COLLEGIAN MEDIA
LIVE & ON DEMAND COLLEGIAN MEDIA YOUTUBE
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep caught up with content like The Collegian Report, live Students’ Association meetings, live Jackrabbit sports broadcasts, podcasts, exclusive interviews, exclusive content and more.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, MARCH 13
4 p.m. — Collegian Report Episode 7 (YouTube)
MONDAY, MARCH 16 -
FRIDAY, MARCH 20
SPRING BREAK — Students’ Association Meeting (90.7 FM & YouTube)
MORE AT SDSUCOLLEGIAN.COM
THE VARIETY
Listen in to Collegian Media members Willem Lim, Belle Persons and Sara Schoenfelder as they host their weekly radio show, The Variety, on Collegian Radio on KSDJ 90.7. The trio goes live every Wednesday from 4-5 p.m.
POLICE DEPARTMENT CRIME LOG
The daily crime log is a document prepared by the SDSU Police Department that provides details on calls they have taken over the past week. The crime log is sent to Collegian Media for publication every Monday. The following are calls taken between Sunday, March 1, 2026, and Saturday, March 7, 2026.
SUNDAY, MARCH 1
• 3:57 a.m. — An incident involving possession of a fictitious license and underage purchase or possession of alcoholic beverages was reported at Brown Hall. The incident was cleared by arrest or citation.
MONDAY, MARCH 2
• 7:42 a.m. — Intentional damage and vandalism were reported at Larson Commons. The incident was documented.
• 8:21 p.m. — A drug equipment violation involving possession of drug paraphernalia was reported at Young Hall. The incident was cleared by arrest or citation.
• 9:28 p.m. — Possession of a fictitious license was reported at the 1200 block of North Campus Dr. The incident was cleared by arrest or citation.
TUESDAY, MARCH 3
• 10:34 p.m. — A suspicious person or vehicle was reported at Lot 158 – Big Southeast. The incident was cleared by arrest or citation.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4
• 1:15 p.m. — Harassment was reported at Pierson Hall. The case is under investigation.
• 3:41 p.m. — Harassment was reported on campus. The incident was documented.
THURSDAY, MARCH 5
• 11:14 a.m. — Intentional damage and vandalism were reported at the Sigma Phi Epsilon house. The incident was documented.
FRIDAY, MARCH 6
No crimes were reported
SATURDAY, MARCH 7
• 1:14 a.m. — An incident involving underage purchase or possession of alcoholic beverages and possession of a fictitious license was reported at Schultz Hall. The incident was cleared by arrest or citation.
• 2:51 a.m. — A suspicious person or vehicle was reported at Honors Hall. The case is closed and resolved.
• 3:06 p.m. — Officers responded to a report of a lost person at the Wellness Center. The incident is marked as done.
• 10:51 p.m. — A drug and narcotics violation involving the possession of two ounces or less of marijuana was reported on the 1000 block of Jackrabbit Avenue. The incident was cleared by arrest or citation.
Collegian Media corrects all con rmed errors that are brought to reporters’ or editors’ attention. A er editors con rm the error and the accurate information, the correction will appear as soon as possible on the same platform. Errors that could be libelous or require a more prominent display may require di erent handling at the editor-in-chief’s discretion. In all cases, transparency in making a correction is essential.
OWEN BOYD/ COLLEGIAN MEDIA
‘The Variety’ hosts, from left, Belle Persons, Willem Lim and Sara Schoenfelder pose for a photo.
STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION
Director of International Students and Scholars addresses senate
SARA SCHOENFELDER
Reporter
Monday night’s meeting was a short one with the Director of International Students and Scholars, Kirsten Linke, addressing the Students’ Association (SA).
OPEN FORUM
The International Students and Scholars department reaches out to students to help with their cultural transition, especially during their first two semesters. The department also oversees all international cultural organizations on campus.
SDSU has students from 78 different countries; There are about 770 students with an F1 Visa status, and the international students and scholars department serves about 200 students on top of that.
In regards to international student enrollment concerns, Linke said there are two countries with travel bans that normally send a large number of students, which means that SDSU will not have students from those countries for the next few years.
“We’re working continuously with those students who are impacted and at this time not able to enter the U.S.,” Linke said.
Linke added that there has been a
“small decline over the last couple of years” in international enrollment trends at SDSU. However, because of a larger class of international enrollment that came in fall 2024, she said that it has made up for the decline in the past two semesters.
Linke talked about an event called “Thank Goodness it’s Friday” also known as “TGIF” that is held every other Friday. This is a social time for students to get together and relax from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in Briggs Library room 130.
She invites everyone to come to TGIF, and said the event is for international students and any student that wants to be involved.
NEW BUSINESS
The Finance Committee introduced the general budget item. Both the contingency and preferred budgets will begin July 1, 2026.
The contingency budget funded $388,925 out of the $389,620 available. The remaining $635 would go into reserves. The preferred budget funded all $435,160, leaving $0 to go into reserves.
These budgets were introduced at Monday’s meeting, but they will not be discussed or voted on until the next SA meeting on March 24.
IN OTHER ACTION
President Spier was absent, leaving Vice President Siira to lead the meeting. He gave reminders about the Vice President and President Q & A session on Monday, March 23 between noon and 3:00 p.m.
The SA election for next year’s association is from 8 a.m. on March 24 to 5 p.m. on March 25. There will be no SA meeting next week because of spring break.
TGIF EVENT INFORMATION
What: Social time for students
When: Every other Friday from 3-4:30 p.m.
Where: Briggs Library room 130
Who: International students and anyone who wants to get involved
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT INFORMATION
Countries: 78
Students wil F1 Visa status: 770
Other supported students: About 200
KIRSTEN LINKE
WESLEY SIIRA
STRENGTH FOR EVERYONE
Powerlifting event unites students and Special Olympians on the platform
BRIE PETERS
Reporter
More than 130 athletes took the platform at the fourth annual Miller Wellness Center Classic Saturday.
For the second year in a row, the meet was shared with the Special Olympics of South Dakota, who hosted their state powerlifting meet on two of the platforms. Nearly 90 Special Olympic athletes lifted alongside college students and community members.
Jacob Heidenrich is the fitness and aquatics coordinator at the Miller Wellness Center. His mission behind the meet has always been to make it more approachable for everyone.
“We are trying to make the sport of powerlifting accessible to college students,” Heidenrich said. “Usually powerlifting comes with a big registration fee, there are rules and regulations such as wearing a singlet, that can make it difficult for college students. We take away a lot of that to try and expose college students to the sport and make it fun.”
Last year, the meet drew 52 competitors. This year’s turnout was similar, before counting Special Olympic Athletes. This year the meet featured athletes ranging from 16 to over 50 years of age.
There is a large amount of preparation that goes into hosting a meet of this size, Heidenrich said. He has spent the last six months slowly getting everything into place. His goal is to create an event that athletes look forward to each year and keep coming back for.
“They have found something at the Wellness Center that they enjoy and look forward to every year,” Heidenrich said. “We want to show off how great our facility is and make it a great experience for the athletes and spectators.”
Part of that preparation involved bringing in community sponsors. Local businesses including The Cove, GNC,
BRIE PETERS / COLLEGIAN MEDIA
Grace Schwan, who placed first in the women’s over 150 pound category, deadlifts at the Miller Wellness Center Classic on Saturday, March 7, 2026.
Kool Beans and more set up booths throughout the facility. They offered samples, merchandise and support for both athletes and spectators to enjoy.
Competitors received a free t-shirt, medals for all podium finishers and a chance to win raffle prizes such as an Echo Dot and AirPods.
The meet drew several families to the platform. Three sets of parents and children competed side by side. One mother-daughter duo placed first and second in their division. Grace Schwan, a junior at SDSU, competed in the event for the third year in a row, alongside her mother, Angie.
“I really like the atmosphere,” Grace said. “I think involving Special Olympics is really cool.”
Angie Schwan agreed, saying the community is what brought her to compete.
The supportive environment is what Heidenrich hopes the event continues to foster.
“Strength is for everyone, and this sport can be for anyone,” Heidenrich said. “Anyone can compete. It is a really supportive environment for something that so many of us do, which is lifting weights.”
WOMEN’S UNDER 150 POUND
1st: Megan Robinson 2nd: Jayden Almos
3rd: Sarah Richardson
3
WOMEN’S OVER 150 POUND
1st: Grace Schwan
2nd: Angie Schwan
rd: Kari Crevier-Dooley
MEN’S OVER 175 POUND
1st: Isaac Hansen 2nd: Gavin Perrell
3rd: Jaime Sebastian
MEN’S UNDER 200 POUND
1st: Alex Pudwill
2nd: Joshua Grosdidier
3rd: Ashton Admonson
MEN’S OVER 200 POUND
1st: Dominic Constant 2nd: Elliot Devries 3rd: Sam Stahl
BRAYDEN BYERS & RYANN DAVIS Collegian Media
A South Dakota lawyer with extensive experience in First Amendment issues said Monday night that SDSU has “plenty of authority” to punish a group of students who appeared in a racist video posted on Snapchat last week.
“Horrific … disgusting, disgraceful,” Jim Leach, an attorney in Rapid City, said. “I mean… I was stunned.”
The video was posted on Snapchat to a story called “SDSU 2026.” The story is not affiliated with the university, but the platform does feature videos and posts related to SDSU. According to Snapchat, anyone who wants to view or post to the story must have an SDSUrelated email address.
The 46-second video appears to be shot in a bar where several young men, who appear to be white, make racist comments and what appear to be threats against Black people. The video includes racist slurs, disparaging language and threats to “lynch” and “kill” Black people.
The video has since been deleted, but recordings of it have been circulating on social media. One specific version posted to TikTok lists names in the caption. That video has gotten over 50,000 likes, over 6,000 bookmarks and nearly 30,000 shares.
When reached on Tuesday afternoon, SDSU spokesperson Mike Lockrem said the university’s statement from last week, which said the university is aware of the video and is looking into it, “still stands.”
Leach said that while the comments made in the video might not rise to the level of true threats, there are other areas of speech that the First Amendment doesn’t allow.
“I don’t take this as a specific threat to an individual. What I’m saying is that’s not the only standard,” Leach said. “The standard includes the effect on other students and the effect on individuals.”
Haley Gluhanich is senior program counsel for the Foundation for Individual Rights and
LAWYER: VIDEO DESERVES CENSURE
Inquiry ongoing,
officials say
Expression (FIRE), which is an organization that promotes the value of free speech for Americans in courtrooms and on campuses. She said that just discussing violence itself is protected by the First Amendment, but expressing intent makes it unprotected.
“Is it more of a joke? Is it more of a conditional statement? A hypothetical? Is it a hyperbole?” Gluhanich said. “One thing I always look at when I’m analyzing speech is: is there a plan?”
POLICE INVESTIGATION
Reached late last week, Brookings Police Chief Michael Drake, who is also serving as interim chief of the University Police Department (UPD), confirmed that the city department was also looking into the video.
“Of course, UPD has the authority to do different things, but because it happened in the city proper, and it was reported to the city police department on Saturday morning, they’ll investigate it,” Drake said.
There are no criminal charges at this time, but Drake said the department is working with the Brookings County State’s Attorney to determine if any should be filed.
He also said there is no formal timeline for the investigation and that in situations like this, the “biggest thing” is the authenticity of the video. The process of verifying its authenticity includes identifying people in the video and determining what is happening frame by frame.
“That takes a little bit of time, and we want to be methodical in this,” Drake said. “You know, although somebody may not be criminally charged in this, there’s a lot of questions that want to be answered by not only the public, but different entities.” Drake said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the investigation is ongoing.
RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS
After the video surfaced, President Barry Dunn sent a campus-wide message acknowledging it and
SEE VIDEO, Page 7
‘I don’t know how a university keeps its space safe for black students if it allows someone to say those things, then thinks that everyone just has to tolerate that, because we don’t.’ Jim Leach, Rapid City Attorney
BRAYDEN BYERS / COLLEGIAN MEDIA
Here’s a look at the fall 2025 enrollment at South Dakota State University broken down by ethnic origin. Source: South Dakota Board of Regents
Student leaders urge consequences
BSA president hopes racist video isn’t ‘swept under the rug’
EMILY DECOCK & WILLEM LIM
Collegian Media
Black student leaders at SDSU are calling for more action after a video with racist comments was posted to Snapchat by a group of students.
Matilda Alex, Black Student Alliance (BSA) president and Students’ Association diversity liaison, said she appreciates a statement made by President Barry Dunn last week. But, she said students are expecting more. And when people say it’s “not a big deal,” it discredits the historical significance of the words, Alex said.
“Regarding situations like this, I do expect more severity in consequences,” Alex said.
BSA met Thursday, March 5, so students could talk about the situation. Some students said they have reported other instances of racism to the university and have not seen action, Alex said.
“This has happened in the past with my friends, like we’ve gotten slurs said to our face, written on whiteboards saying that we should go back to our country, that we don’t belong here,” Alex said. “Reported to the university, nothing has been done about it.”
Lila Simpson, a member of BSA and the ex-officio for Students’ Association, said that it was a relief that Dunn spoke out about the matter, but there are still a lot of people who are frustrated about other instances of racism that have gone away without accountability.
“Like it’s always, ‘Oh, it doesn’t violate this,’ ‘Oh, you know, you didn’t get that on video,’ or, ‘It wasn’t at our school,’ even though people are literally wearing SDSU gear,” Simpson said. “Or, you know, the person physically had it happen to them, but they won’t do anything.”
Alex and Simpson both expressed disappointment that situations like these are still happening in 2026. Dunn released a statement Tuesday, March 3, condemning the behavior and announcing that the incident is under investigation.
“I appreciate President Dunn’s letter because he’s saying we don’t condone any of this disgusting behavior,” Alex said. “We don’t want this to just be swept under the rug. And I appreciated his message a lot.”
Dunn also said that support is available in his statement, and referred students to SDSU Counsel-
ing Services.
Jay Molock is a student success adviser in the Student Engagement Center and is the adviser of Black Student Alliance. He said representatives from the Wellness Center attended the BSA meeting last Thursday.
“They didn’t have to show up, but they did. They came to our meeting, and they [gave] personal support right then and there,” Molock said.
Tammy Lunday, the director of the Student Health and Counseling, and Audra Kelley Fullerton, assistant director of Miller Wellness Center Counseling,
attended the meeting.
“They hung out. They didn’t just come for a few minutes and say their spiel and leave,” Molock said. “They came and they listened. They participated.”
Since the fall of 2020, Black and African American students have represented less than 2% of SDSU’s student population each year on average, according to enrollment data from Board of Regents factbooks from 2020 through 2025.
Even though Black and African American students are a minority at SDSU, Alex thinks the university has done a good job of making space for different cultures to be represented.
Alex said she doesn’t think this situation represents the university as a whole, and doesn’t want to diminish efforts made by SDSU to make it more accepting.
“I just feel like certain students need to be held accountable for certain actions,” Alex said.
When asked what she would say to a student of color who is considering attending SDSU, Alex said she can see why people might be discouraged. But, it doesn’t represent all of SDSU.
“This is not the culture of SDSU. These people (in the video) have poorly represented themselves,” Alex said. “I don’t want this to be a reflection of SDSU and our mission, our culture and our values because this is just not what we stand for.”
EMILY DECOCK / COLLEGIAN MEDIA
Black Student Alliance President and Diversity Liasion for Students’ Association Matilda Alex appreciates President Dunn’s message following the discovery of a racist video, but thinks more should be done.
WILLEM LIM / COLLEGIAN MEDIA
Jay Molock is a student success adviser in the Student Engagement Center and adviser of BSA.
FIRST AMENDMENT PRIMER
Online debate surrounding a racist video that surfaced recently centers on whether or not hate speech is protected by the First Amendment.
Collegian Media spoke with a First Amendment lawyer from FIRE, who said that hate speech is indeed protected by the First Amendment. The lawyer, Haley Gluhanic, also said she didn’t think the speech in the video rose to the level of a true threat, which is not protected by the First Amendment.
Here is a quick primer on what kind of speech the First Amendment protects and what kind of speech it doesn’t protect.
PROTECTED SPEECH
• Political speech (the highest protection)
• Heated rhetoric
• Rhetorical hyperbole
• The endorsement of violence
• False speech, generally
• Offensive speech
• Hate speech
UNPROTECTED SPEECH
• Incitement: speech that is “directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action and is likely to incite or produce such action.” (Brandenburg v. Ohio)
• True Threats: a statement through which “the speaker means to communicate a serious expression of an intent to commit an act of unlawful violence to a particular individual or group of individuals” and requires that the speaker consciously disregarded a substantial risk that their speech would place another in fear of serious physical harm.
• Fighting Words: speech that tends to incite the individual to whom they are addressed to respond violently and immediately. This encompasses only face-to-face communications.
• Obscenity: expression that meets all the following:
– whether the average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the “prurient interest” (an inordinate interest in sex)
– whether the work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct
– whether the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value (an “objective” standard that is judged by reference to national rather than community standards).
• Defamation (libel and slander) – a proven false statement that of fact that 1) is communicated to a third party, 2) is made with requisite guilty state of mind, and 3) harms an individual’s reputation
• Discriminatory Harassment- targeted conduct, including speech, that is (1) unwelcome, (2) discriminatory on the basis of gender or another protected class, and (3) “so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it can be said to deprive the victims of access to the educational opportunities or benefits provided by the school.”
• Fraud
• Perjury
• Speech integral to criminal conduct
• Bribery
• False advertising
VIDEO: Counselors help students
FROM PAGE 5
referred people to the university’s counseling services if they were struggling to deal with its content.
Audra Kelley Fullterton, assistant director of the Student Health Clinic and Counseling Services, said she could not say whether more students have called since the video was posted, but she encouraged students who may be struggling and experiencing effects to visit the clinic. Drop-in hours are available for anyone who may need to talk, according to Fullerton.
“So, things like losing sleep, being distracted, things like starting to avoid tasks, or places or people,” Fullerton said. “If they’re noticing that they’re thinking about any particular thing or situation and it’s starting to impact their daily life, those are all good signs that they should come in and check in with a counselor.”
For his part, Leach emphasized that the video is not private speech. It was done in a public place and was loud enough for everyone to hear. The message has certainly been broadcast to a wide audience.
“I don’t know how a university keeps its space safe for black students if it allows someone to say those things, then thinks that everyone just has to tolerate that, because we don’t,” Leach said. “So I think that regardless of whether it’s a threat, the university has plenty of authority to do something to protect black students.”
NEW STUDENT, OLD STYLE
Freshman collects vintage clothes, Jackrabbit memorabilia
TAYLOR TENNANT Assistant News Director
A brown velour hat from the 1960s was the first piece in what would grow into freshman Joe Steffes’ collection of vintage clothing spanning more than a century.
While visiting an antique store in Wisconsin during high school, Steffes came across the hat and bought it because he liked the look of it. That purchase sparked an interest in historical fashion that has continued to grow.
Now a history and theater double major at SDSU, Steffes owns clothing dating largely from the 1930s through the 1960s. His oldest piece, a waistcoat, dates to the 1830s or 1840s, he said.
Steffes said his vintage clothing collection grew over time as he continued fi nding pieces he liked at thrift stores and antique shops.
“It was a pretty gradual thing,” Steffes said. “I’d buy something and think, ‘I should start getting more stuff,’ and then it just continued to grow.”
Today, vintage clothing makes up much of what you’ll see him in day to day. While Steffes still owns modern clothing for work or physical activities, many of the outfits he wears to class or around campus include vintage pieces.
clothing,” he said. “Then by the ‘20s and ‘30s, things start getting lighter and more machine-made. By the ‘50s and ‘60s, you started seeing more synthetic materials.”
Research has become a major part of his hobby. When Steffes finds a piece he likes, he often tries to learn more about where it came from and who may have originally owned it. Names stitched into the pieces sometimes lead him to search SDSU yearbooks and historical records to identify former students who once wore the clothing.
Sometimes that research leads to unexpected connections between pieces in his collection. In one case, two vintage sweaters he bought separately online were linked to the same SDSU football
His wardrobe includes sweaters, jackets, dress shirts, suits and ties from several decades. Many of the items come from the mid-20th century, which he said is one of his favorite periods for clothing styles.
Steffes said he also enjoys learning about how clothing has changed across diff erent eras, especially when it comes to materials and production.
“If you start with Victorian clothing, you have really thick fabrics that feel very different from modern
“I got them at different places online, and then realized they were on the same team,” Steffes said. “I also found out they were made by the same company, King O’ Shea, which made a lot of SDSU sweaters in the 1950s.”
TAYLOR TENNANT/ COLLEGIAN MEDIA
Joe Steffes, a freshman history and theater double major, is pictured with a class of 1959 sweater that was once worn by Douglas Murfield. This is one of many vintage pieces in his wardrobe.
Steffes said he enjoys searching for new vintage pieces to add to his collection. One of the places he often visits is Threads of Memories, an antique store in downtown Brookings. When he’s at home in the Twin Cities, he looks at vintage shops in Stillwater and along Selby Avenue. He also searches sites such as eBay, Etsy, Depop and Poshmark in his spare time. Some items in his collection also connect to film
history. Steff es owns pants worn by a background dancer in the 1954 fi lm “White Christmas,” and a suit from the 1970s that appeared in the Disney film “Charley and the Angel.” He bought that piece through an online auction after placing the only bid. Steffes’ interest in history extends beyond clothing. He collects vintage books, records and film posters, including an original poster from the 1964 Rat Pack film “Robin and the 7 Hoods.” He also has a record player and a collection of vinyl records that reflect the same mid-20th century era represented in much of his wardrobe. Among the records are music by the South Dakota State College Band, custom pro-
cessed and pressed by RCA Victor and produced by Recorded Publications Co.
His connection to SDSU runs deeper than the items in his collection.
His mother graduated from the SDSU in 2001, and his grandfather taught microbiology at SDSU from 1973 to about 2000. When his grandfather moved into a senior living community, he gave Steffes his old Air Force footlocker from the early 1960s. He now uses the trunk to store many of his vintage sweaters.
Steffes said his family has been supportive of his interest in vintage clothing. His sister occasionally wears older pieces as well, and his mom owns several
TAYLOR TENNANT/ COLLEGIAN MEDIA
Right: Steffes’ shows off one of the many vintage pieces in his collection, a vinyl of the music by the South Dakota State College Band. This vinyl includes a 1907 recording of ‘The Yellow and Blue’, the alma mater for SDSU. This is one of the songs still played by The Pride of the Dakotas at games today. The South Dakota State College Military Band was directed by Francis J. Haynes who wrote the music score for ‘The Yellow and Blue’. The words for the song were written by N.E. Hansen. Originally, the words were S.D.S.C for South Dakota State College. The C’s were later changed to U’s in 1964. The song is otherwise played the same as it was in 1907.
Bottom: A mid-1960’s SDSU wrestling warmup jacket. There are numbers on the sleeve that correlate to the weight class they wrestled in.
dresses from earlier decades.
Steffes said his interest in historical clothing could influence his career plans. As a freshman at SDSU, he said he is still exploring where those interests could lead.
“I think it would be fun to work on historical costumes, since I know quite a bit about historical menswear,” he said. “I’d also consider teaching history or working at a museum or living history site.”
For now, Steffes continues buying pieces for his collection, with each piece adding a small glimpse into the history behind the clothes he wears.
HEIBERGER NAMED HONORS DEAN
NATHAN DRESSEL Reporter
Greg Heiberger took over as dean of the Van D. and Barbara B. Fishback Honors College on Feb. 22.
Heiberger has already held numerous faculty positions at SDSU. He served as a professor for the Department of Biology and Microbiology, the associate dean of academics and student success for the College of Natural Sciences and was interim dean for the Honors College when the former dean, Rebecca Bott-Knutson, resigned from the position after the 2025 spring semester.
“I feel fortunate for the opportunity,” Heiberger said. “I am excited to be able to keep thinking about the future and what the honors program has meant to students.”
The process to select the new Honors College dean began in the fall semester. A selection committee was led by David Earnest, dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and chaired by Provost Dennis Hedge. The committee consisted of various leaders and representatives from different colleges campus wide.
Heiberger said his goals for the program are to continue the program’s goals and expectations, encourage and push students to be innovative and to make sure it is accessible to students who want to participate in the program.
“We made sure that a position like the Honors College deanship connects with various units throughout the university,” Hedge said. “We wanted to make sure that we had a nice variety of individuals really serving the university in a number of different ways.”
58 people applied for the position
near the beginning of fall semester. The selection committee held online video interviews with the candidates and thoroughly vetted each of them.
By the end of the fall semester, the selection committee had chosen four finalists, including Heiberger, as well as three other candidates. These candidates visited and saw the Brookings community, toured campus and were interviewed by the selection committee and other university leaders and representatives.
“They met with a whole host of people,” Hedge said. “Individuals all the way from President Dunn, through all of the other deans, through various other stakeholders, faculty and students.”
By the second week of February, the committee chose Heiberger for the role as dean. Heiberger shared the news with the Honors College community through an email, saying, “This is a role and an opportunity I take on with great reverence for the past and with a sharp
focus on the future.”
“Greg has been here for a number of years and been very successful in his roles,” Hedge said. “I know we’ve had great success with the Fishback Honors College and I’m excited for Greg’s leadership and know the college will remain very successful.”
Hanna Holmquist, an Honors College instructor, said she is excited to work alongside Heiberger.
“I think that he brings great energy, experience and a lot of facets of SDSU that will help build on traditions that we have within the Honors College,” Holmquist said.
Noah Roerig, the Honors College adviser, also shared similar feelings about the college’s future.
“He continues to think about how we can innovate and provide high quality and impactful experiences for all students at SDSU,” Roerig said.
GREG HEIBERGER
Wrestling sends six to Cleveland
JORDAN RADDDATZ Sports Reporter
South Dakota State wrestling finished sixth in the Big 12 Wrestling Championships on Friday and Saturday with eight placers and five wrestlers earning automatic bids to the NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Championships in Cleveland.
Oklahoma State took first place, followed by Iowa State, Arizona State, Missouri and West Virginia rounded out the top five.
For the Jacks, this performance is slightly lower than the result last year, when the team finished third in the Big 12 Championships.
Last season, SDSU placed nine athletes on the podium and had seven athletes qualify for automatic bids to the NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Championships.
Oklahoma State took first place with Senior Julian Tagg, redshirt junior Cael Swensen, redshirt sophomore Moses Espinoza-Owens, redshirt junior Bennett Berge, and redshirt junior Luke Rasmussen earned bids for the championships in Cleveland, Ohio.
Redshirt sophomore Brady Roark received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament on Tuesday, March 10.
Tagg medically forfeited his later matches after a loss to top-seeded Oklahoma State wrestler Sergio Vega. He finished sixth in the 141-pound class.
Swensen finished the highest out of all Jackrabbit wrestlers, placing fourth in the 157-pound class with a decision win over North Dakota State University wrestler Gavin Drexler and a loss to West Virginia University wrestler Ty Watters. Espinoza-Owens took an 8-5 decision loss to Iowa State University wrestler MJ
Redshirt sophomore Brady Roark duals an Arizona State openent. Roark
Gaitan, then finished fifth in the 174-pound class after Riley Davis from the University of Wyoming medical forfeited.
Berge rebounded after a 4-1 decision loss to OSU wrestler Cody Merrill to finish fifth in the 197-pound class with a 5-1 decision over Arizona State University wrestler Colton Hawks. Rasmussen took home sixth in his class following a pair of decision losses to OU wrestler Juan Mora and University of Missouri wrestler Jarrett Stoner.
Brady Roark, Cale Seaton, and Marcus Espinoza-Owens also placed in the conference championships. Roark finished sixth in the 125-pound class after taking an 11-3 major decision loss to No. 6 Ezekiel Witt from NDSU in the semifinal round. In the fifthplace match, Roark lost to No. 5 Conrad Hendriksen out of the University of Oklahoma.
Seaton finished eighth in the 133-pound class following a
pin by Sooner wrestler Carter Schmidt in the seventh-place match. He finishes his redshirt freshman season with a 16-11 overall record and a 7-8 dual record.
Espinoza-Owens took a pair of decision losses, losing 5-2 to University of Northern Iowa wrestler Ryder Downey in the semifinals and to Sloan Swan 8-1 in the fifth-place match. He finished sixth in the 165-pound class.
The bracket and seeding for the NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Championship will be announced on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Preliminary matches are scheduled for Thursday, March 19. Friday, March 20, will feature quarterfinal and semifinal matches. Consolation and championship finals will be held on Saturday, March 21. All matches will be broadcast on ESPN platforms.
EVAN PATZWALD / SDSU ATHLETICS
received an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday, March 10.
JACKS EXIT CAMBRIA CLASSIC 5-10
SDSU home opener nears after Kansas State
JACOB BRENDE Sports Editor
Jackrabbit baseball emerged from the Cambria Classic with a win and two losses as they now stand at 5-10 on the season.
NORTHWESTERN
SDSU was down 4-2 exiting the sixth inning, but after a two run seventh and picking up a run in the eighth, the Jackrabbits held onto their slim lead and won their fifth game of the year. Both teams scored two runs in the first inning, Nate Wachter with an RBI single and Travis Finney with a sacrifice fly. Northwestern responded with a homerun in the fourth and an unearned run in the fifth, grabbing a 4-2 lead. Dayton Franke hit an RBI double to run in Nic Werk during the seventh inning, cutting the deficit to one. Nolan Grawe hit the Jack’s only other double to bring Franke back home. The only other scoring in the game came from a wild pitch that Carter Taylor was able to take advantage of. It would be the game winning run and SDSU would pick up a 5-4 win over the Wildcats.
MINNESOTA
Saturday, the Jacks faced off against the then 10-3 University of Minnesota Gophers. After bringing the game to extra innings, the Gophers were able to break a stalemate and win the game 3-2 in the tenth inning. SDSU was down early, trailing 1-0 in the second inning. In the fourth, Taylor hit a single that Luke Luskey scored on to tie the game 1-1. After a fifth and sixth inning that saw neither team score, both the Gophers and Jacks scored a run in the seventh inning. Grawe hit an RBI double that Werk scored off of, but a balk by SDSU pitcher Austin Henry let Minnesota score a run. With the score tied 2-2, the game eventually got drawn out into the tenth inning. Gopher Sam
matchup
Hunt hit a sacrifice bunt that was able to score the game winning run.
SDSU had more than double the amount of hits than Minnesota, getting nine while the Gophers got four. One stat that helped balance the odds towards Minnesota was the seven walks given up by SDSU compared to the two walks drawn.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
After the Jacks built up a 4-1 lead, Southern Illinois scored runs in the seventh, eight and ninth inning to achieve the comeback win over SDSU.
The Salukis scored the first run of the game on an RBI single, but SDSU responded in the second with Grant Sorenson reaching on a fielder’s choice that resulted in two runs being scored.
Sorenson reached second base off an error by Southern Illinois’ shortstop, Franke scoring an unearned run and Owen Siegert scoring an earned run. Werk hit an RBI double in the fifth to make it 3-1 and Keagen Jirschele’s RBI single extended the lead in the sixth. After building up a 4-1 lead, Henry Kufa scored an RBI double in the seventh to get the Salukis’ back into the game. Another run scored in the eight and two in the ninth were enough to get Southern Illinois their sixth win of the season.
Head coach Rob Bishop mentioned how despite the losses, the team’s performance against some Big-10 opponents and a Missouri Conference foe is reflective of the growth of the team.
“Leading the entire way against
Southern Illinois, which was disappointing to let that one slip away, another very good team. Overall, we’re playing good baseball and if we don’t get too caught up in the result I’m happy with how we’re playing, but you know, there aren’t any moral victories.”
UP NEXT
SDSU plays Kansas City in Manhattan, Kansas at 6 p.m., with streaming being offered by ESPN plus. After the game begins SDSU’s stretch of conference play, starting with a three game series against Oral Roberts. The Jacks will play their first home game of the season on March 20 against North Dakota State.
RICKY BASSMAN / SDSU ATHLETICS
Nolan Grawe swings the bat in a baseball game against the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis on March 5, 2026. Grawe had three hits, accounting for a third of SDSU’s total hits that game while also registering an RBI.
Softball splits in Colorado
CORDELL VITENSE
Sports Editor
The Jackrabbit softball team ended the Rams Invitational/Colorado Classic in a 2-2 split over the weekend.
The team now sits with a 14-13 record on the season.
DRAKE
The Jacks started the four-game invitational with a 5-3 win over the Drake Bulldogs on Saturday, March 7.
SDSU started fast, scoring two runs in the first inning.
The first run came when sophomore Amada Vacanti hit an RBI single.
Later in the inning, senior Alivya Bollen brought a runner home to take a 2-0 lead in the game.
The Jacks held Drake scoreless in the bottom of the first and there wasn’t any scoring until senior Emma Christensen stepped up to the plate at the top of the fourth for SDSU.
The senior hit an RBI double, bringing Bollen home to put the lead at 3-0.
Freshman Bria Riebel kept the momentum up when she hit an RBI single to bring Christensen in to score.
Drake went on to score one run in the fifth, six and seventh, but a Jackrabbit run in the top of the sixth helped propel the Jacks to a 5-3 win.
NORTHERN COLORADO
After the win against Drake, the Jackrabbits put together an absolutely dominant performance against Northern Colorado later in the day, getting a 24-2 win in five innings.
The Jacks opened the game by scoring 12 runs in the top of the first.
Junior Akayla Barnard got the party started by hitting a two-run homer to take the early lead.
Later in the inning, sophomore Kendall Daniel one-upped her teammate, hitting a three-run shot to extend the lead to 7-0.
The third and final homerun for the Jackrabbits came off the bat of Daniel for her second of the game. This one
was a two-run shot that extended the lead to 14-2.
Northern Colorado put up two runs in the bottom of the first and then were held scoreless the rest of the game, while the Jacks went on to score 12 more runs following the first.
DRAKE
The next day, Sunday, March 8, Drake got a rematch against the Jacks and turned the tables by handing SDSU a 5-3 loss.
Drake jumped out to a 3-0 lead through 2.5 innings before the Jackrabbits responded in the bottom of the third with a solo homerun from senior Emma Vike.
Drake scored two more in the top of the fourth to extend the lead to 5-1. SDSU cut the lead down with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, including a home run from Riebel.
This was the last score of the game, and the Jacks lost 5-3.
COLORADO STATE
Later on Sunday, SDSU took their second loss in a row being held scoreless by Colorado State in an 8-0 defeat.
Colorado took a 6-0 lead after the bottom of the first and after holding the Rams scoreless in the second inning, they got back on the board with two more runs in the third.
This was the last score of the game and it ended 8-0 after five innings of play. The Jacks had just three total hits
SDSU will now look ahead to the Maverick Invitational in Arlington, Texas, which starts Friday, March 13 and comes to an end Sunday, March 15.
The Jacks will play five games against two different teams in the Maverick Invitational.
COLUMBIA
The first team the Jacks will face is Columbia. SDSU will face the Lions the weekend of March 13-15. Columbia hasn’t gotten the start to the season they wanted with a record of 3-10. But
they have won their last three games. Senior Eleni Katsivalis leads the team with 17 hits and a batting average of .405. Katsivalis has five RBIs on the season.
Sophomore Alicia Marzouca in just nine games played this season, has a team high in multiple categories, including two home runs, RBIs with eight and a slugging percentage of .542.
UT ARLINGTON
The other team the Jacks will face is the UT Arlington Mavericks on March 13 and 14.
The Mavericks currently sit with a record of 8-13 after 21 games.
Junior Mia McNulty is definitely a player to watch for UT Arlington. McNulty leads the team in batting average, hits, home runs, RBIs and slugging percentage in just 16 games.
Photo courtesy JESUS AYALA
Sophomore Amanda Vacanti prepares for a game during the Rams Invitational/Colorado Classic. Vacanti has started the seeason hot with six homeruns and 17 RBIs while batting .477.
13-POINT LOSS ENDS YEAR SDSU loses 80-67 to St. Thomas
JACOB BRENDE
Sports Reporter
The South Dakota State men’s basketball team was defeated 80-67 by the St. Thomas Tommies in a quarterfinal matchup in the Summit League Tournament. SDSU ends the season 14-18 and 7-10 against conference opponents. SDSU entered the game as the seventh seed, facing the No. 2 offense and No. 2 defense in the Summit League, but through the first 10 minutes, they played well. With about 10 minutes of play left, the Jacks were holding onto a 19-15 lead. St. Thomas’ star players, Nolan Minessale and Nick Janowski, were being held in check; the Jacks were creating extra opportunities and turnovers were being kept in line. While defense was the underlying theme of the first 10 minutes, offense took over as the game progressed.
By the end of the half, St. Thomas took the lead after trailing most of the game. One of the key factors toward St. Thomas’ 39-37 advantage was Minessale, who scored 10 points in the last 10 minutes of play. Fouls were a problem for the Jacks, with the Tommies going 6-of-8 from the free-throw line while SDSU went 5-for-5.
Joe Sayler led the way for the Jacks in the first half, scoring 11 points, while Damon Wilkinson had the second most on the team with eight. For the Tommies, Minessale led the charge with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
The Tommies started the second half building on their recently acquired lead. Carter Bjerke with a 3-pointer and Ben Oosterbaan with two built a five-point lead. Janowski, who averaged 22 points against the Jackrabbits this season, scored his eighth point of the game to take an eight-point lead. SDSU’s offense, which was managing in the first half, had gone cold. Eight combined misses in the first four minutes allowed the Tommies to build a
Wilkinson’s bucket with one of his own, putting the score at 52-46 with 11:55 left in the second half. St. Thomas responded with a five-point run, and after Matthew Mors scored a layup, St. Thomas’ Oosterbaan hit a 3-pointer to put the Tommies up 12. Oosterbaan had averaged 6.9 points per game up to the matchup but was at 21 with that shot, a career high. The Tommies were also shooting more than 50% from 3-point range while holding the Jacks to 4-of-21.
With three minutes and five seconds left on the clock and trailing 70-61, the Jacks had a lot of work to do coming out of the timeout. Janowski put up a 3-pointer as the shot clock wound down and missed, but a foul on Kalen Garry resulted in two points for the Tommies. SDSU was unable to overcome the deficit and suffered its third straight loss to St. Thomas.
Jackson led the Jackrabbits in scoring with 16 points while also posting five steals. Wilkinson and Sayler tied for the second most on the team with 13 apiece. As a team, the Jacks shot 6-of-29 from 3-point range and 24-of-63 from the field.
Oosterbaan came through for the Tommies in a game where their Summit League Freshman of the Year, Janowski, struggled. Oosterbaan scored a game-high 23 points and hit the most 3-pointers of anyone with five. St. Thomas coach John Tauer called Oosterbaan an “unsung hero” for the Tommies, crediting his playmaking, leadership and toughness. Trailing him for the second most points in the game was Minessale with 22.
lead. Jaden Jackson went to the line on a driving layup in what SDSU hoped would become a turning point. Nearly six minutes in, the Jacks were 1-of-13 from the field while St. Thomas was
4-of-6.
Wilkinson ended a nearly six-minute field goal drought for the Jacks with a three-point play, cutting the deficit to eight points. Jackson followed
St. Thomas went onto the semi-finals where they were then defeated by the University of North Dakota. The Tommies fouled with 0.1 seconds left on the clock and the Fighting Hawks took 67-66 point win off of a free throw.
South Dakota State’s Damon Wilkinson sits on a chair courtside at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls before a Summit League Tournament game on Thursday, March 5, 2026.
EAN WETZEL / COLLEGIAN MEDIA
FOUR’CE IN THE SUMMIT
Jacks claim fourth title in a row after win over Bison
CORDELL VITENSE
Sports Editor
The South Dakota State women’s basketball team are the 2026 Summit League Tournament champions.
The Jacks defeated the Bison with a score of 64-51 in the championship game Sunday, March 8, to win their fourth straight Summit League Tournament.
NDSU
All three Jackrabbit seniors played key roles in the Jackrabbit win. Brooklyn Meyer, who was named MVP of the tournament, had a game-high 26 points on the day. Meyer also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
Ellie Colbeck also played a key role in the absence of Mahli Abdouch. Colbeck had eight points and hit some crucial shots and free throws down the stretch.
Madison Mathiowetz had an unusually quiet game, scoring just six points, but she did have three steals against NDSU.
Even with the quiet game, Mathiowetz was named to the Summit League All-Tournament Team.
“I’m really happy for our seniors,” head coach Aaron Johnston said. “I just think it’s remarkable what they’ve accomplished in their careers. I don’t know where things rank and how they fit in the bigger picture of things, but for these three women to go through their careers and only lose two games in the Summit League regular season and postseason is just
remarkable … They’ve been great people. They’ve been great winners.”
The Bison’s star, junior Avery Koenen, was held to 12 points on 4-12 shooting from the floor. Koenen did have a game-high 13 rebounds.
The Jacks got out to a 27-18 lead in the second quarter and after an NDSU push, the lead was just 31-27 at the half.
After controlling most of the game, NDSU came out and grabbed the lead in the third quarter.
With the Jacks trailing 36-34, they regained composure and took back the lead with a score of 42-36.
The Bison kept it close the rest of the game but never regained the lead and the Jacks went on to win.
The Jacks didn’t have an easy path to get to the championship either.
KANSAS CITY
In the first game of the tournament on Thursday, March 5, the Jacks got a 75-61 win over the Kansas City Roos.
In the game, it was the two Jackrabbit seniors leading the way. Meyer had 26 points and nine rebounds in the game, which led the team in both categories.
Mathiowetz contributed 18 points, six rebounds and four assists on the day. Mathiowetz shot 7-15 from the field, including 2-4 from deep. She also went a perfect 2-2 from the line.
After dominating the game, the Jacks got a scare from the Bennett sisters late after they made a push.
The sisters went on a run, outscoring the Jacks 17-5,
bringing the score to 71-60. Emani Bennett contributed two of the points on the run, while the rest of the points came from Elauni Bennett.
The Roos push wasn’t enough, and the Jacks moved on with a 75-61 win and moved to the semifinals, where they met the USD Coyotes on Saturday, March 7.
USD
After a tight game throughout the first half, SDSU came out on top in the semifinal matchup against the Coyotes with a 74-59 win.
The Jacks once again leaned on their seniors, with Meyer scoring 24 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Mathiowetz had 23 points and five rebounds while shooting 7-15 from the floor and 7-8 from the line.
“Maddy and Brooklyn were elite today, as they have been for a long time,” head coach Aaron Johnston said postgame. “It’s fun to watch those two compete out there and make plays and feed off of each other.”
Another Jackrabbit that had a big game was freshman Thul, who didn’t put up big numbers offensively, scoring seven points, but defensively, the freshman had three steals and one block.
UP NEXT
Sunday, March 15 is the announcement date for where and who the Jacks will play in the NCAA Tournament.
EAN WETZEL / COLLEGIAN MEDIA
The Jackrabbit women’s basketball team celebrates winning the Summit League Tournament on Sunday, March 8. Senior Brooklyn Meyer holds the Summit League trophy surrounded by her teammates (left). The SDSU team hoists the Summit League Trophy (middle). Senior Ellie Colbeck and Hilary Behrens poor confetti on head coach Aaron Johnston (right).
