyler Flock, Nathan Fredrick, Isaac Iverson, Chris Johnson, Laketon McLaughlin, Ryan Mehalick, Miles Robertson, Bobby Russell, Raymond Thomas, and Austin Williamson represent the freshman class on the men’s team. The Black Hills State women’s team also includes five freshmen. They are Kaitlyn
Hadley, Hannah Kirk, Kristie Mettler, Shelby Stoltz, and Katelyn Woten. Mischke often speaks of the desire for teams to keep improving their placings from one Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference meet to the next. Black Hills State finished fifth in the men’s division and seventh in the women’s division last spring. “We definitely can challenge where we were last year,” Mischke said. “The outdoor season is not as long as the indoor season, and we must stay on point with our training efforts.” Black Hills State was able to receive points from unexpected sources last season, according to Mischke. He would like to see this trend continue and added the athletes find a way to get things done. Mischke said athletes can always try to understand the big picture. “The daily things are so important,” he said. “They must be ready to go right now mentally, and the physical things will fall into place.” The Yellow Jackets’ outdoor season spans six weeks and ends with the RMAC Outdoor Championships in Pueblo, Colo., May 1-3. Allendale, Mich., plays host to the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships from May 21-23.
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BHSU track and field athletes in action
Black Hills State hopes to have a successful sping outdoor track and field season and send a number of athletes to the Division II NCAA Championships, May21-23, in Allendale, Mich. Pioneer file photos
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Spring 2015
Spartan tennis squad getting ready for season By Jason Gross Black Hills Pioneer SPEARFISH — SPEARFISH — The Spearfish boys’ tennis team started practices on March 16 for a season that begins April 7 with a home dual against St. Thomas More. Head coach Doug Dexheimer reflected on the season Spearfish had last year. “They improved a lot; that was the nice part about it,” he added. No seniors graduated from that team, and only one player — Ryan Lahr — represents the senior class this spring. He represented Spearfish in Flight 3 singles and Flight 1 doubles at the state tournament. Bryce Thorman and Nate Terveen are juniors. Thorman competed in Flight 2 singles and Flight 2 doubles at state a season ago. The sophomore class features Corey
Spearfish is getting ready for its boys’ tennis season opener April 7 against St. Thomas More. Team members include: Back row, Gabby Lewis, Manager, head coach Doug Dexheimer, Nate Terveen, Michael Chaffin, Rylee Sundermann, Logan Burket, Matt Waters and coach Joe Doerges. Middle row, Logan Broeder, Boyce Harr, Ryan Lahr, Kyler Clark, Steven Glasford, and Eli Hansen. Front row, Corey Hoffman, Tim Doerges, Brendan Lahr, and Tashon Clark. Pioneer photo by Jason Gross
Hoffman, Logan Burket, Logan Broeder, and Rylee Sundermann. Hoffman played Flight 1 singles at state, with Burket competing in Flight 5 singles and Flight 3 doubles. Broeder’s state play was in Flight 4 singles and Flight 2 doubles. Ninth-grader Carter Thorman rounds out the roster of returning players from last season. He played Flight 6 singles and Flight 3 doubles at state. Ten other players are on the roster as of press time. They are junior Eli Hansen; sophomores Michael Chaffin, Steven Glasford, Boyce Harr, and Jacob Schlinkert; ninth-graders Tashon Clark, Kyler Clark, Matt Waters, and Brendan Lahr; and eighth-grader Tim Doerges. What does Dexheimer see as the players’ strong points? “They have a pretty positive attitude and are willing to learn,” he said.
“Everyone is feeling more confident, and they should do well.” Dexheimer said the less experienced players need more consistency this season. He added all players must concentrate on technique. St. Thomas More is traditionally a good team, according to Dexheimer. He said Rapid City Stevens is also excellent, and the Spartans could have competitive matches at the Rapid City Invitational set for May 1 and 2. Dexheimer said he will let the players know there are no cheap points against those teams. He added players aiming to take their game to another level generally succeed in doing so. “The first thing is to stay healthy, and the second thing is to have fun,” Dexheimer said when asked how the Spartans would define
success this season. “Wins are great, but we’re hoping for a good season that way.” That first practice found the Spartans doing a bit of everything. Conditioning, working on groundstrokes, and practicing volleys were part of that schedule. Past improvement is what Dexheimer would like to see the players build on from last season. He said those players became more competitive and more relaxed on the court as the year progressed. Dexheimer said the biggest improvement he would like to see is for the athletes to keep playing hard, and to get together in the off-season and hit. “Tennis is a high-repetition sport,” he said. The Spartans have three home events this season on the high school courts. They also host Rapid City Stevens on May 4 and RC Central on May 7.
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Spearfish tennis team in action
The Spearfish tennis team hopes to be competitive during the 2015 spring tennis season. Pioneer file photos
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SPORTS PREVIEW / BLACK HILLS PIONEER
Spring 2015
BHSU softball: New coach, new attitude By Dennis Knuckles Black Hills Pioneer
SPEARFISH — The Black Hills State women’s softball team has a new coach. Lane Leedy replaces Amy Gurney, who resigned last mast. Leedy is trying to install a winning mentality with the Lady Jackets. “Our Mindset going into the season was to improve every game. We wanted to take strides to make the mental things a little better here, game stuff basically. “We want to improve in aspects all across the board in this game, every game,” Leedy said. Leedy said she can tell the players how to adopt a winning mentality, but they have to want to do it for themselves. “So by winning a conference game or beating a team they’ve never beaten before, like a Colorado Mines who last year were at the top of the conference. Allowing them to see that they
are able to win, it kind of lights a fire under them,” said Leedy. “I put the best lineup out there, but in the end it’s up to them to grasp the fact that ‘hey, we are competitive, we know how to play this game, we’re staying home in tight situations which I think has been a struggle over the past couple of years. “We have people out there that can do the job, but it’s harder to see that kind of light bulb go off when they do something they not necessarily would have done in the past, like hit back-to-back homers, or doing other little things like making a diving catch, throwing out somebody at home, getting out of a bases loaded no out situation.” The Lady Jackets are at the midway point of its season and Leedy said she likes the fact that her team is competing competitively. “We’re in every game, and we have chances to win. We need to learn again, how to win. Basically
Members of the 2015 Black Hills State University women’s softball team include: (not in order) Kelsea Nash, Katie Campo, Katherine Drake, Erica Everson, Lauren Groff, Savanah Eckhardt, Alexis Shaffer, Alyx Penrod, Cassie Smith, Carlee Beck, Nia Shumpert, Claire Fergusson, Rebecca Green, Kayla Hallock, Reagan McCurn, Kaitlin Farrar, Cassandra Bustillos, Stefanie Witman, Carrie Clark, head coach Lane Leedy, and assistant coaches Tina Andreana and Traci Fransen. Not pictured is batgirl Lauren Collins. Photo courtesy BHSU Communications Department
we are right there. We’ve lost, I think, six one run ballgames. We just rally need to learn how to close the door on a team and either come back or stay in the game,” Leedy said. Leedy said she thinks who team is ready to do just that. “I think we are ready for that,” said Lane. “But we’ve had some pretty key injuries as of late that has stalled our progress a little bit, but I’m feeling pretty good about it.” The Lady Jackets are starting to click offensively and defensively. “Offensively, as long as we can stay healthy we can hit any pitcher. I think we also have a strong senior lead outfield, that kind of leads the team. I think we are consistently pitching and our pitchers have a better Mindset than before. We have come a long, long way. They have the athletic ability, that’s not the problem, it was their Mindset and getting their mind right to make them more successful on the mound,” Leedy said.
Over the weekend Black Hills State dropped a pair of double headers to Western New Mexico. Saturday the Lady Jackets lost 7-4 and 18-7. “I’ll give it to Western,” Yellow Jackets’ head coach Lane Leedy said. “They came out aggressive, and they kept swinging.” Sunday BHSU lost 11-8 and 13-11 to drop 40 4-47 overall and 3-13 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Leedy said the Yellow Jackets excel in one aspect some games, and another aspect in different games. She expressed confidence the team will be able to put everything together. “Sometimes you need to get embarrassed to get a good reality check,” Leedy said. “This is a good reality check.” Leedy said the players are giving their all, and this is a good feeling to have. She added the squad is trying to change the atmosphere in the program and has the ability to do so.
“We’re much more aggressive at the plate,” Leedy said in comparing the current team to the one that started the season. “We’re learning how to hit a pitcher versus swinging at whatever she throws us.” Lady Jackets outfielder Cassie Smith was asked how things are progressing as far as getting used to a new coach and system. “I would have to say it is a lot better than what we’ve had in the past,” Smith said. She added she senses a solid support system in place, plus a very caring coach. Smith said that, excluding this weekend, players are meshing well together overall. They hit well and can typically finish a rally, she added. On a personal level, Smith is returning from shoulder surgery she had last season. “They’re a little shaky right now, but I feel like I’m adjusting.” Smith said her shoulder, and the team, are progressing.
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BHSU softball vs. Western New Mexico
Black Hills State University’s women’s softball team opens its 2015 season at home against Western New Mexico, Marh 21 and 22, in Spearfish. Pioneer photos by Jason Gross
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Spring 2015
More action photos from W.N. Mexico at BHSU softball
More action from Saturday’s Black Hills State and Western New Mexico State softball games, in Spearfish. Pioneer photos by Jason Gross
Spring 2015
SPORTS PREVIEW / BLACK HILLS PIONEER
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2014 track and field/golf/tennis action
Area athletes compete in golf, track and field, softball, and tennis in 2014. Pioneer file photos
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SPORTS PREVIEW / BLACK HILLS PIONEER
Spring 2015
Spring sports 2015 schedule Spearfish girls’ golf
April 2 at Rapid City Developmental, 10 a.m. April 10 at Spearfish Queen City Classic, 9:30 a.m. April 18 hosts Center of the Nation Invite, 9 a.m. April 24 at Custer Invite, 9 a.m. April 28 at Belle Fourche Northern Hills Qualifier, noon May 1 at Howard Wood Relays (Sioux Falls), TBA May 2 at Howard Wood Relays (Sioux Falls), TBA May 2 at Mountain West Invite (Lead), 9:30 a.m. May 9 at Sturgis Black Hills Classic, 9 a.m. May 12 at Rapid City Qualifier, 2 p.m. May 15 at BH Conference (Spearfish), 10 a.m. May 21 at Spearfish Region 8A, 9:30 a.m. May 29 at State “A” Spearfish, TBA May 30 at State “A” Rapid City, TBA
Spearfish girls’ golf March 24 at Rapid City (Meadowbrook) 3 p.m. March 26 at Elkhorn Ridge Golf Course, 3 p.m. March 31 at Boulder Canyon Country Club, 3 p.m. April 2 at RC Stevens Early Bird, TBA April 7 at Pierre T.F. Riggs, 10 a.m. April 9 at Elkhorn Ridge Golf Course, 3 p.m. April 16 hosts Spearfish Invitational, 10 a.m. April 21 at Boulder Canyon Country Club, 3 p.m. April 23 hosts Black Hills Conference, 10 a.m. April 24 at Mitchell, TBA Invite, TBA April 28 at Belle Fourche, 10 a.m. April 30 at Rapid City West River Challenge, 3:30 p.m. April 4 at Sturgis West River Challenge, 3:30 p.m. April 5 hosts Spearfish West River Challenge, 3:30 p.m. April 12 at Prairie Ridge Golf Course, 3 p.m. April 18 at State Tournament (Rapid City), TBA April 19 at State Tournament (Rapid City), TBA
Belle Fourche girls’ golf
March 26 hosts Hot Springs/RC Stevens, 3 p.m. April 9 at Elkhorn Ridge, 3 p.m. April 13 hosts Sturgis, 4 p.m. April 14 at Custer Pre-Region 4A, 11 a.m. April 16 at Spearfish Pre-Black Hills Conference, 10 a.m. April 23 at Spearfish Black Hills Conference, 10 a.m. April 28 hosts Belle Fourche Invite, 10 a.m. May 7 at Custer Region 4A,10 a.m. May 12 at Douglas Invite, 3 p.m. May 18 at State “A” (Madison), TBA May 19 State “A” (Madison), TBA
Spearfish track and field
March 28 at Douglas Early Bird, 10 a.m. April 2 at Rapid City Qualifier, 10 a.m. April 10 hosts Queen City Classic, 9:30 a.m. April 18 at Belle Fourche Invite, 9 a.m. April 18 at RC Track O’Rama, 9 a.m. April 24 at Custer, 9 a.m. April 24 at Pierre T.F. Riggs, 1 p.m. April 28 at Belle Fourche Northern Hills Qualifier, noon May 1 at Sioux Falls Relays, TBA May 2 at Sioux Falls Relays, TBA May 2 at Lead-Deadwood (Lead CC), 9:30 a.m. May 9 at Sturgis Brown , 9 a.m. May 12 at Rapid City Qualifier, 2 p.m. May 15 at Belle Fourche Black Hills Conference, 10 a.m. May 29 at State (Sturgis), TBA May 30 at State (Rapid City), TBA
Belle Fourche track and field
March 28 at Douglas Early Bird, 10 a.m. April 2 at Rapid City Developmental, 10 a.m. April 10 at Spearfish Queen City Invite, 9:30 a.m. April 18 hosts Center of the Nation Invite, 9 a.m. April 24 at Custer Invite, 9 a.m. April 28 hosts Northern Hills Qualifier, noon May 1 at Howard Wood Relays (Sioux Falls), TBA May 2 at Howard Wood Relays (Sioux Falls), TBA May 2 at Mountain West Invite (Lead) 9:30 a.m. May 9 at Sturgis Black Hills Classic, 9 a.m. May 12 at Rapid City Qualifier, 2 p.m. May 15 hosts BH Conference (Belle Fourche), 10 a.m. May 21 at Spearfish Region 8A, 9:30 a.m. May 29 at State “A” Spearfish, TBA May 30 at State “A” Rapid City, TBA
Spearfish tennis
April 7 hosts St. Thomas More, 4 p.m. April 16 at Campbell County, 4 p.m. April 21 at RC Stevens (Sioux Park), 2 p.m. April 21 at RC Central (Parkview), 5 p.m. April 28 at Pierre T.F. Riggs, 1 p.m. May 1 at Rapid City Invite, 2 p.m. May 2 at Rapid City Invite, 8 a.m. May 4 hosts RC Stevens, 4 p.m. May 7 hosts RC Central, 4 p.m. May 12 at St. Thomas More (Sioux Park), 4 p.m. May 21 at State Tournament (Sioux Falls), TBA May 22 at State Tournament (Sioux Falls), TBA May 23 at State Tournament (Sioux Falls), TBA
Lead-Deadwood girls’ golf
March 26 hosts Spearfish/Sturgis Brown, 3 p.m. April 2 at St. Thomas More (Red Rocks), 10 a.m. April 7 at Douglas, 10 a.m. April 9 hosts Belle Fourche/Spearfish/Custer, 3 p.m. April 14 at Custer Pre-Region 4A, 11 a.m. April 16 at Spearfish Pre-Black Hills Conference, 10 a.m. April 21 at Sturgis Invite, 3 p.m. April 23 at Spearfish Black Hills Conference, 10 a.m. April 28 hosts Belle Fourche Invite, 10 a.m. May 7 at Custer Region 4A, 10 a.m. May 12 at Douglas Invite, 3 p.m. May 14 hosts RC Central, 4 p.m. May 18 at State “A” (Madison), TBA May 19 State “A” (Madison), TBA
Lead-Deadwood track and field
March 28 at Douglas Early Bird, 10 a.m.
BHSU women’s golf
March 30 at MSU-Billings March 31 at MSU-Billings April 6 at South Dakota Mines April 7 at South Dakota Mines April 13 at Colorado Mesa Invitational April 14 at Colorado Mesa Invitational
BHSU track and field March 26 hosts Yellow Jacket Spring Open March 27 hosts Yellow Jacket Spring Open March 28 hosts Yellow Jacket Spring Open April 4 at UNK Open (Kearney, Neb.) April 11 at Bauer Invite (Rapid City) April 18 at Blue Hawk Open (Dickinson, N.D.) April 25 at Jack Christiansen Invite (Fort Collins, Colo.) May 1 at RMAC Championship (Pueblo, Colo.) May 2 at RMAC Championship (Pueblo, Colo.) May 3 at RMAC Championship (Pueblo, Colo.) May 21 at NCAA DII Championship (Allendale, Mich.) May 22 at NCAA DII Championship (Allendale, Mich.) May 23 at NCAA DII Championship (Allendale, Mich.) BHSU women’s softball
March 28 hosts N.M. Highlands @ Denver, Colo., TBA March 28 at Metro State, 3 p.m.
March 29 at Denver, Colo. (N.M. Highlands), TBA March 29 at Denver, Colo. (Metro State), 10 a.m. April 1 at Dickinson State, 2 p.m. April 1 at Dickinson State, 4 p.m. April 3 at Colorado Mesa, 5 p.m. April 3 at Colorado Mesa, 7 p.m. April 4 at Colorado Mesa, noon April 4 at Colorado Mesa, 2 p.m. April 8 at Dakota Wesleyan, 2 p.m. April 8 at Dakota Wesleyan, 2 p.m. April 11 hosts Colo. Christian, noon April 11 hosts Colo. Christian, 2 p.m. April 12 hosts Colo. Christian, 11 a.m. April 12 v Colo. Christian, 1 p.m. April 18 at Colorado St.-Pueblo, noon April 18 at Colorado St.-Pueblo, 2 p.m. April 19 at Colorado St.-Pueblo, 11 a.m. April 19 at Colorado St.-Pueblo, 1 p.m. April 23 hosts Dickinson State, 2 p.m. April 23 hosts Dickinson State, 4 p.m. April 25hosts U-C Colorado Springs, noon April 25 hosts U-C Colorado Springs, 2 p.m. April 26 hosts U-C Colorado Springs, 11 a.m. April 26 hosts U-C Colorado Springs, 1 p.m.
BHSU Rodeo
April 10 at Jackrabbit Stampede, (Brookings) April 11 at Jackrabbit Stampede, (Brookings) April 17 at Cornhusker Stampede (Lincoln, Neb.) April 18 at Cornhusker Stampede (Lincoln, Neb.) April 24 hosts Will Lantis Yellow Jacket Stampede April 25 hosts Will Lantis Yellow Jacket Stampede May 1 at Bobby Gottsch Jr. Memorial College Rodeo (Hastings, Neb.) May 2 at Bobby Gottsch Jr. Memorial College Rodeo (Hastings, Neb.) May 8 at Dickinson State (Dickinson, N.D.) May 9 at Dickinson State (Dickinson, N.D.)
Spearfish Post 164 Legion baseball
May 3 at RC Post 320, 1/3 p.m. May 6 at Sturgis, 5:30/7:30 p.m. May 10 hosts Gillette, 1/3 p.m. May 14 hosts Sturgis, 5:30/7:30 p.m. May 19 hosts RC Post 320 (9 innings), 6:30 p.m. May 23 at Gillette Tourney (Gillette), 9:30 a.m. May 23 at Gillette Tourney (Sheridan), noon May 24 at Gillette Tourney (Colorado Hit Club), 5 p.m. May 25 at Gillette Tourney (Gillette), noon May 27 at RC Post 22 (9 innings), 7 p.m. May 29 hosts Brookings, 5 p.m./7 p.m. June 3 hosts Miles City Outlaws, 5:30/7:30 p.m. June 6 hosts Scottsbluff, 5;30/7:30 p.m. June 7 at RC Post 22 Expos, 5/7 p.m. June 10 at Miles City Outlaws, 3;30/5:30 p.m. June 12 hosts Tellinghuisen Tourney, 5/7 p.m. June 13 hosts (Tellinghuisen) Tourney, 9 a.m. June 14 hosts (Tellinghuisen) Tourney, 5:30 p.m. June 17 at Alliance, Neb. 5/7 p.m. June 19 at Brookings Tourney, 5/7 p.m. June 20 at Brookings Tourney, 5:30 p.m. June 21 at Brookings Tourney, 9 a.m. June 25 at Dickinson, N.D. Tourney, 5:30 p.m. June 26 at Dickinson, N.D. Tourney, 5:30 p.m. June 27 at Dickinson, N.D. Tourney, 5:30 p.m. June 28 at Dickinson, N.D. Tourney, 11:15 a.m. July 1 at Gillette, 5:30/7:30 p.m. July 2 hosts RC Post 22 Expos, 5:30/7:30 p.m. July 8 hosts Miles City Outlaws, 5:30/7:30 p.m. July 9 hosts Chadron, 4/6 p.m. July 15-19 at Regional (Rapid City), TBA
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