04.06.2022

The Volante

THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887 VERVE (B1, B2)

W E D N E S D AY, A P R I L 6 , 2 0 2 2

USD visited by pianist known nationally, Robert Palmer

Multiple women athletes break personal records at Early Bird event

USD’s music department gets visited by nationally known pianist Robert Palmer for a recital and masterclass.

Women’s track and field sees five first place finishes at Early Bird meet on April 2.

VOLANTEONLINE.COM SPORTS (B3, B4)

TIOSPAYE BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER AS WACIPI RETURNS TO CAMPUS Maddi Kallsen

Maddilynn.Kallsen@coyotes.usd.edu

The Tiospaye student council hosted the annual Wacipi, marking the 48th annual celebration. The event lasted over a period of three days starting with an alumni dinner on April 1, and the following two days consisted of dancing competitions, drumming, a grand entry, various vendors and an overall celebration.

In the Lakota language, Wacipi translates to “they dance,” Rachel Overstreet, the Tiospaye Student Council president, said. Due to COVID19, the Wacipi was put off for two years but with enough people vaccinated, the annual event carried on this year.

“One of the great things about having our biggest cultural event as a powwow is because it’s celebratory,” Overstreet said. “And so the way it’s structured is very open. I think that encapsulates the spirit of Native students at USD. We’re really excited to be here and we want to share who we are with everybody else.”

The first Wacipi at USD was hosted in 1972, John Little, USD director of Native recruitment and alumni engagement, said.

“This (Wacipi) is student-led. And I think that’s what makes it so impactful is that it’s, you know, five or six students that are working really hard to put it together. It’s really awesome to be back,” Little said.

Megan Red Shirt-Shaw, USD director of Native student services, said this event is very important to not only the USD community, but also the entire state and surrounding area.

“We welcome the USD community to come experience this. It’s an event that’s open to everybody whether you identify with Native people or culture or not,” Red Shirt-Shaw said. “We just really want the greater USD, Vermillion and South Dakota community to see how tremendously proud of them we are and the accomplishments they’ve made.”

Overstreet said this event allows for pure joy and interconnected unconditional love to be expressed.

“There’s just tons of Native joy at USD especially. And so, the powwow lets us express that and share that with other people. It’s important you come and get a bigger picture about what it means to be Native, outside of all of the less happy things, or less perfect

realities that come with being Native in America,” Overstreet said.

This event is a joyous celebration and allows for students to connect with culture, community and family, Red Shirt-Shaw said.

“For students to be able to come here, celebrate with their communities and their families and to witness that for them is just such a special thing to be a part of,” Red Shirt-Shaw said.

USD freshman Trinity Red-Day said this year’s theme, Ehanke Han Wiconi Wan Unkiyawkte, meaning, “reconnecting with our history,” illustrates the representation of past Wacipis and ancestral history.

“After not having one for two years since COVID, it feels like something new,” Red-Day said.

USD junior Aspen Williston said the Wacipi is a way to connect with one another and with spirituality giving energy.

“Don’t be scared to get involved.

Because a lot of people are probably questioning like, can I go to stuff like that? Just don’t be scared. Just show up.

Be yourself. We’re accepting, generous people. So it’ll be great,” Williston said.

Cheryl Crazy Bull, president and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, was the keynote speaker at the alumni dinner.

“This past August, I celebrated 40 years of working in tribally controlled education. That’s where my heart is. I believe that as Indigenous peoples, we have a right to tribally controlled education, whether we go to a tribal college, or a predominantly white institution like the university itself. You have that right,” Crazy Bull said.

Crazy Bull graduated from USD in 1979 with a degree in business and got her masters from SDSU in educational leadership.

“We say I am the dream of my ancestors. I just want to tell you that you are actually our dreams come alive.

You are actually the dreams that we had 40 years ago, 50 years ago, and we love you, Crazy Bull said. “We want you to have the very best that life has to offer.

We want you to know yourself as a person. We want you to take care of your family in a good way. We want you to gather all the knowledge and throw that knowledge out there to your family and the generations who will come after us.

You are very beloved to us.”

Madison Martinez| The Volante

The Tiospaye Student Council hosted its 48th annual Wacipi this year to share the Native culture with USD and the surrounding area.

Madison Martinez| The Volante

Organizers of the Wacipi were happy to welcome as many people as possible to the event. The theme of this year’s Wacipi was about reconnecting with the history og Indigeonous people.

Chemistry department honors late professor Haines with annual lecture Allison Horkey

Allison.Horkey@coyotes.usd.edu

USD’s chemistry department hosted its annual Haines Lecture on April 4. Although the lecture is traditionally every year, it has not been given for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Naomi Halas Ph.D., from Rice University in Houston, Texas, flew up to USD to give the lecture. Unlike most lectures hosted by the chemistry department, the Haines Lecture is a much larger lecture open to the public.

Halas’s lecture, “Nanomaterials and Light for Sustainability and Societal Impact,” focused on her research about gold nanoparticles and how they can be used in cancer treatments and as a means for sustainable energy production. So far, her research and nanoparticles have been used in a new treatment for prostate cancer which is currently being reviewed by the FDA. “The second topic I talked about was photocatalysis done

with plasmonic nanoparticles, and that’s exceptionally promising for doing chemistry at much lower temperatures than are currently done in the industry. So it’s a really great chance of not using fossil fuels for driving high temperature reactions, but actually doing reactions hundreds of degrees below what is currently done in the industry,” Halas said.

Rick Wang Ph.D., an associate professor for USD’s chemistry department, is responsible for organizing seminars and lectures like the Haines Lecture. Wang said many people in the department work with nanoparticles so this lecture is particularly relevant for the department.

“So everybody, I mean, almost everybody in the chemistry department works on nanomaterials.

So in some ways our research is also related, but many of us work on different types of nanomaterials and their applications in their potential impact to society,” Wang said. “So we are addressing different types of

all kinds of issues, such as renewable energy, global warming, medicine, I think, in many ways, in that sense, we are working in the same area as Dr. Halas with different types of molecules and different materials.”

Halas is one of the leading researchers in her field and does many lectures across the country. She said she always hopes students walk away from her lecture with excitement for the field and the direction it’s heading.

“There’s new things not just to be discovered, but also how those discoveries can make an impact, right?

So we have big challenges in the 21st century. We have health challenges, global health challenges, we also have challenges in terms of environment and sustainability. And it’s really in (the students’) hands. They’re the young people and their careers are just starting. So that’s what is so important for them to understand,” Halas said.

“It’s important to see these sorts of things and realize chemistry is not an old science. Chemistry is a super young one. There’s new ways to do

things. (There are) new discoveries every day. And that kind of sense of excitement I hope that students really, really gained from this.”

Wang said he is very excited for the chemistry department to be able to host the lecture again after two years, especially because the lecture is open to everyone in the community.

Wang said the lectures are important for students to network, socialize and to celebrate the department and legacy of Arthur Haines, the namesake of the lecture series.

“We are proud to continue this awesome tradition of our university.

I think this is a great opportunity for everybody, not just chemists, everybody from not just USD but from the local region to attend and participate. I think students will benefit from just hearing what the leading scientists say,” Wang said.

“It is also great to celebrate science, to celebrate innovation, to inspire creativity, to inspire ambition and just a great occasion to socialize, to come together and to celebrate.”

Submitted | The Volante

A Professor from Rice University in Texas gives A lecture to USD. Naomi Halas gave the first Haines lecture in two years after the annual lecture was postponed due to COVID-19.

News The Volante I volanteonline.com USD sweeps SDSU in Esports Valorant competition

A2 Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Bennett Clary | The Volante

On April 3, the USD Esports team took on SDSU where the overall outcome was 2-0.

CITY OF VERMILLION POLICE BLOTTER HIGHLIGHTS

1

2

theft

March 27 An officer responded to a past tense report of a window being broken at a business. This is still under investigation.

March 27 Officers responded to a report of damage to a vehicle that was parked in front of a local business.

March 27

March 28

An officer responded to a residence for a noise complaint. According to an adult in the home, the source of the noise was identified as children who had gotten overly excited about a song being played by Insane Clown Posse. The issue was resolved with a warning.

An officer conducted a traffic stop for speeding in a school zone. The driver was issued a citation.

March 27 An officer responded to a residence for a welfare check, as the caller hadn’t heard from a family member in several days. The officer learned the subject of the welfare check was fine.

1

traffic stops

March 28 Officers responded to a residence for a medical emergency and assisted the ambulance crew when they arrived.

March 29 Officers located a juvenile who admitted to vandalizing a business that was closed. Additionally, the juvenile admitted to stealing items

from another business. Officers released the juvenile to a parent and charges are pending.

March 29 Officers investigated a report of a juvenile who had run away from home. Juvenile was believed to have left on their own accord.

March 29 Officers responded to a local business to investigate a report of a possible theft. Officers determined that no crime had been committed.

March 29 An officer responded to a convenience store for a reported theft. The officer located the suspect who was also driving with a suspended license. Charges are pending.

SGA votes to change AASA and Esports’ organization statuses

>> March. 27 - March 31

medical emergency

March 29 Officers investigated a report of suspicious activity outside of an apartment complex. No arrests were made.

March 30 While an officer was conducting parking enforcement downtown, they located a teenager who had left home without parent permission, and was out well past curfew. The teenager was returned home.

March 30 Vermillion PD officers assisted a neighboring agency with locating the owner of an abandoned vehicle.

for speeding. The driver was issued a citation.

March 30 Officers responded to a third party report of a domestic incident.

Officer’s investigation found no crimes had been committed although the couple admitted to having a verbal argument. No arrests were made. Alcohol was a factor.

March 31 Officers responded to a reported dispute between persons. Officer’s investigation found the dispute to be civil in nature and found no criminal activity. Officers cleared the scene after advising both parties of ways to resolve their dispute.

March 30 An officer conducted a traffic stop

The Volante Volume 148, No. 1 April 6 , 2022 www.volanteonline.com Al Neuharth Media Center 555 N. Dakota St. University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD 57069 Adviser Kyle Miller

Allison Horkey news editor

Keeley Thomas news assistant

Rachel Thompson news designer

Madeline Knau verve editor

Rachel Pechous verve designer

Chloe Fullenkamp sports designer

Emma Daggett opinion editor

Jozie Hunter opinion designer

Allison Horkey | The Volante

At SGA’s weekly meeting senators discussed the organization status of the AASA and Esports to large organizations and finance guidlines as well as some other SGA operational procedures.

SGA also read a resolution commemorating Dawn Plitzuweit.

Mission statement The Volante covers issues relevant and interesting to USD students. Faculty, staff and community members are welcome readers, but the newspaper is written and presented for a diverse community of students from the students’ point of view. The paper should provide a variety of information, entertainment and educational opportunities for the readers. The Volante encourages everyone to write letters to the editor.

The Volante wishes to be viewed by students as respectable, objective, accurate, fair and trustworthy. If you have comments, concerns or questions, please contact The Volante at 677-5494.

The Volante is distributed Wednesdays during the academic year free of charge locally with the cost of $1 for each additional copy. One year subscription rates are $40, which solely covers the mailing costs.

The Volante does not endorse, promote or encourage the purchase or sale of any production service advertised in this paper. Advertisements are the sole responsibility of the advertiser.

The Volante disclaims all liability for any damage suffered as the result of any advertisement in this newspaper. The Volante reserves the right to refuse any advertising.

Bailey Zubke photo editor

Maddi Kallsen copy editor

Maddi Kallsen social media director

Kaitlyn Kumm advertising manager

Sydney Johnson editor-in-chief

Bennett Clary

managing editor

News

A3 Wednesday, April 6, 2022

The Volante | volanteonline.com

Dispatches from the CDC: A united front

Allison Horkey

Allison.Horkey@coyotes.usd.edu

This is the seventh installment of a series recording the experiences of students and faculty involved with the Center for Diversity and Community (CDC). The series seeks to highlight why this organization was so impactful on the USD community and why the CDC was more than the sum of its parts.

“My very first time when I came to the CDC, I remember, just coming up the stairs and it was just there. It was loud, there was music, there was something attractive and I was like, okay, you know, ‘what’s going on in there? Let me just go see.’ And I remember that’s where I first officially met Marcus (Destin), and Saeed (Dabbour) and Ashley (Charlie),” Ntombi Ngeleka said. “And I just remember Saeed coming up to me, and he was just like, ‘hey, what’s your name?’ And I told him (and) I told him I was a freshman and he was like,

‘Oh, you’re a freshman!’ And he just kind of introduced me to everyone and that was my first time coming up to the CDC and it was just such a great experience. I will never forget it.”

Ngeleka is the vice president of the Union of African American Students (UAAS) and a sophomore at USD. Ngeleka is also involved with the African Student Association and the International Club.

Immediately, Ngeleka said she felt like the CDC was a place she could call home and felt very welcomed by the people there.

“My experience was, I guess I can only say it’s like a once in a lifetime experience as a freshman, you know, it feels like coming in here, it just felt like the right place.

The people were just so welcoming. I mean, you had Saeed (and) Dr. Chandler was here…,” Ngeleka said. “They were all just so nice and welcoming. And they never made you feel like an outsider.

They really made you feel like you belonged, even if that was your first and last time stepping (into the CDC).”

The CDC was a community at USD and a community Ngeleka grew into throughout her time on campus. She said the CDC was a place for learning and coming together.

“I’d say the CDC is more than just the different organizations that are involved. I think, to me, it represents people from all over coming together, to support each other, to help each other, be there for each other, learn from each other (and) be mentors to each other. It’s about us all coming together,” Ngeleka said. “It could be for many different things. But I think one thing is that, although we all come from different places, and we all have so many different experiences, we could just come together as one united front.”

Ngeleka said one of the Multicultural Leadership

departments and faculty. When first established, the committee operated on a zero-dollar budget, but with time was able to gain a greater audience of people seeing a necessity for its provided services.

“Budget is still an issue, but I think people are seeing a need for this. It really helps everyone, and I think the leadership here at the university is starting to see the importance of this because there’s a higher number of students coming in with disabilities, registered or not,” Jackson said.

Jackson said entering an institution, many individuals with disabilities face the similar challenge of not receiving the proper tools and resources they need to access the campus both digitally and physically.

“I think as an institution, we have a responsibility to respond

to these needs rather than saying, ‘sorry, you need to go to a different school,” Jackson said.

The Digital Accessibility Committee requires all faculty to complete an online training course, ensuring they understand the process of how to make their course materials accessible to all students. Additionally, the committee uses several automated tools including Blackboard Ally and Siteimprove which provide accessibility scores and feedback on how to improve the content’s accessibility.

Jackson is hopeful these reports will help the committee reach its goal of having USD web documents receiving a 95 percent compliance score and other course content sustaining an 85 percent compliance score within the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

Institute (MLI) retreats, hosted by the CDC, she attended was very impactful to her as a leader. Even with the retreat being on Zoom because of the COVID19 pandemic, she said the experience changed her perspective on leadership.

“I had learned what it takes to be a leader but also all the different types of leaders that we had in the CDC. And although some of them did graduate, they are still great leaders here. And I think that (MLI) really put into perspective what you could take away, what you could learn and how much you could grow within the CDC,” Ngeleka said.

Like many students, Ngeleka felt the loss of the CDC as a loss of a safe space on campus. Ngeleka said she still wants to make sure the community of the CDC is preserved and rebuilt.

“It feels like we don’t really have a place anymore. And (the CDC) was our place that we could come to, but I

Submitted | The Volante

Ashley Charlie, Gabi Luveano and Ntombi Ngeleka (left to right) celebrate together at the Ruby Ball this year. The Ruby Ball was hosted by UAAS, an organization which used to operate under the CDC.

know with the changes and everything we have to rebuild that, but it does feel like it was kind of just ripped away from us,” Ngeleka said.

Most importantly, Ngeleka wants the memories, community and values of the CDC to live on and continue contributing to USD and the students.

“Although the name is (gone) and everything else

was kind of ripped away, one thing for me is I don’t want this place to lose that memory and lose that home feeling.

Although, all these changes have been made and all these things have happened, I don’t want it to just pull away from what the CDC originally was and what it meant,” Ngeleka said.

USD’s Digital Accessibility Committee working to improve content accessibility Karlee Phillips

Karlee.Phillips@coyotes.usd.edu

The USD Digital Accessibility Committee is looking to enhance its digital content for students and faculty on campus.

Angela Jackson, coordinator and chair of USD’s Digital Accessibility Committee, said the board seeks to ensure all digital spaces on campus are accessible to individuals with disabilities.

“Our goals are centered around striving to ensure that all aspects of electronic information technology from procurement to online courses and public web pages are accessible to individuals with disabilities,” Jackson said.

Formed in 2019, the committee set two initial goals: acquire a campus buy-in by developing a policy and communicate the program’s mission among campus

Submitted | The Volante

USD’s Digital Accessibility Committee works to ensure students are supported as technology becomes more prevelant and necessary on college campuses.

Founder of Lost&Found passes away in Seattle home Sydney Johnson

Sydney.G.Johnson@coyotes.usd.edu

Former USD student, Dennis “DJ” Crawley-Smith passed away at the age of 30 on March 21.

Crawley-Smith, a Mitchell native, died in his Seattle home due to a brain tumor he was diagnosed with roughly six years ago.

While a student at Mitchell High School, Crawley-Smith created the idea for Lost&Found, a suicide prevention organization.

His idea for this organization began through an informal Facebook group in 2008, which in a year grew to over 3,600 members.

Crawley-Smith’s reason for creating a group focused on suicide prevention stemmed from his own personal experience with mental health stigma as well as the stigmas placed on the LGBTQ

community throughout his teenage years, according to the Lost&Found website.

The formal nonprofit began in 2010 when Crawley-Smith and four of his friends, Matt Bartl, Brittany Levine, Kristina Hill and Erik Muckey, formed the Lost&Found Board of Directors.

It was with Muckey that CrawleySmith was able to start the first Lost&Found chapter at the USD in 2011.

In 2014, after Lost&Found chapters had begun to spread to South Dakota State and Dakota State University, CrawleySmith handed the nonprofit over to Muckey who has led the organization since.

During his time at USD, Crawley-Smith served as the president of SGA 2012-2013, executive director of the South

Pink Ladies fight against cancer

Dakota Student Federation 20132014, was involved in Phi Delta Theta and studied political science until his graduation in 2014 where he went on to serve in the Peace Corps in Tanzania. After returning from Tanzania, Crawley-Smith returned

to

school

at

The

University of Washington where he pursued a Master of Art degree at the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies in 2019.

Crawley-Smith married Ben Crawley on August 6, 2021, after meeting during his time in the Peace Corps.

He is survived in life by his husband, parents, Patrick and Veronnica Smith; his siblings, Shea, Emmy and Andrew, and his grandparents Dennis and Carol

Bennett Clary | The Volante

The Pink Ladies Dart League hosts competition to raise money for cancer patients in the local community.

Smith and Augusta Curry.

Bennett Clary

Bennett.Clary@coyotes.usd.edu

The first annual Pink Ladies Dart

League

tournament

was held on April 2 at the Vermillion Eagles Club. This tournament hosted 25 teams of four people from across South Dakota to raise money to help cancer patients.

President of the Pink Ladies Dart League Reda Brewer said the league started in

Yankton

and

hosted

their first tournament in Vermillion. Brewer started Bennett Clary | The Volante

The Pink Ladies Dart League is from Yankton, SD but have started hosting tournaments in Vermillion. The league will host another six-week league in two weeks.

all the money raised goes to

give back in different ways,”

help cancer patients who live

Brewer said.

in Clay County.

The next six-week league

“Most of the people here have either gone through cancer or have a family member

that

has

gone

through cancer, so it touches their heart,” Brewer said.

Brewer said they raise money through silent auctions and other fees which are all donated to patients. She said during the six-week league they can raise around $600, but it depends on how many teams they get to participate.

starts in a few weeks, Brewer said and anyone can compete as long as they have a four person team.

“It’s actually open to anybody, so students can actually shoot. They can look us up on Facebook, we’re the Vermillion Pink Ladies and we try to post on there. If they want to be involved they can get a hold of us through there,” Brewer said.

the league in 2018 because

“We went through a

Students can reach out to

both her mom and dad have

couple years of COVID so

Brewer through email, Reda.

fought cancer and she wanted

it was a little low, but we’re

Brewer@usd.edu,

to raise money. Brewer said

all very passionate so we all

Facebook with any questions.

or

over

Opinion WEDNESDAY APRIL 6, 2022

THE VOLANTE

VOLANTEONLINE.COM/OPINION

EDITORIAL

Editorial: Award shows have lost their appeal

Over the last few years, award shows have slowly been losing their hold on society. These awards, like the Emmys, VMAs and Golden Globes, are still important for those being nominated. However, for viewers, the awards have little importance.

These award shows have become popularity contests, fashion shows and a platform for political discussions.

These actors and artists show up to the red carpet hoping to make a statement of some sort with their outfits.

We saw Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the Met Gala wearing a dress saying “tax the rich” in 2021. At the 2018 Golden Globes, many women wore all black to show their solidarity and support for the #MeToo movement while

other people sported the “time’s up” slogan to show their support.

In 2019, Joy Villa wore a MAGA gown to the Grammy Awards with “build the wall” written across the skirt and a purse that said “make America great again.”

These award ceremonies have become major platforms for actors and artists to make a statement about any topic they would like without any restraint. For viewers, these award shows are a break from regular, chaotic life. People want to be lost in the fashion, awards, performances and acceptance speeches. Seeing things that remind them of their stressful lives may drive them away.

Besides the political aspect that sneaks in

on the red carpet, these award shows have lost their importance in people’s lives.

According to Nielsen, a company that tracks how many viewers watch certain shows, only 9.85 million viewers watched the 2021 Oscars ceremony and 16.6 million viewers in 2022.

However, these numbers are nowhere near the Oscars record of 55.3 million viewers in 1998.

Many people under the age of 30 no longer use cable and aren’t watching these award shows because they aren’t available on streaming platforms.

These award shows are missing a major part of their target audience.

These ceremonies used to hold importance and would give us new movies,

The Volante Sydney Johnson, editor-in-chief Bennett Clary, managing editor Tavin Carncross, sports editor

EDITORIAL BOARD

Madeline Knau, verve editor Emma Daggett, opinion editor

THE STUDENTS’ VOICE SINCE 1887

the political aspect “Besides that sneaks in on the red

carpet, these award shows have lost their importance in people’s lives.”

songs and artists to enjoy. However, these shows never change.

They have new hosts who make bland jokes, the same actors and artists winning and the same long winded speeches about how they couldn’t have done it without their team and fans.

All of this is sweet and great for the winners, but as viewers, it does nothing but put us to sleep.

Even outside forces are

Send letters to: Al Neuharth Media Center 555 N. Dakota St. Vermillion, S.D. 57069

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Letters must be typed and fewer than 300 words.

working against these award shows. In 2005, there were 564 different award shows according to ABC news. The award pool has become so cluttered with different awards for actors and artists to win that they have lost their novelty.

The appeal of award shows is there, viewers still want to see what the next big thing will be.

However, without making any changes, the award shows could continue to lose more viewers.

Family loss in college LIZ MCMILLEN is a sophomore majoring in secondary English education.

CONTACT US The Volante welcomes letters to the editor in regards to campus, local, state and national issues. Letters will be edited for clarity and length and will be printed as space allows. Please limit letters to 300 words or fewer. The Volante reserves the right to hold letters for publication in a later issue.

Submissions must include the author’s name, address, telephone number, year in school and major or job title. Letters must be exclusively for The Volante.

We will not publish anonymous letters.

Bailey Zubke | The Volante

The loss of a loved one is one of the worst things to go through.

Going through it while away at college makes it even worse. Last month I went through this exact thing. My mother passed away after a short battle with cancer and I am still broken.

The advice I’ll give is to take the time you need, talk to people and it’s okay to cry.

The first and most important piece of advice I will give is to take the time you need.

If it means staying home and spending time with your family or if it means keep going to school as normal, go ahead. For me I found going back to school helped me take my mind off of what was going on at home. Being in class with my friends really helped.

Don’t be afraid to talk to people. If you decide to keep going to class, talk to your teachers and tell them your situation.

They’ll understand.

You can also talk to your friends. They’ll be your biggest support at school. It helps to sit with them in class and look at them when you start to feel emotional.

They will help. It’s also helpful to go to the on-campus counselors.

They are there to help.

The last piece of advice I can give is it’s okay to cry. If you are feeling sad, it’s okay to let go and cry. If you start to cry in class, let it happen, people will understand. It’s not healthy to keep it bottled up. You need to let your emotions out.

In the end, losing a loved one while going to college is a really hard thing to go through but you will make it through.

People are there to help and it’s okay to take your time.

Opinion

The Volante I volanteonline.com

Wednesday, April 6, 2022 A5

Aardvarks are the worst

EMMA DAGGETT is a sophomore majoring in English.

I’m sensing a pattern in my articles. I seem to not like large burrowing animals. In the past, I’ve talked about my hatred of anteaters as well as my suspicion of groundhogs.

I would like to add aardvarks to my list of burrowing animals I don’t like.

While aardvarks might have cute nicknames like “ant bear” or “earth pig” it is all a ruse for people to like them more.

The first issue I have with aardvarks is the need for two letter “a’s” at the beginning of their name. It feels like they just wanted

to be in the front of the dictionary, so they secretly added another “a.”

They can’t decide which animal they want to copy.

They have rabbit ears, a pig’s nose, a kangaroo’s tail and a tongue like an anteater. It’s almost like someone copied and pasted bits of other animals to make an aardvark. But none of the animals they share similar features with are anywhere close to them in species. One of their closest relatives is an elephant.

These creatures are also the size of a human. With their tails, they can get over six-feet-long and weigh 180 pounds. That’s the size of a full-grown person.

Of course, aardvarks also have tongues which would technically make them even longer.

Aardvarks can eat up to 50,000 insects each day.

They run around at night just scooping up the insects they see, and of course, you

OVERHEARDS

Here you’ll find the weirdest, funniest and stupidest things we’ve heard during the week. Context is for suckers.

“Because I like being in the kitchen, but I don’t live there.”

— Al Neuharth Media Center

“Does that mean Todd is Lord Farquad?”

— Al Neuharth Media Center

“I’m a menace to society... do I grab a paper towel or do I use my sock?

— Norton

“I’m the Robin Hood of salt shakers.”

— MUC

“I look like a pigeon that got thrown in a dryer.”

“No, you look more like a turkey.”

can’t forget that they don’t even have the manners to chew their food before swallowing. They don’t even drink water all that much and get their moisture from the insects they eat.

Aardvarks are nasty and hairless. A lot of people don’t like hairless cats but imagine a human-sized rabbit-pig-kangarooanteater thing that doesn’t have hair. They were awful to begin with, but the fact that they don’t have hair just makes them seem so much worse.

They also have a weird number of toes. They have four toes on each of their front feet and five toes on each of their back feet.

These toes look eerily similar to how human fingers look.

Ultimately, aardvarks are just as bad as anteaters.

They both make me uncomfortable. I would prefer to never come across them in my life.

WEEKLY POLL:

Want to make your voice heard?

If you are interested in writing Opinion for The Volante, email The Volante at volante@ coyotes.usd.edu.

— Burgess

What’s your favorite award show?

Grammys

13%

Oscars

31% 0%

Tony Awards None

56%

*Out of 16 voters Let us hear your voice by voting in @VolanteOpinion weekly polls on Twitter.

Award shows give us a sign of the times MARISSA BRUNKHORST is a sophomore majoring in media and journalism.

While award shows have arguably given us a reason not to watch them anymore, I think they provide the perfect lens into where the world is at culturally. Some watch for the fashion, some for the drama or others watch for the awards

themselves (which is seemingly rare these days).

What I think makes award shows so appealing is being able to watch individuals at their highest level of performance both socially and artistically.

Celebrities get to be at their most heightened self. Some might question whether this is their genuine self, but part of the fun is being able to ask ‘are they really like that in real life?’ We shall never know the answer.

Some might also ask, who cares? I think they forge a crucial part of what makes an award show at all: its audience.

The audience influences everything in all forms of media. We are the ones that watch the movies, we are the ones that listen to the music. With award shows in particular, the audience has the power to influence who we see on stage. If nobody watched these shows, then none of it would change and we wouldn’t see anyone we remotely

IT ’S A NUMBERS GAME From bbc.com/news and awardsdatabase.oscars.org

28% $42.9M $24.7K The lowest percentage of women Oscar nominees since 2019.

The total cost of the Oscars ceremony in 2022.

The cost of the Oscars red carpet this year.

70 22,000 8.93M The number of categories for nomination at the Grammys.

The number of songs and albums submitted for consideration for a Grammy award in 2022.

The amount of people who watched the Grammy Awards this year.

related to. A lot of the artists that win say they grew up watching the show for the awards they won.

Sunday’s Grammy Awards showed an excellent display of the things young people subscribe to.

The nominees and winners of the night prove that gender, race or background doesn’t hold people back from pursuing their artistic dreams.

While the issue isn’t remotely solved, seeing Sunday’s

diverse winners made me think the Grammys went a step in the right direction.

Much of the controversy and debate around award shows is that the respective academies are out of touch with what the general public is maybe interested in. That could very well be true, but the less people tune in, I believe, the less things change to make a better awards show.

Find more opinions on our website. volanteonline.com Follow us on Twitter @VolanteOpinion Polls • Overheards • Columns

News

A6 Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Honors Program hosts alumni networking seminar

The Volante | volanteonline.com

Bennett Clary

Bennett.Clary@coyotes.usd.edu

The Honors Networking event was held on March 29 for alumni to talk about their experiences in the program and what their careers look like now. Nick Gilbert, the Honors Program coordinator, invited the alumni to do a presentation over Zoom.

Gilbert said they wanted students to have the opportunity to talk with alumni about how their career paths changed in college. Students were able to ask their own questions and Gilbert said the alumni discussed their favorite memory on campus and a time they failed and how they responded to it.

“It’s really interesting to hear their responses to that because obviously as college students, that’s something that’s really scary.

For honors students it’s usually like a ‘B’ in one of their first-year classes and that’s very scary for them. But we also have plenty of students who have that really tricky organic chemistry exam and maybe they may not have passed that,” Gilbert said.

For students to hear alumni talk about a time where they didn’t meet personal standards of success, Gilbert said it was a beneficial lesson for them.

“When we set out to plan this event, the primary thing that I wanted our students to gain from attending this, or watching the recording of it later because we had students who had other commitments, but I really wanted our students to gain some insight as to their path, because honors students in particular, but I’m sure students across campus I’m just speaking to honors students because that’s who I get to work with. They think that they need to have their path fully mapped out,” Gilbert said.

Gilbert said it can be stressful as an undergrad if students are unsure about their future career and the networking event was for students to see how many opportunities and career paths they can choose from.

“We wanted to give them some of the insights that you gain by going through that process. So it was really twofold, but I think my priority was to help students see that there’s more than one path. There’s lots of opportunities. They can really make their career or their path in life their own,” Gilbert said.

Although the event was on Zoom, Gilbert said he would have had it in-person given the chance. He said the alumni interested in the event were in many places that wouldn’t allow them to participate on campus.

“We certainly have strong alumni here in South Dakota, but we also have alumni in Washington, D.C. and Minnesota and all across the country that it was really going to be difficult to get a group of alumni here on campus this year,” Gilbert said. “We also thought that would be accessible for our current students. Sometimes it can be difficult to make the time to go to an in-person event, because you actually have to go somewhere, you can usually Zoom in a little bit more easily.”

Gilbert said honors students are involved all across campus

The SFRR held Sex Trivia Night at OLC Madeline Knau

Madeline.Knau@coyotes.usd.edu

The Students for Reproductive Rights (SFRR) held a Sex Trivia Night at Old Lumber Company on March 30. SFRR focuses on intersectional women’s choice and health rights as well as combating misinformation with medically accurate information, according to their Instagram page.

Lexi McKee-Hemenway, an organizer for the event, said the trivia night helped fund their annual tampon drive that starts in April.

There with be more information coming out on the SFRR social

media pages.

“All of the money is going to be helping the community because we’re creating menstruation packs for the middle schools as well as the high school, including the DVSOS (Domestic Violence Safe Options Services) in a food pantry. So this is a really important event for us,” McKee-Hemenway said.

McKee-Hemenway said after last semester’s Sex Trivia Night’s success they decided to throw another one.

“We had a huge showing with about 250 people. All of those funds helped SFRR be able to bring this Sex Trivia around and it was a lot of fun. So after we saw how large of a turnout we had, and how many more

people wanted something like this to happen, we’re like, what the heck let’s just do it. Let’s throw another one,” McKee-Hemenway said.

McKee-Hemenway said at the last Sex Trivia Night someone from Planned Parenthood came in and wrote trivia questions, but this time they had a few club members look around for random facts and came up with their own categories for the trivia night to find the most interesting topics.

“So categories consisted of the female orgasm, female anatomy, menstruation, kinks, songs about sex, famous people in sex and LGBTQIA+ sex and then we had a bonus round about knowing your

rights. So really, it was just a lot of deep dives on the internet and we have random sex facts too,” McKeeHemenway said.

Cipher Woods, a participant, said the trivia night sounded interesting and she was excited to participate in the trivia night with her friends.

“I needed something to do and my friends were coming. I’ve never been to this. I don’t know much about sex, but I’m here,” Woods said.

The cost was $5 at the door and the SFRR’s Sex Trivia Night included $350 worth of prizes for first, second and third place winners and participants had to be over eighteen.

and have connections to many different students. With those connections, Gilbert said they get to be involved in different student organizations and can help students not involved in the honors program.

“While this event was geared towards honors students, I think that our university as a whole and whatever specific part of campus that you’re involved in, has some really cool and really interesting connections that as current students you may not be aware of, but to learn about their paths is really important, or it can be really important, to give you insight into your own path, and it can help you build connections that will pay off,” Gilbert said.

Madeline Knau | The Volante

Students for Reproductive Rights hosts a Sex Trivia night for Vermillion community. The trivia night was to educate attendees on matters of sex, reproduction, LGBTQ and more.

Verve

Wednesday, April 6, 2022 THE VOLANTE

VOLANTEONLINE.COM/VERVE

USD VISITED BY PIANIST KNOWN NATIONALLY, ROBERT PALMER

Pianist Robert Palmer debuted at Carnegie Hall in 1979 and has since traveled the world performing on television, radio and for live audiences.

THE RAWLINS PIANO GUEST SERIES HOSTS ROBERT PALMER Madeline Knau

ROBERT PALMER HOSTS PIANO MASTERCLASS FOR STUDENTS

Palmer mentioned he was

enjoy their style and music. He

The Department of Music’s

a chamber musician who had

performed music from Chopin,

Rawlins Piano Guest Series

been heard in recitals with

Schubert, Brahms and Liszt.

Madeline.Knau@coyotes.usd.edu

hosted their fifth concert of the 2021-22 season with guest pianist Robert Palmer in Colton Recital Hall on April 3.

Palmer said his career spans the United States, Europe and Asia with solos, orchestral and

“What I most enjoy about

the world. Palmer also teaches

performing is sharing the great

masterclasses with students

Music is such a powerful force

who have been prize-winners

that all people can relate to.

fifteen tours of Asia, with solo

in more than 125 state, national

These are four of the greatest

and concert performances in

and international competitions.

composers who have ever lived and each one of them wrote

from

the

Paris

numerous

masterpieces,”

Palmer said.

Opera Company, the Montreal Symphony,

the

New

York

Philharmonic and the St. Paul

acclaimed Carnegie Hall debut, I embarked upon a performing career that brought my artistry to many of the major concert

Palmer said he has made

the metropolitan centers of Osaka, Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei

Chamber Orchestra and was a member of the American

also concertized frequently throughout Europe and Russia

regularly throughout the United

critically-

songs on April 4.

and Tokyo. Palmer said he has

Conservatoire, the Metropolitan

my

students interested in getting

music we play with an audience.

musicians

“Following

Colton Recital Hall for

students and is a presenter of

Palmer continues to perform

he said.

Robert Palmer hosted

feedback to help with their

chamber music appearances.

States, mainly in major cities,

Madeline Knau

Madeline.Knau@coyotes.usd.edu

a piano masterclass in

other musicians from around

“I was in recitals with

Alessandra

Feris,

the

coordinator for the Rawlins Piano guest series, said not only does it involve in-house professors, but also guests, and

including some festivals as well.

“I’ve appeared on the summer faculties of the ARIA international music

Piano Trio from 2000-2020,”

the events are all open and free

Palmer said. “I also have a

to the community.

teaching

career

“We’re

committed

have with each one of them,”

and international competitions.

Palmer said.

“I’ve won many awards

Alessandra Feris, assistant

including prizes in the Joanna

professor of piano and organizer

Hodges International Piano

for the event, said they are

Competition and the United

committed to bringing highly

States Information Agency

qualified guest artists to USD

National Piano Competition,

because they want to set high

formerly the Mauzy-Porter

standards for the students.

Distinguished Professor of Piano

“When we choose the

at Ball State University, and I’m a

guest artists, we aim very high

Steinway Artist,” Palmer said.

so we bring only the best. So

During the masterclass,

when a student performs the

Palmer said he listened very

guest teacher will criticize the

carefully to every single note

performer in front of the entire

the student played and made

group,” Feris said.

sure each note had a meaning

Rebecca Kelly, a student who

excited to meet and work with

Summer’ International

the technical and interpretive

him.

issues.

abroad. My performances have

adjudicator, clinician, presenter

artists to USD because we

Spain, and the Interharmony

been broadcasted on National

of masterclasses and lecturer.”

want to set very high standards

and

in more than 125 state, national,

beginning and work on both

Festival and masterclasses in

Radio

student with the 30 minutes I

to critique her work and was

bringing highly qualified guest

Public

level have been prize-winners

piece, they would go back to the

the Rencontres Estivales au

after

sought

hearing the skill set of every

said she was excited for Palmer

as

widely

at the university and high school

a student would perform their

halls in the United States and

a

that. I very much enjoyed

performed her piece to Palmer,

Moulin in France, the ‘Musical to

Minnesota. He said his students

and context. Palmer said after

festival in the United States,

successful

Submitted photo | The Volante

“It is extremely difficult

“His story about coming back after having COVID-19 is

International Music Festival

just to play accurately;

really inspiring to me and so I

in Germany and Italy,” Palmer

but the greatest artists go

really look forward to working

said.

far beyond accuracy and

with him. I started working on

create a compelling musical

the piece I will be performing

public

Palmer said he performed

for our students. So when we

television in the United States as

music from four composers and

choose the guest artists, we aim

well as in China, Japan, Korea,

he chose this repertoire because

very high so we bring only the

The Peabody Conservatory of

performance. My challenge is to

with since Christmas break,”

Spain and Taiwan,” Palmer said.

he thought the audience would

best,” Feris said.

Music and the University of

show students how to achieve

Kelly said.

Palmer graduated from

Verve

B2 Wednesday, April 6, 2022

The Volante | volanteonline.com

Aaron Mercado: The man with many talents Bennett Clary

Bennett.Clary@coyotes.usd.edu

When he was little, his house was haunted. Senior theater studies major and former Volante staff member Aaron Mercado first got into photography when he picked up the small digital camera his family owned. Mercado said he used the camera to go ghost hunting and would explore his house trying to capture spirits on film. Even though that was his first experience with a camera, Mercado said he always had a passion for pretty photos.

“It’s when I got to high school my freshman year, that I finally got my camera. And I realized that through

learn and explore. And I think part

storytelling and he tries to emulate that.

of the reason why I love it so much is

“We’ve had a guitar in my family for

just because there’s always something

like 10 plus years, and no one has ever

more you can do,” Mercado said.

learned how to use it. So I would say

Although

photographs

my second year in college, I picked it

different things, he said his favorite

up one day, and I said ‘you know what,

is people. Mercado got his start with

I’m going to sit down, learn all these

sports

actively

chords, and I don’t care how long it’s

learned how to use a camera by

going to take me.’ And within that week,

using it every day after school.

I had memorized all the chords I needed

“Back in high school when I got

to learn to be able to start producing

photography

and

my camera, I was in the yearbook and

my

newspaper committee, and oftentimes

own

music,”

Mercado

said.

Writing and creating music has

I would stay behind almost every single

become

day to photograph practices and games

and is another outlet for him to use

while my brother was in practice because

his voice in a positive manner.

he was my ride home,” Mercado said.

“I’m someone who doesn’t really

photography, I was able to network and meet so many different people.

Mercado

Through

photography,

therapeutic

for

Mercado

Mercado

seek help from people and so I’ve

found a love for cinematography.

learned to use my writing skills, my

Photography opened up so many

Mercado

watching

songwriting skills, as almost my own

opportunities just in that one year that I

Hollywood movies and developed

personal diary and as a way to express

started doing it.Through that, that kind of

an

art.

what it is I’m feeling and to be able

During Mercado’s freshman year at

to put out into the universe and just

photography,

USD, he met cinematographer Zbynêk

let go of that. Whether it’s guilt or

Mercado said the photos create a tangible

Surovec who helped him get into

sadness or trauma or whatever, I just

representation of his memories and allow

cinematography. From there, Mercado

let go of that energy,” Mercado said.

him to look back on his experiences.

has taken video production classes and

Mercado is not sure about his future

“On the creative aspect of it, there’s

independent study courses to help refine

but said he wants to do everything

something about using it as an art

his directing and cinematography skills.

he is doing now and does not want

form, as a creative outlet, that I find

Outside of telling stories behind a

to be limited to any one outlet.

so satisfying at the same time. Whether

lens, Mercado produces his own cover

Students can find more information

it’s trying a different lighting technique,

songs, indie and alternative music. He

about the services Mercado offers

a different style of shooting, there’s so

said his biggest inspiration is Taylor

on

many things that you can continually

Swift because a lot of her music is

aaronmercadoofficial.com/home.

inspired me to continue,” Mercado said.

After

taking

up

grew

appreciation

up

for

the

his

website,

https://www.

Submitted Photo | The Volante

Senior Aaron Mercado balances being a student with his passion, for photography and music.

Rachel Review: “The Bubble” Hurts to watch…

Rachel Thompson

Rachel.R.Thompson@coyotes.usd.edu

On April 1 Netflix released “The Bubble” packed full with a star studded cast such as Pedro Pascal, Karen Gillan and Leslie Mann.

“The Bubble” may have succeeded in tricking famous actors to risk their brand with this movie, but the only award it will be leaving with is most cringey.

“The Bubble” is about the movie industry and how it had to handle the pandemic and still be able to pump out movies to distract the public and make a lot of money. The movie mainly

into it accepting it’s going to be cringey and to embrace the cringe.

In an effort to make the movie worse, there are scenes just

Shortly into watching, I tried to embrace the dumb humor and I

thrown in for a “who’s gonna really care” factor. Every time I have

was able to actually laugh. I think the usage of the green screen and

to watch a scene where all the characters just throw up, I care. I

mixing the set with the final look of the movie was funny and used

extremely doubt the actors like doing throw up scenes, especially

well. Then scenes started to be jarring, as scenes would go from

ones where everyone throws up.

funny to cringey to practically offensive. I almost stopped watching

There are also three TikTok dance scenes thrown into the movie.

as I couldn’t keep up with the pace of how different each scene made

That should be your reason to not watch this movie. Although, the

me feel.

dances seemed to be the only time the actors were having any actual

The movie felt forgetful at times, as though they were forgetting

fun.

characters. I don’t like when movies have a large cast and then forget

To add offense there is a quick scene in the movie where the

to incorporate them in the scenes they clearly would have been a

characters of the bad movie they are making, literally start killing

another Cliff Beasts movie. On the quarantined, yet pampered set

part of. If a viewer is watching a scene and then remembering there

little people. Whose bright idea was that? Seriously, the movie and

of Cliff Beasts 6, the movie comes across setbacks, meltdowns, near

was another actor that could be a part of this, it’s not a scene that is

the movie they are making was offensive enough.

death experiences and so many other random things it hurts to

finished being written.

centers around Gillan’s character Carol Cobb, a canceled actress, who is desperate to save her career and reluctantly agrees to do

It’s hard to balance a story with a large cast, and even harder when

The cameos in this movie were almost all disappointing and

it’s a story about making a movie. When the movie has no message,

Maybe if this movie came out in 2021 it would be better as we

overall frustrating. There is a kind of Star Wars crossover that felt

no theme, is just filled with complaining and bad situations, maybe

were closer to the height of the pandemic. Being released now feels

disgraceful to watch and just overall disturbing. John Cena makes

the movie shouldn’t be made.

like a reminder of Gal Gadot and celebrities singing “Imagine” by

a cameo as a stuntman, but over FaceTime. I think Cena’s cameo is

John Lennon.

what killed me the most due to how lazy it felt.

remember them.

Because of the random nature and hatred I’m feeling towards

Even Benedict Cumberbatch makes an appearance for about 30

this movie for having to remember it and then write about it, there

seconds as a drug hallucination. James Macavoy’s cameo was the

will be spoilers ahead.

only decent one being a weird chase scene that amounts to nothing

To make watching this movie enjoyable I would suggest going

but prolonging the credits.

At the end of the movie, the director of Cliff Beasts 6, played by Fred Armisen, states, “Well at least we tried to make a movie, they can’t judge us for that. We made something that is a distraction in these difficult times.”

They did give viewers a distraction but I can judge them for ruining two hours of my life.

Press Photo | Netflix

Sports

Wednesday, April 6, 2022 THE VOLANTE

VOLANTEONLINE.COM/SPORTS

MULTIPLE WOMEN ATHLETES BREAK PERSONAL RECORDS AT EARLY BIRD EVENT

Madison Martinez | The Volante Women’s track and field competes in the Early Bird meet at USD. The team finished in the top 10 in all events but two. The Coyotes head to Wichita, Kansas for the K.T. Woodman Classic.

Sydney Johnson

Sydney.G.Johnson@coyotes.usd.edu

On Saturday, USD hosted the Early Bird track and field event, where the women’s team finished in the top 10 in all but two of their events.

Sophomore Erin Kinney placed first in the Women’s 100 Meter Dash with a time of 11.75. This time gave Kinney her personal outdoor best as well as making her seventh in USD program history.

After her performance at the Early Bird, Kinney currently leads the Summit League in the Women’s 100 Meter Dash. Kinney’s freshman teammate Averi Schmeichel rounded out the top 10 with a tenthplace finish with a time of 12.48.

In the Women’s 200 Meter Dash, three Coyotes had times within the top 10. Kinney came in second (24.67), freshman Anna Robinson came in fourth (25.08) and sophomore Hannah Young came in eighth (25.40).

Freshman Caelyn Valandra-Prue placed fifth in the Women’s 400 Meter Dash with a time of 57.54.

The Women’s 800 Meter Run finished with four Coyotes placing in the top 10. Senior Alli Wroblewski led the Coyotes with a thirdplace finish (2:17.50), followed by sophomore Haley Arens in fourth (2:17.86). Sophomore Madison Jochum came in seventh (2:19.36) and sophomore Ella Byers rounded out the event finishing ninth (2:19.69).

Byers moved up in the rankings to second in the Women’s 1500 Meter Run with a time of 4:37.01. Sophomore Abrielle Jirele and Arens also placed in this event, Jirele in fourth (4:39.05) and Arens in ninth (4:46.85).

In the Women’s 5000 Meter Run, junior Abby Ripperda came in third with a time of 17:34.49. She was joined by sophomore teammates Haley Miller and Lily Provenzano in the top 10. Miller came in eighth with a time of 18:14.13 and Provenzano came in tenth with a time of 18:36.03.

Schmeichel was the sole Coyote in the top 10 for the Women’s 100 Meter Hurdles. She finished in fourth with a time of 14.22.

The Coyotes secured a podium sweep in the Women’s 400 Meter Hurdles. Freshman Moe Bridgen led the Coyotes in first place with a time of 1:00.48, a league-leading time for this event. Bridgen was followed by sophomore Jacy Pulse in second (1:00.56) and senior Holly Gerberding in third (1:00.87).

Sophomore Helen Gould took the first-place spot in the Women’s 3000 Meter Steeplechase with a time of 10:55.71. Sophomore Renee Thompson was the only other Coyote who placed in the top 10, with a sixth-place finish with a time of 11:35.01.

In the Women’s High Jump, two Coyotes placed in the top 10.

Freshman Danii Anglin placed second with a height of 1.78m and sophomore Carly Haring placed third with a height of 1.75m.

Freshman Marleen Mülla placed first in the Women’s Pole Vault

with a height of 4.41m. This height was Mülla’s personal best and ranked her sixth in the NCAA this season as well as fourth in all-time school history. Sophomore Jaidyn Garrett followed Mülla in second place with 4.06m. Sophomore Cassidy Mooneyhan came in third (3.76m) and junior Josephina Wright came in tenth (3.46m).

In the Women’s Long Jump, the Coyotes rounded out the last four spots of the top 10. Gerberding finished in seventh with 5.60m, Schmeichel was in eighth with 5.51m, redshirt-freshman Lauren Meyer came in ninth with 5.45m and freshman Renee Brummels finished tenth with 5.37m.

Brummels also placed in the Women’s Triple Jump. She came in fourth with 11.47m, followed by Meyer in sixth with 11.33m.

Sophomore Meredith Clark placed second in the Women’s Shot Put with 14.39m. Clark was accompanied by junior teammate Josephine Starner who came in fifth with 13.65m.

In the Women’s Discus Throw, Clark placed second again with 48.57m. Sophomore Lydia Knapp came in fifth with 45.73m.

Knapp also placed first in the Women’s Hammer Throw with 60.63m. This distance was a personal best for Knapp and put her as second in program history for this event. In addition to Knapp, Clark came in eighth with 52.83m and freshman Kenzie Campbell came in ninth with 51.56m.

The track and field team will be traveling to Wichita, Kansas for the K.T. Woodman Classic April 6-9.

Coyotes top Summit League rival North Dakota 5-2 Tavin Carncross

Tavin.Carncross@coyotes.usd.edu

The Coyotes took to the tennis court on April 1 to take on Summit League rival North Dakota.

The last time these two teams played, UND took the win 5-2.

UND took the first doubles matchup against juniors Berta Girbau and Eesha Verma 6-2.

The Coyotes’ second match was a combination of fifth-year seniors Jana Lazarevic and Habiba Aly where they took down UND 6-4. Lazarevic and Aly were down 1-4 until they won the final five games.

The Coyotes won the third and final doubles match consisting of senior Natka Kmošková and freshman Bea Havlickova. They finished the match 7-5.

Aly was back in action for the first singles match against UND’s sophomore Sapir Sela. Aly took down Sela 6-1 and 6-3. That moved Aly to 4-1 overall in ‘#1 Singles’ during Summit League play.

These wins for Aly moves her into sixth place for most wins in school history.

The second match in singles was between Coyote Kmošková and Fighting Hawk freshman Lucia Rizza. Kmošková won the sets 6-3, 6-0 moving her record to 3-1 in the Summit League.

USD dropped the next two matches as redshirt junior Estella Jaeger fell to UND’s senior Allie Ochotorena in two sets due to Jaeger retiring in the third set. The second match had Havlickova fall in three sets 6-4, 2-6 and 6-2.

USD bounced back to win the next two matches against the Fighting Hawks.

Girbau won the first one, taking down UND junior Angela Georgieva in three sets 6-2, 2-6 and 6-4. This match was Girbau’s spring debut at South Dakota.

Lazarevic won the final match against UND junior Andrea Jansson in three sets 7-5, 4-6 and 6-4. This win for Lazarevic moves her to 5-0 in ‘#2 Singles’ in Summit League play. It also moves her to be tied for the fourth-most wins in school history.

The Coyotes’ record jumps up to 8-11 this season which is the most since the 2017-2018 season where they went 10-12. Their league record also adds a win making them 3-2 in the Summit League. That record has made them tied for third place with North Dakota.

USD’s next match will be against St. Thomas.

The Tommies currently sit at 1-4 in the Summit League which is seventh place. The matches will be on April 9 beginning at 11 a.m.

Adam Pearson | The Volante Coyotes defeat the Fighting Hawks in the first match at the USD tennis courts this season. Fifth-year seniors Jana Lazarevic and Habiba Aly have now moved into the school record books.

Sports

B4 Wednesday, April 6, 2022

The Volante | volanteonline.com

South Dakota soccer continues spring season

Tavin Carncross | The Volante The Coyotes’ spring schedule continued this past weekend with games against Omaha and Wayne State. The Coyotes play Briar Cliff on Saturday, April 9 at home.

Men’s track produces 25 top ten finishes at Early Bird competition Tavin Carncross

Tavin.Carncross@coyotes.usd.edu

The Coyote men had 25 athletes place within the top 10 in their respective events during the Early Bird track and field competition hosted by USD. In the Men’s 100 Meter Dash, sophomore Dylan Kautz finished second with a time of 10.61.

Kautz also placed second in the Men’s 200 Meter Dash (21.45) following sophomore teammate Demar Francis’ first place finish with a time of 21.23. Sophomore Ardell Inlay came in seventh in this event as well (22.17).

In the Men’s 800 Meter Run, two unattached USD athletes placed in the top 10. Casey Shade finished third with a time of 1:52.70 and Jesus Urtusuastegui placed tenth (1:56.21).

Sophomore Alec Atwood rounded out the top 10 in tenth for the Men’s 1500 Meter Run with a time of 4:05.67.

In the final distance running event, the Men’s 5000 Meter Run, sophomore Charlie Babcock came in third with a time of 14:49.96.

Three Coyote athletes placed within the top 10 in the Men’s 3000 Meter Steeplechase. Senior Kallo Arno finished sixth (9:36.38), freshman Mason Sindelar came in eighth (9:51.36) and unattached student athlete Cody Larson came in ninth (9:53.36).

The USD ‘B’ Relay team consisting of sophomores Luke Olson, Dylan Blake, Wyatt Lubarski and freshman Derek Eidsness finished sixth in the Men’s 4x400 Meter Relay.

In the Men’s High Jump, junior Jack Durst led three Coyotes in the top 10 in fourth place with a height of 2.01m. Durst was followed by sophomore Ethan Heitman in sixth (2.01m) and sophomore Marshall Faurot in tenth (1.96m).

The Men’s Pole Vault and Men’s Shot Put events each saw one

Coyote place in the top 10. Junior Sean McClellan placed eighth in the pole vault (4.47m). Freshman Tristan Gray finished sixth in the shot put event with 16.02m.

Four Coyotes had top 10 placements in the Men’s Discus Throw.

Junior Jessie Sullivan led the Coyotes with a first-place finish with a distance of 56.71m. This distance was Sullivan’s personal best and put him third in USD program history. Sullivan was accompanied by senior Matt Slagus at fourth (51.05), unattached senior Jackson Coker at fifth (50.59m) and Gray at eighth (48.24m).

Sullivan also led the Coyotes in the Men’s Hammer Throw with a second-place finish (59.63m). In addition to Sullivan, Slagus placed third with 59.09m, junior Kaden Elder finished fourth with 56.38m which was his personal best and unattached freshman Quincy Warren placed tenth with 51.57m.

The next event the Coyote men will take on is the K.T. Woodman Classic, April 6-9, in Wichita, Kansas.

Coyotes drop rubber match against Jackrabbits Tavin Carncross

Tavin.Carncross@coyotes.usd.edu

The Coyotes had their second dose of Summit League softball this weekend against the reigning Summit League Champion South Dakota State (SDSU). This was the first time these two teams have met at Nygaard Field since 2017.

Game one was Saturday where the Coyotes got off to an early 5-0 lead against the Jackrabbits.

Jackrabbits’ sophomore pitcher Tori Kniesche walked in the first run after she loaded the bases. Three more Coyote runs were scored thanks to a single from freshman infielder Tatum Villotta.

The last run of the inning was a single by senior outfielder Courtney Wilson that sent Villotta to home plate.

The Jackrabbits got on the board in the fourth inning off of a home run by sophomore infielder Cheyanne Masterson.

SDSU added two more points to the score making it 5-3 in the fifth inning. The two runs crossed home plate by way of a double from junior catcher Allison Yoder.

The two teams met at a stalemate as the game ended 5-3. Coyote freshman pitcher Clara Edwards was awarded the win. She pitched seven innings and struck out four batters.

The second game of the series followed the ending of the first on Saturday. This game, however, was a win for the Jackrabbits.

The first inning saw three runs for the Jackrabbits, starting with a two-run home run by sophomore outfielder Jocelyn Carrillo.

They finished the inning on a sacrifice fly by Masterson that sent sophomore infielder Cylie Halvorson home.

SDSU scored in every inning of play besides the second as they scored 20 runs to the Coyotes’ zero. This game ended in five innings due to the Run Rule.

The Jackrabbits only allowed two hits the entire game. Jackrabbits’ sophomore pitcher Grace Glanzer pitched four innings striking out seven-of-the-13 batters she faced.

The Coyotes’ pitching staff went through three different pitches trying to stop SDSU’s

offense. Freshman Kynlee Marquez started in the circle for USD, pitching two innings allowing nine earned runs. Marquez also allowed seven hits.

Sophomore Macy Schroedermeier followed Marquez, as she pitched 1.2 innings, allowing seven hits and having the only strikeout against SDSU. The final pitcher for USD was senior Grace Garcia. She only pitched 1.1 innings allowing two hits and three earned runs.

The rubber match between the teams was Sunday, March 4.

Edwards was back in the circle for the Coyotes and Glanzer was the starter for the Jackrabbits.

SDSU scored the first point in the second inning on a fielder’s choice. The Jackrabbits continued scoring in the second on a walk sending freshman infielder Mia Jarecki to home plate and giving SDSU a 2-0 lead after two innings.

The Jackrabbits did not stop scoring in the second as Carrillo put another ball over the fence giving the Jackrabbits a 3-0 advantage.

The Coyotes tried to force a late comeback having a run scored in the bottom of the sixth inning. Junior catcher Jordyn Pender grounded out to second which allowed Wilson to cross home plate.

SDSU was not done scoring as sophomore Lindsey Culver was hit by a pitch while the bases were loaded.

The Coyotes’ offense was not enough in the bottom of the seventh innings and they were unable to put anymore points on the board, losing to the Jackrabbits 4-1.

With this win for the Jackrabbits, they win the series 2-1 and they add another point in the SD Corn Showdown between USD and SDSU. The Coyotes still lead the series 9-7 with only seven points left to be claimed.

USD’s record moves to 18-16 overall and 3-3 in conference play. The 3-3 record has the Coyotes sitting in third place in a four way tie with Omaha, Western Illinois and St. Thomas.

South Dakota’s next game will be in St. Paul, Minnesota against Summit League newcomer St. Thomas. There will be a double header on Saturday, April 9 and the rubber match on April 10.

Tavin Carncross | The Volante USD freshman pitcher Clara Edwards strikes out seven batters against SDSU. The Jackrabbits take the series two games to one.