Photo by: Jenna VanderWaal
Photo by: Rebekah Cerezo
EDITORS
LEXI HENGEVELD
LYDIA KLINE
EMMA EDWARDS
GRACE FLAHERTY
GUNNER GOULD
REGAN LARDY
MYLIN LEMKE
MARA NELSON
Beyond the Court
By: Mylin Lemke
USF TENNIS
The University of Sioux Falls Women’s Tennis team is back in action, after a successful season making another trip back to the semi-finals of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference tournament and a nice off season. With a packed Fall and good competition, the team members say the women are looking strong with most of them returning and some promising new additions as well. Head Coach Kevin Grebin said, “I really like how my returning players approached their roles and continued to embrace our team motto for the new incoming players.”
The Cougars are involved in a total of six events this Fall, traveling from Minnesota to Oklahoma. The season started off at home in the Augustana Invitationals with back to back weeks. Then the team competed in the Gustavus Invite, Northwestern Dual, and Oklahoma Regional tournament. So far the Lady Coo say they have had solid results, battling against tough competition and coming out with hard fought wins, while still being able to enjoy the moment and make long lasting memories. Rounding out the Fall season, the team played one last October tournament back at Gustavus.
USF Tennis Team at Oklahoma Regional Tournament
USF Tennis Team at Gustavus Invite
College athletes know results and winning are a constant for each sport in terms of success and goals. But winning isn’t everything and success can be defined differently. Senior Captain Jaelyn Haler says, “Playing this sport and being where I am today, at USF, on this team with amazing people, is such a gift from God. My ultimate goal is to just have fun and give God the glory.” Head Coach Kevin Grebin talked about the team’s togetherness and cooperation.“Just how well this team has glued together, how well they support each other and the atmosphere we have both on and off the court.”
For many years the team consisted of about eight to ten girls each year. But more recently, it has grown from 14 to 20 girls. The teammates say every girl pushes each other to do their best and the energy is always running high, which makes it easier. Each girl may play individually on the court but at the end of the day, it is for one another. “Seeing the fun the players have and developing lifelong relationships, I like being able to be with such wonderful young players and watching them grow in so many ways,” said Grebin.
It is this reporter’s second year on the team. The memories and bonds will always be remembered. I believe that tennis is more than a sport, it is the people that make it. My teammate Jaelyn Haler said, “I play because I love the sport and continue to play the sport through the highs and lows because I was gifted with the ability to do so and it is so much more than just the sport of tennis for me.”
There are only four years allowed to compete, it sounds like a lot but that isn’t much time. Especially entering the last few years of competitive play. The players know there isn’t time to start drama and worry about the little, petty things. It is time to live in the now, be present, and cherish the final moments that are being given to step out onto the court for the last few times.
Associate professor of Business Administration Dr. Bruce Watley, said in my entrepreneurial class, that we should view success as a process rather than a place. It is the events that occur within the process that make success. It doesn’t materialize instantly or occur at a point in life.
What I love about tennis is the aspect of being part of the team, training and pushing one another, creating long lasting memories, and enjoying the now, which is success.
by: Anab Nuur
Photos
Coach Kevin Grebin
left Asst. Coach Kevin Plank, middle Jaelyn Haler, right Emma Rangel
L I B R A R Y
By: Gunner Gould
When you walk into a library, you’d expect to see books, books, and more books. University of Sioux Falls’ Norman B. Mears Library is no different. Walls and walls of books, both upstairs and downstairs with the occasional magazine or movie display here and there. Recently, however, they’ve added a bit more.
Sometime last year, USF’s Student Life came across a few bicycles. They wanted to have a way to loan them out to students, but weren’t sure how. Enter Mears Library, teaming up to create what would be called the “bike-share program.” “It was their idea but they don’t have any way of checking things out” says head librarian Annie Sternberg. “They asked if they could do that through the library and I said, ‘yes of course’.” This is on top of the state park passes that are already available at the library, which you can check out to go to any state park in South Dakota completely free of charge.
With the popularity of the bike share program, USF’s Student Life wanted to give students more opportunities to have fun on campus. They started with hammocks, with three having a static spot on campus with a few more that students can check out from Mears Library. Student Life also spent some time in August setting up a disc golf course all over campus. Students can use disc golf frisbees from Mears Library at USF’s disc golf course or go off campus and go through one of the ones around Sioux Falls. Additionally, Mears Library has regular frisbees, baseballs, softballs, and baseball gloves for checkout as well. For more information, just stop into Mears Library!
COMMUNITY building
by: grace flaherty
You may have heard USF’s Concert Chorale sing during chapel, during campus events, and around the community. While the Concert Chorale is widely known, a lesser-known choir is USF’s Collegiate Choir. Dr. David DeHoogh-Kliewer, professor of music and director of choral activities for 18 years, explains the differences between these two choirs. “Collegiate Choir is a great place for new students to be introduced to our choral program. Some people like it so much that they stay for several years. Members of the Concert Chorale have to audition, but the Collegiate Choir focuses more on community and welcoming.” A usual Collegiate Choir rehearsal starts off with a word of prayer followed by some sight singing. Sight singing helps students learn how to sing a song without previously knowing it. They work on this the entire semester. After some sight singing, they work on rehearsing songs for the next upcoming concert they will sing at.
Collegiate Choir usually consists of freshmen who are just starting to learn things, but there are some upperclassmen who have been singing with the treble choir for years beforehand. These students are called veterans. The veterans make up the Collegiate Choir council and plan parties and activities. The September event they planned was the Collegiate Choir retreat that was held on September 13, 2024. The choir started a regular rehearsal and after an hour of singing, they walked to the quad
to play various ice-breaker and getting to know you games. After this, the group walked to First Baptist Church to learn about the history it has with USF and play some other games as well as eating a Fazoli’s dinner. The most important thing at the collegiate retreat is the candle circle. Everyone sits in a big circle and DeHoogh-Kliewer provides candles with holders and turns the light off.
Someone starts off lighting their candle as they tell the story of how they found USF or why they are in choir. These stories can be very profound and deep, while others can be lighthearted and fun. Once the person is done, they light the candle of the person next to them and they then tell their story. This goes on until every candle in the room is lit, creating a luminescent, and safe environment. Once every candle is lit, they then learn the song “I Love You Lord.” This song is sung before every concert. After learning the song, everybody blows out their candle, and the candle circle is complete. When asked about what his own favorite activity was, DeHoogh-Kliewer stated without hesitation that it is the candle circle. To close the night, everyone walked back to campus to eat some smores and hang out with each other as the night grew darker. When DeHoogh-Kliewer was asked why having the retreat is so important, he said, “When we know each other better, we make better music.” The intended purpose of the retreat is to build community.
Collegiate Choir students playing Ships and Sailors. One of the commands is “North Star” where five people have to get together and point upwards until the next command is spoken.
Photos by: Grace Flaherty
JENIFER
THE AMAZON BOX
By: Emma Edwards
You may have seen the big Amazon box located at the southside of the McDonald Center. The brains behind bringing an Amazon box or pickup location to the University of Sioux Falls, was Jennifer Knutson, Director of Cougar Central. “I understood that it is frustrating for students to not be able to pick up their Amazon packages on nights and weekends. So, I started an application, and Andrew Porteous and I worked with Amazon to bring the locker here. Due to its location outside, students can access it 24/7 when it is convenient for them,” said Knutson.
The Amazon box is named Jenifer, but it is not actually named after Jennifer Knutson, that is just a fun little coincidence. How Jenifer the Amazon box works is quite simple and easy. First, find everything you would like to purchase, put it in your cart, select “pick up your package and find a pickup location near you”, and then select Jenifer from the list of lockers. Once the package is delivered, you will receive a notification containing a 6-digit number pick up code and instructions on how to retrieve your shipment. Your packages need to be picked up within 3 days, if not, they will be returned to Amazon. Once you go to the Jenifer box, you just type in your 6-digit code on the screen and the locker with your packages will swing open for you to grab. Jenifer is free to use, has 24/7 access, and is available for everyone to use: students, teachers, and even people that live close by. Sadly, not everything is able to go in the lockers such as large items, subscribe & save, and any orders not fulfilled by Amazon. Since the mailroom is not open all the time and is closed over the whole Christmas break, Jenifer makes it super helpful to be able to pick up your package at any time. So, come try and check out Jenifer the Amazon box, located below the stairs on the southside of the McDonald Center.
A look inside students’ black and white photo assignment
Photography II - Dr. Nick Poppens
Photo by: Aiden DeBoer
By: Emma Edwards
Photo by: Gunner Gould
Photo by: Alivia Tindall
Photo by: Jenna VanderWaal
Photo by: Kyndra Wonnenberg
Photo by: Aidan DeBoer
Photo by: Savannah Vincent
Photo by: Rose Seppala
Photo by: Rebekah Cerezo
Photo by: Cierra O’Malley
THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT FOR USF WOMEN’S SOCCER
by: mara nelson
USF Women’s Soccer Captain Alivia Tindall
Words to describe the University of Sioux Falls Women’s Soccer team this fall would be competitive and young. Although the 2023 record for the Cougars was 3-8-3 within conference play, new expectations and goals are expected to uplift the team towards better results.
Looking at this year’s roster, much has changed. Out of 30 total girls, 19 consist of underclassmen, making this one of the youngest rosters in program history. A spirited freshmen class has made an immediate impact according to captain, Alivia Tindall. “The incoming girls have continued to build on the foundation we’ve already created, bringing in new perspectives and high energy,” she said. Not only is this year’s team one of the youngest, but it is also one of the biggest. The University of Sioux Falls competes in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, NSIC, which happens to be one of the most competitive DII conferences in the country for women’s soccer.
Depth is vital to maintain a healthy and successful team. Tindall also spoke on the team’s newfound depth and how that can make a difference in the long run. “Not only does more depth mean a higher competitive environment at practice each day, but it also gives players more recovery time to avoid injury.” Staying healthy is critical to every team, as the post-season conference tournament does not start until mid-November.
The Cougars have never felt the pride of punching a ticket to the playoff tournament, but this year one of their main goals is to change that. Energetic freshmen, more experienced sophomores, and seasoned upperclassmen may just be the formula to accomplishing that long-awaited goal.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOSH JURGENS, JURGENS PHOTOGRAPHY
USF OUTDOOR INSTRUMENTAL CONCERT ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4 IN THE SCIENCE CENTER PLAZA
Photo by: Regan Lardy