do well.”
Jozie.Kumm@coyotes.usd.edu Juliana.Oltmanns@coyotes.usd.edu
Dakota Days candidate Micah Hanson said he was surprised when his name was called.
“I didn’t realize I was getting picked. I feel like a lot of people go in there thinking, like, I’m not going to get it,” Hanson said.
Another Dakota Days candidate, Caleb Swanson, said he is grateful for the opportunity to be part of the Dakota Days Royalty.
“It hasn’t been too extensive so far. Now that we’re in the top 14, it looks like there’s a lot ahead of us, and so I’m excited about that. But the experience that we have had so far has been great,” Swanson said. “Everyone’s really excited for Dakota Days and really kind of getting us all in this spirit for supporting our athletic teams and our weekend games and other competitions. I’m excited to see Yotes go out there and
Along with Swanson, candidate nominee Eli Cheever said Dakota Days has meant a lot to himself as well as the community.
“Dakota Days to me is really about showing what USD has to offer. I guess by being in this position to represent that really just makes me feel rewarded,” Cheever said.
The top female seven candidates selected for Miss Dakota Days are Rachel Spinks, Ellen Mallory, Grace Duvall, Racheal Cooper, Hanna Kuck, Grace Luna and Emily Olson.
The top seven male candidates for Mr. Dakota Days are Phil Adam, Rylan Behnke, Eli Cheever, Mason Matthies, Caleb Swanson and Trevor Sinclair.
This year was the biggest nominee pool for Dakota Days Royalty since COVID-19. This year, there were 54 student nominations with 14 USD students selected in the final round which will be announced Saturday during the football game against Murray State.
Dakota Days Royalty will be announced on Saturday at the homecoming game.
Trevor Sinclair, president of Dakota Days
Committee, said there was a larger group of nominations because of the amount of student leaders on campus.
“I believe there have been so many nominations because there were so many fantastic student leaders eligible this year,” Sinclair said.
The Dakota Days Committee has been working on increasing the number of candidates since the decline in 2020.
“The Dakota Days Committee has been working hard to increase royalty numbers for the past three years to rebuild D-Days to the size it was pre-COVID, and I can say we are proudly reaching that goal,” Rachel Spinks, Dakota Days Committee vice-president, said.
The D-Days Committee felt the increase in nominee applications was due to the frequent advertisement on their social media handles.
“We predict the increase in numbers is simply due to just a higher awareness from marketing efforts of Dakota Days,” Spinks said.
To be nominated, you have to be an undergraduate with 90 credits, involved in an organization, be included on the USD Involved page, and be in good standing with the university.
During Dakota Days, many alumni come back to Vermillion to visit local business. Some of these businesses go through a lot of prep to accommodate the new influx of people.
Jim Waters and Monica Iverson opened Cafe Brule in 2011 and the Dakota Brick House in 2017. Both Waters and Iverson have a passion for food, and the idea was to bring something new and bring good food to Vermillion.
These businesses can be extremely busy with the influx of people, which can be challenging for some. Most businesses, especially those in popular areas, have to adjust to the high influx of new customers.
“We have to order more things; we have to try to find extra staff, which is extremely difficult because everyone wants the weekend off,” Iverson said.
Iverson said that everyone looks forward to celebrating USD’s homecoming that has been around
since 1914.
“Party time! I mean, everyone is happy and looks forward to it,” Iverson said. “It has calmed down a little bit; I mean it’s still crazy downtown, but it used to be like every other business had a broken window out front.”
Iverson said it is harder to get away with broken windows due to people having the ability to post with just a touch of a finger.
“You just don’t get away with stuff like you used to,” Waters said. “It’s kind of like you do something stupid, and someone is posting it, so it’s gonna come back and haunt you.”
Iverson said the aftermath of Dakota Days can be substantial to some businesses, both positively and negatively.
“It’s still a lot of garbage and pickup. Just restocking and getting ready for the next week,” Iverson said. “It’s wonderful to have the new people in town because a lot of people come to town and maybe
didn’t know that Cafe Brule or [Dakota] Brick House existed. They might come back and have dinner next week. It’s good for every business.”
Waters and Iverson said they are passionate about their businesses and seemingly do what they do out of a love for them. They think of both businesses like their children: they love them both equally, each one having a distinct personality.
“In this industry, in the food industry especially, the margins are just tiny, so you do this out of love and out of passion more than anything,” Waters said.
After COVID-19, many small businesses have been struggling to bounce back, and some still have not. Having a local affair that brings people in is great for a community.
“Dakota Days is just another great boost that every business needs,” Iverson said.
Dakota Brickhouse will have pizza from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and walking tacos from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Saturday.
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The Coyotes start Dakota Days off on Monday night with the Coyote Kickoff, the first of many events over the week.
“This is just the beginning,” Multicultural Affairs Coordinator Marcus Destin said.
The night started off with Coyote Crazies President Damani Hayes and Destin introducing the students to all the candidates for the royal court. The court walked across the basketball court and was announced later in the evening.
Next, they let the Electrick Jumpers go out and wow the crowd with stunts. Not only did they get the rope jumping but they got the crowd jumping as they had kids and students jump as well.
Following the Electrick Jumpers, the teams for both men’s and women’s basketball were announced and shown onto the floor before participating in the
3-point shootout and a dunk contest.
For the men’s team, junior guard Max Burchill, freshman guard Issac Bruns, junior guard Paul Bruns and redshirt freshman forward Jevon Hill were included. As for the women’s team, their team consisted of senior forward Morgan Hansen, junior guard Grace Larkins, senior forward Madison Grange and junior guard Kendall Holmes.
The mens beat the womens in the 3-point contest with a final combined score of 16-14.
Next, the men’s basketball team competed in a dunk contest. The contestants were junior forward Mayuom Buom, freshman guard Shey Eberwein, junior guard Kaleb Stewart and sophomore guard Jeremiah Coleman.
After each contestant got two dunks, they eliminated two of the lowest scoring contestants. The finalists were Coleman and Buom, with Coleman defeating Buom to win the dunk contest.
Guest judge Zena Aragon said she loved the event and thinks it’s great not only for Dakota Days but sports in general.
“I personally love this event. It is so much fun to kick off D-Days, and I feel like it brings in a ton of sports together,” Aragon said.
After the dunk contest finished, all the royal court candidates came out and the 14 finalists were announced. Kappa Alpha Theta member and USD feature twirler Rachael Cooper is one of those finalists and she said the whole night was amazing.
“Tonight was amazing. I got to throw a baton for USD like I love to do, and I got to experience it as royalty as well so it was an amazing experience,” Cooper said.
As Destin would shout throughout the night, Charlie feels the same way.
“Go Yotes and Happy Dakota Days,” Charlie Coyote said.
South Dakota Coyote football will prepare to face Missouri Valley Football Conference newcomer the Murray State Racers on Oct. 7 in the DakotaDome at 2 p.m.
The game will be South Dakota’s annual Dakota Days game and will also mark one year since sophomore quarterback Aidan Bouman took over the starting job.
When the Coyotes took the field to face Southern Illinois in last October’s Dakota Days game, it was a different field general under center. Bouman would take over the starting job from sophomore quarterback Carson Camp after the Coyotes fell behind 21-10 at halftime.
The change started a comeback and an eventual 27-24 victory for the Coyotes. Bouman would secure the starting job and finish the season as the Coyotes’ first string quarterback.
For Bouman, this would be a massive moment for him as a person and a football player.
“I’ve always been a pretty confident person, but obviously having that experience and being able to gain trust in my team, at that point was really huge for me and it’s projected me to where I am now,” Bouman said. “I’d like to think
of myself as a good leader on this team and that game had a lot to do with that.”
Bouman also reflected on what Dakota Days meant for the school and for the team.
“I think personally it’s a huge day. I mean, it’s homecoming. I love the school. The first college game I ever played in was Dakota Days last year so it’s a really special day,” Bouman said. Bouman said that he has a great relationship with the new offensive coordinator and the whole offensive staff has been doing well this season.
“I love coach [Josh] Davis. He’s an unbelievable coach. It’s great to have a great relationship with him. He understands the game really well.” Bouman said. “He’s done a great job. All of the offensive staff has done a great job this year”.
The Coyotes will enter Dakota Days with momentum from one of the biggest wins this season after defeating No. 2 North Dakota State on Sept. 30, 24-19. This was the Coyotes’ first win against the Bison since 2015.
Murray State will enter the DakotaDome on Saturday with a 2-2 record on the season after a 30-28 win over Indiana State on Sept. 30.
Both South Dakota and Murray State sit at 1-0 in conference play.
Tavin Carncross | The Volante Sophomore Aidan Bouman with the running back coach and former South Dakota quarterback Dante Warren Tavin Carncross | The Volante Sophomore quarterback Aidan Bouman played his first career game in last years D-DaysDakota Days is a week full of celebrations and events. USD’s football team will close off Dakota Days with a game in the DakotaDome against Murray State on Saturday. The Coyote Alley Tailgate will kick off the football festivities.
A tailgate occurs before every football game in the Dakota Dome parking lot and will also be the case during Dakota Days. It’s an event where the community can gather together and enjoy some food, music and play games.
For the most part, the tailgate will be the same as previous tailgates. Jarren Duffy, assistant AD for
marketing and promotions and one of the organizers, said he expects more visitors than normal.
“This tailgate will be the biggest of the season. There are a lot of people who join in on D-Days, so I expect there to be a few thousand people on Saturday,” Duffy said.
For the special occasion, there will be an extra food truck, more games and live music. The band The Warning Shots will start playing at noon and will continue to do so until the game starts at 2 p.m. Other than that, the lay-out of Coyote Alley Tailgate will be similar to other tailgates. Although the tailgate organizers won’t serve any alcohol, people are allowed to bring their own
to drink it in a specific area.
“UPD will be present to regulate and monitor the alcohol usage,” Duffy said.
Even though the tailgate officially starts at 9 a.m., Duffy said he expects the bigger crowd to arrive later in the morning.
“The parade starts at 9 a.m.,” Duffy said. “Most people will go to that first before coming to the tailgate. The bigger crowd will probably arrive between 10 and 11 a.m.”
The football game doesn’t start until 2 p.m., so people who wish to go to the parade first have plenty of time to enjoy the food and live music after the parade and before the game.
The Coyote football team faced the North Dakota State Bison in Fargo on Sept. 30. This matchup was the Bison’s homecoming game and the Coyotes defeated the No. 2 Bison 24-19.
USD scored early in the first quarter with a 50yard pass from sophomore quarterback Aidan Bouman to junior wide receiver Carter Bell. Sophomore kicker Will Leyland secured the extra point making the score 7-0 with 11:23 left in the first.
NDSU responded with senior kicker Griffin Crosa kicking a 37-yard field goal at the tailend of the first quarter, putting the score at 7-3.
The Coyotes scored two touchdowns in the second quarter, the first coming from freshman running back Keyondray Jones with an 8-yard run. This was Jones first touchdown in his Coyote career.
Then Bouman found Bell once again to complete a 52-yard pass, along with two extra points from Leyland, which put the score at 21-3 going into halftime.
The Bison managed to add points to the game after halftime by a 7-yard run from sophomore
quarterback Cole Payton and an extra point from Crosa with 7:23 to go in the third quarter.
NDSU scored three more points by a 26-yard field goal from Crosa with 11:10 left in the fourth quarter.
USD also kicked a field goal from 37-yards back, courtesy of Leyland, to bring the score to 2413 with 2:49 remaining.
The Bison squeezed in a last-minute touchdown with 36 seconds remaining in the game by a 2-yard pass to senior tight end Joe Stoffel from senior quarterback Cam Miller.
The game ended 24-19 with USD upsetting NDSU, who was ranked second in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC).
In the game Bouman finished 10 for 12 passing with 168 yards and two touchdowns.
Bell, along with the two touchdown grabs, had five catches for 124 yards. This performance from Bell awarded him the MVFC Offensive Player of the Week.
Redshirt sophomore running back Nate Thomas added 14 carries for 49 yards on the ground for the Coyotes.
Junior defensive back Dennis Shorter was tied for total tackles in the game with 13 in total. Short-
er also secured his first interception of the season as he picked off Miller for the first time this season. Shorter was also named the MVFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance.
The Bison were led by Miller who was 18 for 25 passing with 159 yards and a touchdown and interception. He also led the Bison on the ground with 12 carries for 65 yards.
The Bison led in total offense with 348 yards to the Coyotes 269 but the Coyotes averaged 7.1 yards per play while the Bison were held to 5.4. The Bison also beat the Coyotes in time of possession and plays ran.
Despite the Coyotes’ defense being on the field for more than half the game they did not allow the Bison to score more than 20 points and they were able to get the only turnover of the game. This was the first time NDSU has been held below 20 points since Nov. 6, 2021, where they lost to the Jackrabbits 27-19.
After the upset victory over the Bison, the Coyotes are now No. 15 in the FCS Stats Perform Poll. The Coyotes will be back on the turf Saturday, Oct. 7 for the Dakota Days game against the Murray State Racers starting at 2 p.m.
It’s Dakota Days again! For some of you, this week represents a week of partying, excitement and questionable life choices. For others, D-Days is nothing more than one continued headache of noisy neighbors partying it up at 3 a.m. on a Thursday. A third group of students treat D-Days with the same indifference as any other week.
Regardless of your excitement heading into D-Days, this week isn’t really about us students.
If D-Days isn’t about students, you may inquire, then who, or what, is D-Days about? The correct answer is: the alumni.
Sure, there are some events that happen during the week like the football game and street dance. At the same time, D-Days is home to many different alumni events, mostly for donors.
As you’re probably aware, most students are broke and don’t have money. However, USD has many alumni who aren’t broke. For example, the political science department hosts events for donors to their endowment, the Farber Fund.
The political science department isn’t the only department hosting alumni events. The law school and education department also have events published on the Alumni calendar this week. The school also hosts the annual Alumni Achievement Awards in the Sanford Coy-
”
ote Sports Center this Friday evening. Five individuals were recognized at last year’s award ceremony for professional achievements, service to the university and as emerging leaders.
The alumni events aren’t just about money, many alumni also come back to Vermillion this week to visit old friends and have a good time. The Saturday parade hosts many alumni, community leaders and public figures.
Now, this isn’t to say there isn’t anything for students this week. There’s a lot going on. D-Days has plenty of op-
portunities to engage in social activities. There’s a parade Saturday morning, a football game Saturday afternoon and events going on in the MUC during the week.
Bar-hopping remains one of the quintessential Dakota Days experiences. It’s what we’re best known for, and the first thing that most of us think of when we think of D-Days.
However, if you can’t or don’t drink alcohol (which is a lot of us), then the experience just isn’t the same (we’re not telling you that you should drink, we’re just noting reality).
Regardless of how you view D-Days week, use this time to relax a bit in whatever way you see fit.
If college should teach people anything, it’s how to make the most of the opportunities laid out in front of us. Whatever you choose to do this week,
OVERHEARDS
Tavin Carncross, editor-in-chief
Jordan Grothe, managing editor Trevan Rychlik, sports editorEDITORIAL BOARD
Sydney Kolln verve editor Charles Streeter, opinion editor
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One of the major student organizations here on campus is the Coyote Crazies. The group’s goal is to get more students engaged in USD athletic events.
One student who is on the executive team for the Crazies has been putting in a lot of work for the group during Dakota Days this year.
Taylor Titze is a senior majoring in art education. She is the marketing and communications chair for the Coyote Crazies. During Dakota Days last year, she designed a shirt that the group sold for homecoming week. This year, she is doing the same.
“We had a Dakota Days shirt last year and we wanted to create another one,” Titze said. “So I had the idea last year actually, so it was an idea from a year ago.”
When getting inspiration for this year’s Dakota Days shirt, Titze drew ideas from this year’s Dakota Days theme.
“I kind of had the idea to do a memories theme or like a yearbook kind of style,” Titze said. “I
wanted to play on that a little bit with newsletters and newspapers and all that stuff.”
Since Titze is in charge of marketing for the group, she runs the social media for the Crazies.
“Sometimes there will be posts that I’ll have planned out months ahead of time. We always try to keep ourselves like a month ahead of pace,” Titze said. “Sometimes I’ll think of ones on the spot that I’ll want to do or trends that are kind of going around.”
When Titze isn’t doing work for the Coyote Crazies, she is doing art. She is in the Student Art Alliance here on campus. Art sales happen every month for the group, with the next sale happening on Oct. 13.
“I do kind of different work that I do with the Coyote Crazies,” Titze said. “I do like digital prints and jewelry. I love jewelry making, so it’s kind of a big hit of mine. I started it last year and then it’s just kind of built up from there.”
To purchase a Dakota Days shirt from the Coyote Crazies and see their social media posts, check out their Instagram page at https://www.instagram.
Submitted | The Volante (Above) Taylor Titze new shirt for this years Dakota Days. The theme behind the shirt is a newspaper. (Left) Taylor Titze is the marketing and communications chair for the Coyote Crazies this year.This year is the 109th year of the Dakota Days Parade; business and organizations alike are getting ready for the big day. With all the bands, organizations and businesses combined, there are over 70 participating groups in the parade.
Taylor Kathol, the vice president of the branch manager at CorTrust bank, talked about what being in the parade meant for a business in Vermillion and why it is so important.
“Community involvement has always been important to us here at CorTrust Bank,” Kathol said. “Being in the parade gives us a chance to engage with our community in a fun and relaxed environment.”
Kathol said the parade gives these groups a chance to connect with the public and let the community know what they are all about. It allows them to walk around and meet the community in person outside of their work or just ride atop a float and join everybody in the celebration.
Kathol said it allows for the businesses to show how much USD means to them.
“USD and Coyote Athletics make up the
largest portion of our support and extra attention,” Kathol said. “We welcome every opportunity to support USD as a whole.”
Kathol said this parade gives the whole community of Vermillion a chance to show their appreciation to the university as well.
“USD not only provides cultural and community events, but it is also a staple of our local and surrounding economy,” Kathol said.
The parade will feature many floats, signs and cars. Many businesses in the community have themes they base their floats on.
“Our float this year has a Mardi Gras festive theme with a Bourbon St. vibe,” Kathol said.
The Dakota Days Parade will take place at 9 a.m. on October 7, and will drive down Main Street in downtown Vermillion.
Aside from businesses in attendance, attendees can expect to see student organizations, clubs and Greek communitie.
In addition, there will be bands from across the state and the university’s own marching band, The Sound of USD. There will also be appearances from the Dakota Days royalty as well as distinguished guests and government representatives from South Dakota.
Sydney Kolln Sydney.Kolln@coyotes.usd.edu
One of the major events that happens at the University of South Dakota is homecoming, better known as Dakota Days. While plenty of students and alumni of USD are aware of this event, most of our rivals at SDSU have not experienced it.
Grant McMillan, a sophomore at SDSU, mainly thinks of the parade is held before the football game when asked about what he thinks Dakota Days is.
“I hear the parade is really cool,” McMillan said. “I might go down and check out the parade this week.”
Kinzey Jurey is also a sophomore at SDSU majoring in natural resources management. She thinks Dakota Days involves lots of activities and partying for homecoming. Unlike McMillan, Jurey will not be attending Dakota Days
“No (when asked about attending Dakota Days), I’d rather get ready for Hobo Days,” Jurey said.
Sophomore Zach Buchholz thinks that the kinds of things happening during Dakota Days are students just going to the Charcoal Lounge.
Bucholz said he plans to attend Dakota Days this year due to his girlfriend being a student at the university.
“My girlfriend goes there, so I might as well,” Buchholz said.
Buchholz had other thoughts on USD and Dakota Days, but was hesitant on sharing them.
“I have plenty of thoughts,” Buchholz said. “Nothing appropriate for the newspaper though.”
Whether you are attending Dakota Days as a student from USD or SDSU, we can all agree on one thing: Dakota Days is for everyone.
