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MORE CONTENT AT SDSUCOLLEGIAN.COM
OASIS FALL KICKOFF
The Oasis Fall Kickoff was Sunday at GracePoint Church, with about 1,100 students and young adults attending. Oasis started in 2007 as a small worship group. The church has grown greatly over the years and continues to expand, according to church officials. They have added a second Sunday night service.
JACKRABBIT SOCCER
Read coverage of the SDSU women’s soccer team’s game against Drake before they return home for a 5-game homestand.
ONE DAY FOR STATE
TALLY
The annual One Day for STATE 24-hour fundraiser happened on Thursday. The SDSU Foundation will release the final total of all donations on Friday, Sept. 12.
President Dunn addresses Students’ Association Dunn talks federal funding, AI at first SA meeting of the year
BRENT MOLENGRAAF
Reporter
SDSU president Barry Dunn discussed federal changes to higher education funding at the first Students’ Association meeting of the year on Monday night.
Federal funding has been a topic of high debate over the last several months. Pell Grants for 2026 will remain the same as this year and TRIO will remain active for several years, Dunn said.
The work study program and Grad Plus loans are being reduced.
Pell grant support in Fiscal Year 2026 will be at the same level as in 2024, Dunn said.
Future SDSU construction projects were mentioned during Barry Dunn’s address. These future construction projects will be the remodeling of four dormitories: Matthews Hall, Binnewies Hall, Hansen Hall and Young Hall.
“We have to do that, to keep the campus relevant, but it’s challenging,” Dunn said. “It’s challenging for students; it’s challenging for everyone.”
These projects are planned to start in 2028.
Barry Dunn also talked about big changes coming to student engagement in the
next month. Vice President Michaela Willis and Vice
President Dennis Hedge are working on a new student engagement organization.
“We think it’ll be more effective,” Dunn said. “It’s going to cost the administration some more money, we think it’ll be a very, very high return on our investment.”
Dunn described the changes to student engagement as a Venn diagram with one circle being the Wintrode Student Success Center, and the other being “an equal student engagement center.” Willis and Hedge will host open informational sessions Sept. 11 and 12 from 9-10 a.m. in the University Student Union Dakota Room to talk about the new center.
President Barry Dunn discussed his stance on AI at the first Students’ Association meeting of the year on Monday night.
SDSU has established a committee led by Vice Provost for Graduation Education and Extended Studies, Victor Taylor to tackle AI usage on campus.
“It’s on everyone’s mind. It should be on yours,” Dunn said. “Our goal is to have everyone who graduates from SDSU aware of and comfortable with AI as a tool, and
also aware of and working on these ethical and moral boundaries that need to be placed on it.”
Dunn also discussed ongoing tree vandalism in Brookings.
“One of the big issues in town is, between here (campus) and downtown, when homeowners put new trees up, somebody – I’m not sure it’s a student, I really don’t think it is, breaks young trees off,” Dunn said. “I can’t tell you how many calls I’ve had about that.”
“We just need students to know that, if it is students, if it isn’t, it’s still good to know that these trees are necessary for Brookings,” said SA president Sophie Spier.
In other News at Monday’s meeting:
SA is looking to increase the student promotion fund by $10,000 this year. The student promotional fund is co-operated by SA and the Brookings Chamber and Visitors Bureau. These funds are used to sponsor events to encourage students to stay at SDSU.
The Board of Regents is doing a student survey released on September 29th asking students to rate their housing and dining experience. The survey will have an incentive to improve engagement.
SA PRESIDENT SOPHIE SPIER
PRESIDENT BARRY DUNN
Dirty soda event attracts students
Around 50 attendees were at the Agriculture Communicators of Tomorrow’s first club meeting of the school year Wednesday
SAMANTHA LYONS Reporter
A club focused on agriculture used the popular trend of sampling “dirty sodas” to bring students together for their first meeting of the new school year last week.
The Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT) met Wednesday night at Yeager Hall to get acquainted with one another and to plan the year. To make it fun, students mixed sodas with a range of added flavor and then sampled what they created. The first ACT meeting attracted around 100 attendees, which was a significant increase compared to meetings last year where sometimes only about 10 people attended.
Sophomore Emily Peter is studying Agriculture Communications, she had never tried a dirty soda before the ACT meeting.
“My dirty soda was excellent, and I would try more dirty soda variations again,” Peter said.
Emma Heiden, the club’s president, said other chapters across the nation incorporated dirty sodas into their meetings with great success. Since everyone loves a fun drink, Heiden and the rest of the officer team thought it would be a good way to bring people in. Heiden also serves as the national ACT president. In a recent video clip posted on the National ACT Instagram profile Heiden said, “I am super excited to serve this organization and meet all of our new members.”
A dirty soda is a custom-made beverage that has soda as the base, flavored syrups, creamer or fruit. People typically use Dr. Pepper, Diet Coke, Root Beer or Sprite as a base, then customize their add-ins as they go. Some students made their drink as simple as Diet Coke with a lime packet, while others made theirs with Dr. Pepper, creamer, grenadine and coconut flavored syrup.
Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT) is advised by professor
SAMANTHA LYONS / COLLEGIAN MEDIA
Students gather around to sample varieties of dirty soda mixtures on Wednesday outside of Yeager Hall.
Erica Summerfield. The primary aim of ACT is to provide students with a platform to discuss agriculture, advocate, compete and connect with each other. Competition includes contests where students submit writing samples, publications, electronic media, photography and public relations work. They are judged by industry professionals. The club gives students an outlet to showcase their work and grow personally and professionally, Summerfield said. Students who might be shy or lack confidence in their work
can use ACT to gain constructive feedback and get help from other members to improve.
During the meeting on Wednesday, attendees were introduced to this year’s ACT officer team. The officers told students about ACT, what it offers, the opportunities that it brings, and details about the next meeting on Oct. 2 in Yeager Hall.
What sets this organization apart from many others on campus is that ACT is very connected at a national level, Sum-
merfield said.
Many organizations will have industry speakers and do social events. But Summerfield said she thinks what makes ACT different is its strong network of connections across the country. This is beneficial because it allows for memebers to gain perspective beyond local or regional industry workers and opens the door for future collaboration, mentorship or employment through broader networks.
“We stay very well connected with other chapters across the country, which is cool,” Summerfield said. “But also, ag communicators are all over the world, so we get to stay connected with them as well.”
Even on a campus level, “We do have a lot of contests that promote student work instead of just listening to speakers,” Summerfield added.
This student work includes work that can be submitted in contests such as writing, photography, design, or other projects that allow students to showcase their communication skills in agriculture. Summerfield is always trying to build on student’s projects, be competitive in competition settings and build on resumes.
If you are a busy student or are unsure about starting a new organization, do it, Heiden said.
“Take every opportunity given to you, no matter if you think you’re too busy for it or it doesn’t seem like your thing right away,” Heiden added.
Participating in that new thing, even if you are scared, might lead to unexpected and rewarding experiences. For Heiden, she said her favorite part of ACT has been making all the connections. From the SDSU chapter to the conferences across the nation.
As for Peter she wants that, too.
“I hope to just meet new people and talk to other people who have the same interests as me,” Peter said.
Who’s hungry?
New restaurants added to the list of Brookings eatery options
JAYDN BERKENPAS Reporter
Students who returned from summer break might have noticed that the Brookings restaurant scene has changed.
A handful of new places have opened up in locations that previously housed other eateries. Here is a look at three of those new restaurants:
Chix Chicken and Waffles
Chix Chicken and Waffles began in Le Mars, Iowa, with nothing more than a food truck and a dream.
Founder Tracy Brent always has had a passion for creating delicious food and in 2020, she and a friend began their journey experimenting and perfecting a menu that became a fan favorite.
When her friend later chose a different path, Brent pressed forward with determination, turning that dream into reality in 2024 when she opened her own restaurant in downtown Le Mars.
That success led to the decision to expand to Brookings. On Aug 22, 2025, Chix Chicken and Waffles officially opened its doors in Brookings at the former Patriots Grub and Sweets at 2035 Orchard Drive. Try the Nashville fried chicken and their homemade waffles. The menu also fea-
tures buffalo ranch loaded fries, a variety of chicken sandwiches, the dirty bird and cowboy corn bites.
The restaurant is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Domellie’s American Steakhouse
Matt Chapman is the owner of Domellie’s American Steakhouse, a new restaurant coming to Brookings on Sept. 23. Domellie’s will be a chef-inspired steakhouse offering premium cuts of beef and other fine cuisine crafted with highend ingredients.
Guests can expect a fun, inviting dining space, perfect for celebrating special occasions, enjoying a date night or simply treating themselves to a meal.
Chapman, a culinary school graduate and a Brookings native, said he is excited to bring something new to his hometown.
“As a chef, I’ve always dreamed of having my own place. When this opportunity came along, I jumped at it,” Chapman said. “I wanted to bring something special back to the community I grew up in.”
Domellie’s, in the former Wilbert’s Alehouse at 929 25th Ave, will open beginning at 3p.m. Tuesday through Saturday with happy hour from 3-5p.m. Weekly, chefs will feature dishes highlighting fresh cuisine from across the country.
Along with the restaurant is a full ballroom event center, which seats up to 400 guests for weddings, corporate gatherings and other special events.
The name Domellie’s is a nod to Chapman’s two children, Dominic and Ellie. Although it’s not open yet, Chapman hopes that it will quickly become a staple in the community.
Chapman said he is excited to open and see all the community members enjoy this new restaurant.
Qiubo Restaurant
Qiubo, a restaurant offering Nicara-
guan, Mexican and Honduran cuisine, has taken over the location on South Main formerly known as Yessica’s at 1300 Main Ave South.
This family-friendly restaurant offers a new cultural experience filled with flavor and tradition. Qiubo is the creation of María Rebeca Salas, originally from Corinto, Nicaragua. Growing up surrounded by a hardworking, entrepreneurial family, Salas developed the same drive to create something of her own.
“Qiubo was created after many nights of dreaming with my little family,” Salas said. “We longed for a restaurant where we could enjoy delicious dishes that remind us of our traditions, culture, and the warm flavors of our country.”
Her vision was to bring those flavors and experiences to Brookings—making it possible for the community to share in the food and culture of Nicaragua.
Salas describes Qiubo’s menu as, “Full of family flavor—homemade, cozy, and comforting.”
Every dish is crafted to deliver the authentic taste of Nicaragua to South Dakota. The menu features dishes such as lengua en salsa, bacanal de mariscos, pollo en salsa blanca and street fries.
According to Visit Brooking, Qiubo
holds the distinction of being the first Nicaraguan restaurant in South Dakota. According to Salas, beyond the food, Salas and her team are committed to creating a welcoming, home-like atmosphere that makes every guest feel part of the family.
Qiubo officially opened on July 24 and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m.–9 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
HOURS
Chix Chicken and Waffles: Tues-Thurs 11:a.m. - 8p.m. Fri-Sat 11a.m.-8p.m. Qiubo: Tues-Sat 10a.m.-9p.m. Sun 9a.m.-5p.m.
Follow Domellie’s on Facebook and Instagram: @domellieskitchen
Visit the Domellie’s website: domellies.com
JAYDN BERKENPAS / COLLEGIAN MEDIA Qiubo, located at 1300 Main Ave South, offers Nicaraguan, Honduran and Mexican cuisine.
EMILY DECOCK / COLLEGIAN MEDIA
Chix Chicken and Waffles is open Tuesday through Thursday at 2035 Orchard Drive.
One Day for STATE exceeds $3 million
Story by Faren Bebeau Multimedia Journalist
5,000 donors from every state across the country helped contribute over $3 million raised for South Dakota State University during the ninth annual One Day for STATE event.
This year broke previous years’ numbers with $3,027,013 donated. Within the 24-hour period, One Day for STATE received funds from 5,855 donors, exceeding their goal of 5,000 donors.
The event kicked off Wednesday, Sept. 3, with Jack’s Journey. The kickoff event ramped up the celebration throughout the community.
On Thursday, the Yellow and Blue Block Party brought together students, staff, alumni and the Brookings community.
In celebrating the love for SDSU, the party featured food trucks, SDSU ice cream, yard games, a performance from The Pride of Dakota’s marching band, athletic team appearances and SDSU cheerleaders.
FAREN BEBEAU / COLLEGIAN MEDIA
A group of people pose for a photo at the Yellow and Blue Block Party on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in front of the SDSU Alumni Center in Brookings.
EMILY DECOCK / COLLEGIAN MEDIA
Associate Vice President for Philantropy for the SDSU Foundation, Keli Books, and President Barry Dunn pose for a photo as the Foundation gives out free SDSU Ice Cream to celebrate One Day for STATE on, near the west entrance to the Student Union.
FAREN BEBEAU / COLLEGIAN MEDIA
FAREN BEBEAU / COLLEGIAN MEDIA
The Pride of the Dakota’s Marching Bank along with the SDSU Cheerleaders perform at the Yellow and Blue Block Party, near Medary Avenue in Brookings.
JACKS BASH 3 RECAP
TAYLOR TENNANT
Assistant News Director
More than 22,000 fans filled Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium on Aug. 28 for Jacks Bash 3, starring Blake Shelton and Thomas Rhett with special guests Ty Myers and DJ Blake Horstmann. The event brought together students, staff and community members for an evening filled with music. Christi Williams, associate athletic director of operations, helped oversee the planning and execution.
“It went extremely well,” Williams said. She said planning takes about a year and involves a large team, including First PREMIER Bank and PREMIER Bankcard, vendors, contractors and SDSU staff.
“Those three entities, led by First PREMIER and PREMIER Bankcard, worked together and it went very well.”
According to Williams, the event didn’t present major challenges, but adjustments were needed for food and beverage service, security, parking and scheduling with other campus activities.
SDSU Facilities and Services also played a key role in making this event happen.
“They were a huge help,” Williams said. “They helped a ton with some electrical stuff and some carpenter stuff. They were a great liaison for me to kind of lean on.”
Williams noted that much of the work for the event was handled by people within the university, including student athletes, staff and other student groups on campus. She said every program and team was expected to contribute in some way, whether before, during or after the event, making it a true team effort.
The concert made an impact beyond the stadium, reaching both the Brookings community and the university.
“It was a great exposure to the university,” said Mike Lockrem, director of university marketing and communications. “It was exciting to have that magnitude in the community and on our campus.”
Williams said the success of Jacks Bash 3 highlights the importance of the partnership with First PREMIER Bank and PREMIER Bankcard.
“We wouldn’t be able to have events like this on South Dakota State’s campus if it wasn’t for them,” she said.
As for the future of Jacks Bash, Williams added that no discussions have taken place yet about the next concert, with the focus still on wrapping up and reviewing this year’s concert.
Jacks Bash 1 was headlined by Little Big Town on Sept. 8, 2016. The second Jacks Bash was held Sept. 8, 2021 and featured the Zac Brown Band.
Thomas Rhett performs at Jacks Bash 3 on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings.
JORDAN ROEMELING/COLLEGIAN MEDIA
Julie Eddy performs The Star Spangled Banner and DJ Blake Horstmann before Jacks Bash 3 on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025 at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings.
A couple watches as Ty Myers performs at Jacks Bash 3 on Aug. 28, 2025 , at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings.
SDSU team reflects on NASA competition win
ANDREW LEWNO Multimedia Journalist
South Dakota State University students claimed first place in May at NASA’s Gateways to Blue Skies contest in Palmdale, California, beating out the seven other universities that made the finals.
The theme of the competition was AgAir: Aviation Solutions for Agriculture. Each team was tasked with creating an aviation-based concept that would assist in efficiency, production, severe weather and environmental impact in agriculture by the year 2035 or sooner. SDSU’s Soil Testing and Plant Leaf Extraction drone, or STaPLE for short, ultimately crowned them the top step of the podium.
Todd Letcher, associate professor in mechanical engineering and the adviser for this project, said the 4-foot-by-4-foot GPS-operated drone has three pointed ends that penetrate the soil and collects data, as well as a robotic arm that carefully grips and snips a plant’s leaf. Agronomists use the data from these soil tests and tissue extractions in numerous ways, such as identifying what crops to rotate into a certain field, what fertilizer would work best on given sections of a field and if diseases or fungi are growing within the crops.
The aviation and agriculture-focused theme of the 2025 competition piqued Letcher’s interest because he recognizes the strengths and interests of SDSU’s programs, as well as its students. The four students – Nathan Kuehl of Westbrook, Minnesota, Keegan Visher of Excelsior, Minnesota, Laura Peterson of Fredericksburg, Virginia, and Nick Wolles of Dell Rapids, South Dakota, took Letcher up on the challenge.
The four seniors began theory-crafting the project during the fall 2024 semester and dedicated the spring semester to building the prototype. The team submitted their proposal for the competition in mid-February.
“We submitted (the proposal), we thought we had a pretty good idea, but I don’t know if any of us thought we actually would be a finalist in this competition,” Kuehl said. “It felt really good
after all that hard work that we put in last semester and a half to actually be selected and get flown out to California.”
But the group’s fairytale story did not end with just a finals nomination. After arriving in California and delivering an impactful presentation to the judges, they were selected as the first place overall winner of the 2025 NASA Gateways to Blue Skies Competition.
Letcher credited a key factor of the team’s success as their time working in tandem with another SDSU program: National Science Foundation Innovation Corps, or NSF I-Corps.
Letcher said the NSF I-Corps is a process that ensures a product being designed is a product people want. Consultations with 30 farmers, agronomists and regional agricultural experts during the brainstorming phase of the project showed a common need: that soil testing and tissue sampling take too much time and are far too imprecise. This in-depth research helped cement the Jackrabbits in their first overall placing. Their biggest takeaway from this adventure was their feeling of pride and confidence they gained from this experience. Kuehl said the team felt a boost in confidence after their initial presenta-
tion. They went from feeling like a small, midwestern school who was just happy to be there to feeling honored to win this prize for SDSU.
“That night we found out we won the whole competition, and that was just such a big confidence boost for us,” Kuehl said. “The feeling to bring home first place for South Dakota State was actually really cool.”
Letcher, who knew the team had something special from the start, was glad to see his team finally come around to this idea, as well. Letcher has advised teams for similar engineering projects in the past on a national level, which meant he had seen firsthand what he calls “Midwest modest mentality.”
When competing on a national level with larger schools, smaller schools from the midwest such as SDSU often feel as though their work is subpar, simply because of their geographical location or enrollment numbers. Letcher’s experience of bringing previous teams to various national competitions taught him that just because they are from a smaller place does not mean their work is not as impressive, and he was glad this team was able to see that, too.
Future of the Project
This fall semester, Letcher has a wave of younger students who have experience in similar NASA-based engineering competitions who have expressed interest in picking up where the now-Jackrabbit-alumni left off, as well as students who are potentially interested in participating in 2026’s Gateways to Blue Skies Competition. On top of that, Letcher also estimates there will be 50 to 60 new members of the Aerospace Club, most of whom are freshmen.
The increased interest in engineering opportunities at SDSU keeps Letcher hopeful that one day, the STaPLE drone may become normal practice for the agricultural world, and that last semester’s big success in California will not be a one-off story. But for this to happen, his hopes lie in the next generation of Jackrabbits, who he urges to get involved.
“If we’ve got people who are excited who are younger and want to join a team like this, we’ll take them and they can make very meaningful contributions to the team,” Letcher said.
“Even if they don’t know anything yet,” he added, “we didn’t know anything when we started, and the sooner you start, the smarter you get.”
TODD LETCHER / SUBMITTED PHOTO
The winning team members in NASA’s Gateways to Blue Skies competition hold their awards on May 21, 2025, at Armstrong Center in Palmdale, California. From left, faculty adviser Todd Letcher, Nick Wolles, Keegan Visher, Nathan Kuehl, Laura Peterson and graduate adviser Allea Klauenberg
Jacks improve to 3-1, and look ahead to Diet Coke Classic
CORDELL VITENSE
Sports
Editor
SDSU is coming off a successful weekend where they went 2-0 in the SDSU Invitational by beating Ole Miss and Wyoming.
In the Jack’s first matchup of the weekend Friday night, they faced Ole Miss. SDSU swept the Rebels 3-0.
The Jackrabbits won the first set 25-20. In the second, they got their largest victory of the night, defeating Ole Miss 25-18. The final set of the night ended with a final score of 25-20 to solidify the Jackrabbit sweep.
On Sunday afternoon, the Jacks went up against the Wyoming Cowgirls, where SDSU came out with a 3-1 win. Wyoming was coming off a tough 3-1 loss to Ole Miss on Saturday.
In the first set, Wyoming came out firing, taking a 1-0 match lead after defeating the Jacks 25-20. The Jacks won three straight sets to take a 3-1 win over the Cowgirls. It wasn’t an easy win, with sets two and four going into extended sets, with the Jacks winning set two 28-26 and set four 26-24.
SDSU is led by junior outside hitter Sylvie Zgonc. Zgonc is the reigning Summit League Player of the Year and is already making her case for a back-toback. In this young season, Zgonc has tallied 62 kills and 68 total points, which ranks her second in the Summit League in kills per set and points per set. Zgonc has also added 42 digs on the season.
The Jackrabbits’ second leading scorer is sophomore Madison Burr, who has 47 total points with 35 kills and 18 blocks.
Another key Jackrabbit contributor is freshman standout Hannah Klein, who has 39 kills and 42.5 points.
Dayton
The Jacks’ next test will be this Friday at 3 p.m. in the Diet Coke Classic hosted by Minnesota. The Jacks will play against a
Dayton team that is receiving top-25 votes.
Dayton is 3-2 on the season, with their first loss coming to a top-25-ranked Utah team and the second loss to Western Kentucky.
Dayton’s leading scorer is junior outside hitter Kamryn Hunt. Hunt has 53 total points on 47 kills while adding 23 digs and six blocks.
Senior Liana Sarkissian is second on the team in kills and points with 37 kills and 46.5 points.
The Flyers have two other players with over 30 kills on the year, with redshirt freshman Corrie Anderson tallying 33 and Senior setter Viktoria Wahlgren recording 32 and 42 assists.
USF
The University of South Florida will be the second team on the Jacks’ schedule this Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Diet Coke Classic.
USF is 2-3 on the season and looking to improve on their season last year, where they went 19-10 and 14-2 and won the American Athletic Conference Regular Season Championship before losing in the second round of their conference tournament.
Senior Maria Clara Andrade leads the Bulls in points and kills with 70 kills and 82 points while adding 44 digs and 12 blocks.
Two other players with 50+ points are Arianna Beckham with 52 kills and 55.5 points and Addy Brus with 41 kills, seven blocks, seven service aces and 51.5 total points.
Minnesota
Number 13-ranked Minnesota is on a five-game win streak heading into the Diet Coke Classic.
After a four-set loss in their opening game to the number eight-ranked Texas
A&M, the Gophers haven’t lost since to make their record 5-1.
And if the Gophers continue their win streak, they could be on a seven-game winning streak by the time they see SDSU on Sunday, September 14, at 3 p.m.
The Gophers are led by Julia Hanson, a senior from Savage, Minnesota. Hanson has 96 kills and 104 points on the season, which places her top five in the Big Ten in both categories. Junior middle blocker Calissa Minatee is second on the team in scoring with 49.5 points and 40 kills. Middle blocker Lourdés Myers is another key scoring threat for Minnesota, tallying 29 kills, 23 blocks and 44 points. The next time you will be able to see the Jackrabbits at home will be Friday Sept. 19 and Sept. 20 when they host Boise State.
The Jacks will open Summit League play in Denver October 2.
EAN WETZEL / COLLEGIAN MEDIA
SDSU volleyball team celebrates after scoring against Ole Miss last Friday. The Jackrabbits defeated the Ole Miss Rebels in a 3-0 sweep to get their second win of the season.
Jacks hit the road after tying Oregon State
JORDAN RADDATZ Sports Reporter
The South Dakota State soccer team looks ahead to their next two non-conference games after a draw against Oregon State at Fishback Soccer Park in Brookings on Sunday Sept. 7.
Oregon State
The first shot by Emma Brezenski just over two minutes in did not connect. Four minutes later, her second shot did and gave the Jacks a 1-0 lead. At the 47th minute, Emily Ibsen for the Beavers found the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1. Neither team could score from there as SDSU earned their third draw of the season to bring their record to 3-1-3.
“If you ask me how I feel about the result I’m disappointed. If you ask me how I feel about the performance I couldn’t be prouder,” said head coach Brock Thompson regarding the game against Oregon State. “I thought it was the most complete performance we had from opening whistle to final whistle over the course of the season.”
Brezenski led the Jacks in shots with seven, followed by Adrianne Agbayani with five. Hailee Christensen, Jenna Malloy, and Thomas Taylor each had two, while Makynile Cade and Lauren Eckerle each had one. The Beavers only had eight total shots in the match with three players having two a piece, including Ibsen.
Drake
SDSU hits the road to play Drake University. The Bulldogs are 3-2-2 after defeating Omaha 2-1 last Wednesday.
Angela Gutierrez leads the team in shots with 13, finding the back of the net once this season with another team-high three assists. Three other Bulldogs have double digit shots, including Eve Blakey, who has five goals and two assists with eight shots on goal. Madelyn Smith has ten shots with two goals and two assists. On goalkeeping, Addie Ford has a team-high 16 saves with a goals against average of .86 in her 523 minutes of play. Match time is Wednesday Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
Northern Colorado
SDSU returns home to host the Bears of Northern Colorado. Currently at a 1-4-2 record, they are coming off a 2-1 loss to Colorado College on Sunday and will play the University of South Dakota on Thursday night
before facing SDSU on Sunday.
Five goals have been scored by the Bears with Lexi Tuite scoring three of them. She also leads the team in shots with 15 and nine on goal. The goalkeeping tandem of Kaya Lindberg and Maddie Smith have combined for 39 saves, the second-highest in the Big Sky Conference. Match time is Sunday Sept. 14 at 1 p.m. and will be streamed on the Summit League Network through Midco Sports Plus.
JACKRABBIT SHOTS
No. 1: Emma Brezenski: 24
No. 2: Hailee Christensen: 12
No. 2: Adrianne Agbayani: 12
No. 4: Deizha Lyn Jacintio: 11
No. 4: Mia Bosch: 11
No. 4: Jenna Maloy: 11
DAVE EGGEN/INERTIA
Taryn Hettitch dribbles the ball agaisnt California Baptist University. The Jackrabbits defeated CBU 1-0 in their matchup this season.
Lauren Walter dribbles ball against Oregon State in the teams 1-1 tie.
JENNA BATKA/SDSU Athletics
Cross country season starts strong Jacks leave Augustana with two first-place finishes
CORDELL VITENSE
Sports Editor
Augie Cross Country
The men’s and women’s cross-country teams traveled to Sioux Falls on Friday to compete in the Augustana Twilight at Yankton Trail Park.
It was a successful trip for both the men and the woman, with both capturing a first-place finish.
Men
The SDSU men showed their dominance by taking places one through five in the four-mile race.
Senior Cody Larson grabbed the top spot with a time of 18:00.10, which was good enough for an SDSU course record.
Jackson Dutcher followed with a time of 18:19.03 and a new personal best for the junior.
Third was Cashton Johnson crossing the line with a time of 18:41.36. Closely behind Johnson was Brandon Kampsen with a time of 18:44.92.
Rounding out the Jackrabbit top five sweep was Junior Will Lohr with a time of 18:45.91.
Other Jacks who had good finishes were Dale Johnson, who had a time of 18:55.41, which was enough to place him eighth. Junior runner Luke Johnson crossed the line in 12th, clocking a time of 19:17.40.
A pair of Jackrabbit freshmen also showed what they could do in the first meet of the season. Cade Sanvik finished with a time of 19:12.66, while Jared Lutmer ended with a time of 19:24.41. The freshmen finished 10th and 16th, respectively.
South Dakota State Men took home first as a team, scoring 15 points, followed by Augustana in second with 63 points, Minnesota State in third, Concordia grabbed fourth and Doane rounded out the top five.
Women
The women took the top three spots in their contest. Claiming the top spot in the women’s 5k was SDSU Senior Ashlyn Hillyard, with a time of 17:04.27.
Just behind Hillyard was Junior Eleni Lovgren, coming in with a time of 17:04.76, just 0.49 seconds from a first-place finish.
Coming in third to secure the Jackrabbits with the top three spots was sophomore Courtney Stadter, with a
Cross Country Schedule
Sept. 19: Griak Invitational
time of 17:08.47.
The next Jackrabbit in the finishing order was Emma Gonzalez, coming home just outside the top-five with a time of 17:33.64 in sixth, just 0.69 seconds from a top-five five.
There was a run of Jackrabbit finishers from positions 14-18. Emma Ecker led the group with her time of 17:47.22. followed by Greta Peters, Annie Robinson, Nicole Swanson, with Kelsey Schmidt rounding out the group with a time of 17:56.03.
SDSU took home first in the women’s team standings with a score of 20. In a distant second was Minnesota State, scoring 75 points, followed by Augustana, Minnesota Crookston and Gustavus Adolphus in fifth
SDSU’s next meet will be the Griak Invitational in Minnesota and will take place Friday Sept. 19 at 10 a.m.
Falcon Heights, Minn.
Oct. 3: SDSU Classic
Brookings, S.D.
Oct. 17: Platte River Rumble
Ashland, Neb.
Oct. 18: Pre-Nationals
Columbia, Mo.
Oct. 23: Mount Marty Invite
Yankton, S.D.
Nov. 1: Summit League Championship
Ashland, Neb.
Nov. 14: NCAA Midwest Regionals
Stillwater, Okla.
Nov. 22: NCAA Championship
Columbia, Mo.
SDSU Athletics
Redshirt junior Cody Larson competes during Augustana University’s Twilight race on Sept. 5, 2025. Larson won Kwik Star Summit League Men’s Cross Country Peak Performer of the Week.
MINE RUNS DRY
Jacks spoil MSU Gold Rush, look forward to Drake
JACOB BRENDE Sports Editor
South Dakota State beat Montana State 30-24 in front of 22,117 fans in the Bobcat’s 18th annual “Gold Rush” game.
The gold rush is a big deal, a match in which all fans wear gold clothing in a show of support for the hosting Bobcats. Historically, they have been great in this game, entering last Saturday’s game with a 16-1 record. SDSU is the only team to have beaten MSU in that type of environment, having done it twice after the win on Saturday.
“It was super intense, I mean we expected it coming in, we were practicing for it, all due respect to these fans it was a great atmosphere,” said O’Groske in a postgame radio interview.
It wasn’t a pretty win, but it was an important win. After a third quarter that saw little offensive success from either team, SDSU was able to take a 17-10 lead after a Lofton O’Groske touchdown.
With 6:37 left on the clock, the Jackrabbits would punt the ball after a threeand-out. Punter Max Peltham would bail out after getting pressured and attempted to punt the ball near the sidelines but missed, allowing Montana State’s Seth Brock to score a four yard touchdown off of the fumble.
The Bobcats took the lead in the first overtime period with an Adam Jones rushing touchdown. Lofton O’Groske scored his second receiving touchdown of the game as Chase Mason connected on a two yard pass.
“He was (sensational), I don’t know what the stats and all of those sort of things say but he’s a guy for us, you know clearly he makes a ton of plays and he really bounced back,” coach Dan Jackson said of O’Groske, referencing a fumble he had in the first half during a postgame radio interview. “He had a mistake in
South Dakota State’s Matt Goehring celebrates with the ball after sacking Montana State’s Justin Lamson. The University of Sioux Falls transfer racked up two tackles, helping the Jacks record three sacks for a loss of 22 yards during the 30-24 win in double overtime.
the first half there but he didn’t hang his head, he didn’t sulk, and our guys have been through so much that any sort of adversity that hits it the game isn’t going to phase them, we’re just gonna keep rolling.”
As the game went into double-overtime, Mason on the first play of the drive threw a 25 yard pass to Brayden Delahoyde, the first ever reception of the season for the redshirt freshman. The Jacks would fail the two point conversion, and
the Bobcats had an opportunity to not just tie, but to win the game.
SDSU forced a fourth-and-one on their own five-yard-line, and their standout run defense came up with the game winning stop to give South Dakota State their second win against a ranked opponent this season.
This upcoming Saturday, the Jacks will look to continue their win streak against the Drake Bulldogs, who are coming off of a 41-7 win against a Division II team in
Upper Iowa. Drake quarterback Chase Spellman, who started his first collegiate game ever, threw for 233 yards on 14/16 passes and had two passing touchdowns. Spellman also ran for 37 yards and achieved two rushing touchdowns.
His favorite target was sophomore Hank Foley, who had five receptions for 127 yards and two touchdowns. Spellman wasn’t the only person debuting for the Bulldogs though, it was also Joe
SDSU Athletics
Woodley’s, the new head coach of Drake. He previously coached for NAIA school Grand View University, and did not lose a single regular season there throughout his 2019-2024 tenure.
Defensively, Drake thrived in the run game. Upper Iowa had 17 rushing attempts and had only 18 rushing yards, the longest longest rush going for 8 yards. The Bulldogs were decent at stopping the pass, allowing 187 receiving yards and a single touchdown.
One problem that South Dakota State will have to address this week is the red zone offensive production. Even in the Sacramento State game, scoring touchdowns in the red zone proved difficult for the offense.
Over the past two games, SDSU has either turned the ball over or has had to kick a field goal seven times after getting into the red zone. Improving the red zone efficiency will be key for future games against teams like NDSU, who SDSU lost to twice last season, both games being one possession losses.
Something else to note is the SDSU run game, a large part of the offensive identity. Running back Julius Loughridge saw great success as a runner, going for 159 yards on 22 carries. He ran for 99 yards on 23 attempts against Montana State, an average of 4.3 yards per carry.
Loughridge has been a very impactful runner for South Dakota State, but the team is certainly hoping to see a bit more run production for Mason, who has run for 64 yards on 32 attempts. Last season, Mason was able to rush for 464 on only 46 runs. If he can replicate that sort of production this year, the rushing attack will get even more dangerous.
It’ll be SDSU returning home to host Drake football this weekend in their third game of the season. Despite the win, the Jacks will look to get better ahead of this upcoming matchup and hope to march on to a 3-0 record. You can watch the 6 p.m. matchup on ESPN.
SDSU Athletics
ABOVE: South Dakota State Defensive Tackle Logan Green yells out after a SDSU defensive stop. Green had 1.5 sacks during the game, totaling a loss of 13 yards. He was also selected as a team captain for this season.
SDSU Athletics
RIGHT: South Dakota State teammates Dawson Ripperda (99) and Logan Green (51) celebrates a defensive stop during the second overtime of an FCS college football game against Montana State, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman, Mont.
