SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY

VOLUME 18 NO. 2 / WINTER 2014

JUSTIN SELLDIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS

As we reflect on all the monumental events that have taken place in our athletic history, we are embarking on a journey that will provide the building blocks to support fulfilling dreams for the next 50 years! These “blocks” include physical structures, financial support, continued academic success and a new five-year strategic plan. We truly can define the Jackrabbit experience, and our student-athletes can achieve at the highest level for the rest of their lives.

Work on the athletic facility master plan will be the major emphasis in the years to come. Due to the age of our facilities and lack of indoor practice space, completing these projects will have the largest impact on our future success. Construction is well underway on the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex and the sheer size of this building allows the mind to believe that anything is possible. The facility will allow our teams to have enhanced practices year-round while giving the track and field program a home to host competitions. In addition, thanks to a $12.5 million lead give from T. Denny Sanford and Dana Dykhouse, we are in the process of building a new $60-$65 million football stadium that will seat approximately 19,000. This will provide a year-round experience that cannot be found anywhere in the State of South Dakota.

As you read this issue of Rabbit Tracks, you will see that current and former student-athletes are proving Jackrabbits can achieve beyond our wildest dreams. In fact, one only needs to look at our record of fulfilling dreams throughout our storied history. We have All-Americans, national champions, an Olympian, an NBA player, a Major Leaguer, Super Bowl champions and an NFL Hall of Fame member. For all of the athletic accomplishments, there are thousands of student-athletes who have used their academic degree to achieve greatness in a variety of careers and are making the world a better place. Carrying on this tradition of excellence are four individuals highlighted in the following pages. When we look at Nate Wolters, Caleb Thielbar, Becka Foerster and Roy Jackson (donor), one thing is clear: the opportunity to be part of the Jackrabbit family allowed them to dream that anything is possible. Each of these individuals truly appreciates the role South Dakota State University plays in their success.

While we are proud of our history and tradition, now is the time to forge ahead. We have accomplished a great deal and checked off a lot of “firsts.” However, the next five years might be the most important time in our athletic history. In order for us to be considered a great athletic program, we must produce championship-level results year after year after year. We must finish the facility projects, add more Jackrabbit Club members and sell more tickets. We need the support of each and every person who has an affinity to SDSU. Thank you to all who have generously supported our great program … now let’s work together to lay down the building blocks to turn our dreams into reality!

Go Big. Go Blue. Go Jacks.

Building Blocks and Dreams

PRESIDENT David L. Chicoine

DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS Justin Sell

ASSISTANT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, SPORTS INFORMATION Jason Hove

SDSU SPORTS INFORMATION ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR Ryan Sweeter

SENIOR ASSOCIATE AD/EXTERNAL AFFAIRS Leon Costello

EDITOR Andrea Kieckhefer, University Marketing and Communications

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS, PHOTOGRAPHERS Dave Graves, Kyle Johnson, Eric Landwehr, Matt Schmidt University Marketing and Communications

DESIGNER Nicole Appl, University Marketing and Communications

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY

VOLUME 18 NO. 2 / WINTER 2014

CONTENTS

ABOUT THE COVER

10FALL SPORTS RECAP The Jackrabbits had another successful fall season, highlighted by Trent Lusignan finishing 12th at the NCAA Division I national championships and another berth in the FCS playoffs. Lusignan also led SDSU the Summit League Championship.

2 8

Athletic DepartmentSouth Dakota State University, Box 2820, Brookings, SD 570071-866-GOJACKSFax: 605-688-5999www.gojacks.com

Rabbit Tracks is produced by University Marketing and Communications in cooperation with the SDSU Athletic Department at no cost to the State of South Dakota. Please notify the Athletic Department office when you change your address.

1,600 copies printed by the SDSU Athletic Department at no cost to the State of South Dakota. PE069 2/14

Construction is well underway on the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex. The large (161,500 square feet) multipurpose complex is on track to open in September.

2 FOOTBALL STADIUM The new football stadium will have various seating sections and meeting spaces for all to explore.

6 NATE WOLTERS Jackrabbit standout making an impact with the Milwaukee Bucks.

8 CALEB THIELBAR Four years after leaving State, Thielbar makes it to the major leagues.

10 FALL SPORTS RECAP Roundup of the SDSU fall seasons.

18 COACH SPOTLIGHT Volleyball coach Phil McDaniel seems to have a knack for being at the right place at the right time.

19 ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Becka Foerster has gone from leading the Jackrabbits on the course and track to leading them in the classroom.

20 SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT Sanford Health sponsorship involves more than just athletics.

21 DONOR SPOTLIGHT Roy Jackson credits his time at State for giving him everything in his life.

22 STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Athletic training students respond to the call.

NEW FOOTBALL STADIUM PLANS MOVING FORWARD Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic complex already taking shape

2 RABBIT TRACKS

T hings are falling into place for a new South Dakota State University football stadium to

open in 2016.In October, philanthropist T. Denny

Sanford and former Jackrabbit Dana Dykhouse announced the donation of $12.5 million to the proposed stadium. That announcement, and other fundraising activities, allowed SDSU to meet with the South Dakota Board of Regents in December. After getting the Board of Regents’ approval, the stadium proposal will now head to the South Dakota Legislature and, if it passes, will go to the governor’s desk for his signature.

To show those entities there is support for the new stadium, athletic director

Justin Sell and staff have been doing additional fundraising and selling suites and premium seats.

“We’re incorporating things so it can be used year-round and used by the university for all kinds of functions—faculty seminars, receptions, wedding parties,” Sell said. “All kinds of things can be done with the club room space we’re designing. It’s not just being built for football.”

Plans are to have the University Police Department housed in a section of the stadium and a satellite location for the University Bookstore.

“Accessible for all”The football stadium’s construction

would be done in phases. Construction

on the east and south sides of the stadium would start in 2014 and be completed in summer 2015. Updates on the west side, which would include a new press box, suites, loge and club seating, would start following the 2015 season and be finished in time for the following season.

“Our hope, like it was for the Board of Regents, is that there are some unanimous feelings that this is a great project for the state of South Dakota,” Sell said. “We’ve been selling it as an opportunity to provide an experience you can’t find anywhere else in the state. Each home Saturday, we’ll have the opportunity to bring those people together and that can only be good for our university.

Athletic director Justin Sell explains the various uses for the club room section of the new football stadium. Plans are to use the club room for various universitywide activities throughout the year.

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4 RABBIT TRACKS

FOOTBALL STADIUM

“We’re going to have seating levels for everybody, whether it’s faculty/staff, families or discounted group tickets,” he continued. “There are going to be a lot of options for us to do a lot in this stadium, and it will be accessible for all.”

While the stadium will have a new name, there are plans to honor 1909 graduate Charles Coughlin, the lead donor for Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.

“We’ve talked about a plaza or taking parts of the old stadium and making benches or other items to capture the spirit of Coughlin,” Sell said. “You have to remember that Dana Dykhouse played in that stadium as a student-athlete and has strong feelings for it. He has supported our program and the university ever since he left. To be able to name it after him is something we take a lot of pride in but we also want to honor the history of Coughlin-Alumni Stadium as well.”

Student supportThe SDSU Students’ Association

has passed a resolution to show it will

consider a general activity fee to cover operational—not construction—costs, if needed. If it is needed, the student fee would start in the 2017 fiscal year. Approximately 3,000 seats will be available for students.

Following many meetings and presentations with university leadership, Students’ Association President Ben Stout said the new stadium has been the biggest issue SA has worked on this fall.

“The resolutions that have passed simply state that we are considering the possibility of a general activity fee increase, and we will continue to work with the university administration as the football stadium plan develops,” Stout said. “One of the main reasons why SA passed the resolution is because we think that we need to, at the very least, consider the fee increase for this project.”

CostsAll of the features and amenities come

with a certain cost. SDSU has requested $65 million for the stadium but plans

are to keep the project near $60 million. As of now, that final project price will be determined in the spring.

“It’s important for people to know we’ve gotten off to a great start with a big thanks to Denny Sanford and Dana Dykhouse for getting that going, but we have a lot of work still to do,” Sell said. “All of those people who want an opportunity to be part of it or to support our athletic program, we need them to step up and buy some things.”

No blue fieldDespite the notoriety of Boise State’s

blue turf, or the fact that the Jackrabbits played on Eastern Washington’s red turf in this year’s playoffs, Sell does not have any plans for nontraditional colors other than a blue-and-yellow checkerboard pattern in the end zones. However, the days of SDSU having the lone grass field in the Missouri Valley Football Conference will be over.

“We’ve been working with some companies that produce a soy-based artificial turf product,” he said. “We’re

Opposite page, from left: Athletic director Justin Sell responds to questions at one of the town hall meetings held to provide updates to the Brookings community on the stadium’s progress. Construction continued throughout the winter months on the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex. Below: A rendering showing the various seating options on the west side of the proposed stadium.

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going to be putting that product in the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex which means we’ll probably put it in the new stadium so we’re using the same type of field.”

In addition to the artificial turf surfaces in the football stadium and in the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex, the department plans to have another artificial turf practice field and two grass practice fields. In addition to being used by other Jackrabbits teams,

Sell said the fields could be available for university use.

Dome not consideredSell stated making an indoor stadium

was not a consideration following recent surveys and the creation of the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex.

“The surveys showed that our fans want to sit outside, and it was pretty important to them to keep that as part of the game-day experience. Even our suites are designed with seats outside,” he said, noting there will also be indoor seating in the club seats. “When you look at cost of domes now, you’d easily double what we’re putting together. With the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex going up, we took care of a lot of the weather issues we’d have and we’re able to do that in a more efficient way than if we had a dome facility.

“I also think there is uniqueness here,” he continued. “The jackrabbit is

unique as a mascot. Our success in the Division I era is unique in terms of how much we’ve had and how early. I think having an outdoor facility in this neck of the woods is another defining piece of the uniqueness for SDSU. I like where we’re at with an outdoor stadium.”

The outdoor stadium aspect could also play a factor for future playoff games.

“The new stadium will help us in the bidding process,” Sell said. “The NCAA

looks at all kinds of things. Obviously, money is a part of it, but the quality of the facility and experience for the student-athlete is important. It’s tough to do that at Coughlin right now.

“When we get a chance of making a playoff run and have the opportunity to bring in teams from another region and climates where they’re not used to the cold, it’ll create a competitive advantage. Our guys are tough, and it’ll be an advantage.”

The Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex

Helping create that advantage will be the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex, a multipurpose facility that will contain a 300-meter indoor track and will serve as the indoor practice facility. It will house a human performance center that will provide a wide range of services, including athletic

training, strength and conditioning, physical therapy and hydrotherapy.

“Everything is going according to plan and on time,” Sell said. “The key was getting all of the footings in before the weather turned. I think they can put steel up throughout the winter. You see those big beams up and it gets really exciting. It’s progress but I think it matches what we’re doing here.

“When you go see the size of those metal beams and how it’s going to

frame in that roof … when you stack those beams up, one after another for the length of the field, 172 yards worth of those beams, you can imagine how dramatic the size of this building is going to be.”

Despite the complex’s sheer size—161,500 square feet, Sell is confident construction will be completed for the 2014 athletic seasons.

“It should be done by Sept. 1. We should be open before the start of the fall seasons,” he said. “Plans are that some of the elements—particularly the human performance center—will be done by the summer so we’ll hopefully be using the training room, the weight room, the hydrotherapy, physical therapy areas and the team doctor offices.”

MATT SCHMIDT

FOOTBALL STADIUM

6 RABBIT TRACKS

NATE WOLTERS

A dmitting that he was “lightly recruited” in high school, Nate Wolters’ main goal was to play college basketball.

“When I came to SDSU, I started to work harder, got better, and by my junior year, I thought it was realistic to play in the NBA—I made it my goal.”

Indeed, that’s what transpired. Drafted by the Washington Wizards with the 38th overall pick in June 2013, he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers and later acquired by the Milwaukee Bucks.

That’s life in the NBA, and no matter how it worked out, Wolters became the highest NBA draft pick in SDSU history. And he is making an immediate impact by ranking among the Bucks’ leaders in assists. Through Feb. 4, he is averaging 6.3 points, 3.4 assists and 2.1 rebounds while playing approximately 20 minutes per game.

Hard work has paid off for the St. Cloud, Minn., native, who is legendary at spending countless practice hours in the gym. Elevation to the professional circuit was “surreal” for Wolters, citing that it’s been “fun to travel, seeing different arenas and new places.”

Even though it’s still basketball, “there is definitely a difference, especially the athleticism of the guys,” he said. “The shot clock is 24 (as opposed to 35 in college) and the three-point line is farther out. They are adjustments, and I continue to learn.”

Wolters’ time with the Jackrabbits was historic. He became just the third player in NCAA Division I history to register at least 2,000 points, 600 rebounds and 600 assists in a career. His numbers show a school-record 2,363 points, a school-record 669 assists and 602 rebounds.

His point production erased Mark Tetzlaff’s total of 1,931—a mark that stood for 28 years. Brian Norberg held the previous assist record with 605 from 1996-99.

NATE [WOLTERS]

Wolters realizes dream with successful debut in NBA

Former SDSU standout Nate Wolters played a season-high 40 minutes Nov. 13, 2013, against the Orlando Magic.

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Wolters became the first player since the NCAA began keeping assists as an official statistic in 1983-84 to average 20 points (22.3), five assists (5.8) and five rebounds (5.6) in two separate seasons.

Recognizing his accomplishments, Wolters earned Associated Press third-team all-America honors as a senior—the highest honor by a Jackrabbit at the Division I level. His season point average ranked fourth nationally and his assist average was 21st in the country.

In a win at Fort Wayne, Wolters notched a school-record 53 points for the highest-scoring output in Division I last season. The performance eclipsed the school record of 44 points set by Dave Thomas against Coe College in 1973. In the Fort Wayne game, Wolters drained nine three-point field goals, breaking Randy Suarez’s eight against Augustana in 1987.

Wolters has a good support network with friends and family members either making the drive for SDSU home games or watching their star on television. Along the way, he hasn’t forgotten where his journey began.

“I really enjoyed my time at SDSU, it’s a great university,” he said. “I had great coaches and teammates. The coaches prepared me really well. Coach gave me a ton of freedom. He had a lot of confidence in me and let me play. I give him a lot of credit. It was a great experience.”

Following completion of his intercollegiate career, Nagy knew he had been coaching one of the best to ever don a Jackrabbit uniform.

“From the standpoint of statistics, from the standpoint of how successful our team has been and from the standpoint that the competition is the best that SDSU has ever had, there

is nobody who would dispute that Nate is the best to ever play at South Dakota State,” said Nagy.

“I would like to find out how many Division I schools have their all-time leading scorer also be their all-time leading assist person. I bet you couldn’t find a handful out of all the Division I schools in the country.

“There are two areas in which Nate gets overlooked. He is a tremendous rebounder for a guard and is very good on defense. We relied on him so much for offense and handling the basketball all the time, but people really got a good view of what he can do defensively.

“Players like him, in terms of his capabilities and what he did for our team, are just not out there all the time.”

The Summit League named Wolters its player of the week a league-record seven times during his senior campaign, giving him 15 weekly honors for his career, which ties the all-time league mark. He also earned the league’s male athlete of the month twice.

In the Bucks’ media guide, under strengths, Wolters’ narrative reads: Has excellent size for a point guard … excellent scorer, ballhandler and playmaker … very good perimeter shooter … very good floor general.

Wolters has worked hard to get to the NBA. He intends to make the most of it.

“I want this to last as long as I can,” he said. “It’s tough to stay in this league because the average length is three to four years. My goal is to continue to work hard and improve every day.”

KYLE JOHNSON

NATE WOLTERS

Wolters, the Jackrabbits’ all-time leader in scoring and assists, is shown here shooting against the Dallas Mavericks and driving past a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers (right). Photos courtesy of the Milwaukee Bucks.

8 RABBIT TRACKS

M ay 20, 2013, was a good day for the SDSU baseball program.

That’s when Caleb Thielbar became the first member of the Jackrabbits to appear in a major league game.

The Randolph, Minn., native was called up by the Minnesota Twins that day from the Triple-A Rochester (N.Y.) Red Wings.

Thielbar still can’t believe he was the chosen one in the 66 years that the Jacks have been playing intercollegiate baseball.

“There have been so many great players in the past that it’s still crazy to think that no one else had made it this far,” he said. “It’s hard to believe that’s the first time it’s ever happened. I have a lot of Jackrabbit pride in me.”

Thielbar, who pitched for the Jacks from 2006 to 2009, got the call at noon that Monday. He was soon on a plane to Atlanta for the series opener against the Braves at Turner Field. He jumped in a cab and got to the field 15 minutes before game time and began playing catch in the bullpen.

Sure enough, in the seventh with the Twins trailing, 5-0, Thielbar got the call from the Minnesota dugout. Incredibly, only nine hours removed from Rochester, he was on the mound making his major league debut.

With human nature dictating butterflies in the gut, Thielbar forced himself to calm down, if that was even possible.

“I hadn’t been that nervous to pitch in my entire life,” he recalled. “It was an unreal feeling that I’ll never forget. With all the adrenaline flowing I just had to remind myself that it is the same game as always.”

And, settle down Thielbar did. After Andrelton Simmons welcomed him to the big leagues by banging his first pitch to left for a single, Thielbar retired the next three batters. He also retired the Braves in order in the eighth; of the six outs, three were strikeouts.

“It probably helped actually by not having much time to sit and think about it,” said Thielbar, referring to his hurried arrival to the game. “But, always the thought is to do your job and get outs. It’s not that simple sometimes with all the thoughts running through your mind.”

Thielbar’s performance was a good indicator of what was to come.

For the season, the left-hander notched a 3-2 record with 39 strikeouts and 14 walks. In 46 innings of work, he allowed only nine earned runs for a nifty 1.76 ERA. In fact, after being called up, he went 18 straight appearances before surrendering a run, which occurred July 8 against Tampa Bay.

“It was a good year,” reflected Thielbar. “I was able to stay consistent throughout the year and avoided giving up big innings. Being out of the bullpen, that’s pretty much the name of the game.”

Thielbar’s major focus was staying consistent throughout the season.

“The main thing is just consistency,” he said. “It’s doing the same thing to prepare every day and maintain mechanics and strength is very important, especially since it was the first time I played all the way through September.”

Caleb Thielbar

First Jackrabbit to reach the big leagues seeks continued consistency for 2014 season

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CALEB THIELBAR

While big league hitters are much better and more complete compared to those in the minor leagues, Thielbar counters that the amount of information on the batters is much better, too.

“We have video of every at-bat, hot/cold zones like you would see in a video game and every other tendency that they have,” he said. “So, while major league players are better, there is information to help even the playing field.”

First and foremost, Thielbar stressed that his main goal for 2014 is making the opening day roster.

“If I can do that, then I just need to keep the same approach I had this year,” he said. “Study the hitters a little better and maintain a good strength and throwing program. The rest will fall into place as long as I don’t try to do too much.”

Selected in the 18th round of Major League Baseball’s first-year player draft by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2009, Thielbar spent two seasons in the Brewers’ organization before signing with the Twins late in 2011 after a brief stint with the St. Paul Saints of the Independent American Association.

Thielbar earned a spot on Minnesota’s 40-man roster following a strong 2012 season. He started out at Class A Fort Myers in the Florida State League before joining the Double-A New Britain team in Connecticut, where he made 16 relief appearances. He spent the final three months of 2012 at Rochester posting a 3-1 record with one save and a 3.57 earned run average in 25 appearances.

Before he got the call from the Twins, Thielbar made 17 appearances with Rochester, turning in a 1-1 record with one save and a 3.76 earned run average. He registered 34 strikeouts and only eight walks in 26.1 innings.

A wildlife and fisheries major at SDSU, Thielbar often thinks back to his Jackrabbits days.

“I enjoyed my time in Brookings and wouldn’t change my decision to go there,” he said. Thielbar recently purchased a house in Brookings and worked out this offseason on campus.

Thielbar posted a career record of 20-19, setting career records in innings pitched (274) and starts (44). He ranks second in career strikeouts (196) and shares the single-season strikeout record (100).

“My career wasn’t as good numbers-wise as I would have liked, but I hope that my graduating class helped pave the way for future teams to have a lot of success,” he said.

His rise to the major leagues was made even sweeter due to the team that made it happen and the fan following he had.

“It was such a good opportunity to play with the Twins,” said Thielbar. “It’s the team I grew up following, and I had people I knew at almost every game.

“I saw so many people from the Jackrabbits community as well, and they were all very excited to see one of their own out there. Those two things combined were very cool and fun.”

KYLE JOHNSON

Caleb Thielbar appeared in a Major League Baseball game May 20, 2013, and recorded three strikeouts in two innings of work in that contest. Shown pitching against the Milwaukee Brewers, Thielbar said his main goal for the upcoming season is to make the 2014 Twins’ opening day roster.

10 RABBIT TRACKS

F or the first time in South Dakota State University football history, the Jackrabbits have competed in the postseason in back-to-back seasons. The Jacks, who

finished 9-5 overall and 5-3 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, also picked up a win in the postseason for the second-straight year.

After eight games, the Jacks were 4-4 and thoughts of the postseason seemed bleak, particularly following a road loss at Missouri State, who entered the game with a 1-6 record. However, SDSU righted the ship and closed the regular season with four consecutive wins and then added another following a 26-7 Football Championship Subdivision playoff win at Northern Arizona.

While the season came to an end with a loss at FCS semifinalist Eastern Washington, the Jacks are slated to return 11 starters for the 2014 season and a chance at three-straight postseason berths.

“I would credit our overall leadership, starting with our four captains,” said SDSU head coach John Stiegelmeier, for the season-ending run. “The seniors led all year but they surely got heavily involved because of what was at stake.

“I think the guys found another level of commitment on and off the field. What I mean about off the field is watching film, taking care of their bodies, nutrition and so forth,” he

FOOTBALL

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continued. “There are too many moving parts in a football program to point at this one event. When you get moving in a positive direction, it’s hard to notice why, and in contrast, it’s hard to stop when they’re going the other way.”

Prior to the Missouri State game, the Jacks were ranked 15th nationally and had already suffered two losses in MVFC play.

“Going back to the Missouri State game, the prior games we had lost were tough games to good teams,” Stiegelmeier said. “Maybe, because of the national rankings, we had some guys who didn’t handle that very well … kind of immature about it. When we lost to Missouri State, it was a wakeup call about how good we were, and it made an impact on finding another level of commitment.”

The Jackrabbits rebounded with a double-overtime win at home over Northern Iowa. That win proved to be the push for the season-ending run.

“Whatever we did, we said ‘let’s keep doing it.’ We play in a great league, the best league in America, so it’s not

like South Dakota State football walks into stadiums and the game is ours,” Stiegelmeier said. “However, we are developing a great tradition now.”

In addition to three playoff appearances in the past five seasons, the Jackrabbits’ winning tradition can be shown by a 32-16 MVFC overall record since 2008. That mark is tied with Northern Iowa and North Dakota State for the best overall record among MVFC schools during that timeframe.

Different outlookThe season-ending run in 2013 saw a

change in Stiegelmeier’s approach.“We did one thing different that I’ve

never done as a head football coach—we looked at more than one game at a time,” said Stiegelmeier, who completed his 16th season leading the Jacks. “When we were 4-4, we created the scenario or a story that we were in the NLCS (National League Championship Series), and we were down three games to none. We literally painted the picture weekly that a ground ball, a pitch or a swing of the bat ends your season. It’s

FALL SPORTS RECAP

Honor RollNumerous Jackrabbits compiled postseason honors. They were:

Capital One Academic All-America First Team

Jason Schneider, Zach Zenner

Capital One Academic All-District VI Brandon Hubert, Schneider, Taylor Suess,

Zenner

FCS Athletics Directors Association Academic All-Star Team – Hubert, Zenner

All-Missouri Valley All-Academic Team

Schneider, Suess, Zenner – first team; Hubert

– second team; R.C. Kilgore,

Ethan Sawyer – honorable mention

American Football Coaches Association

Zenner, first team

The Sports Network All-America Team

Zenner, Bryan Witzmann, first team;

Winston Wright, third team

Associated Press All-America

Zenner, first team; Witzmann, second team

Walter Camp Football Foundation

Zenner, first team

College Sporting News 2013 Fabulous Fifty FCS All-America Team – Zenner, Witzmann

MVFC All-Newcomer Team – Cole Langer

All-Missouri Valley – Kilgore, Schneider,

Witzmann, Wright, Zenner – first team;

Vince Benedetto, Chase Douglas - second

team; Je Ryan Butler, Doug Peete, Austin

Sumner - honorable mention

Allstate American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team – Wright

William V. Campbell Trophy (top college football scholar-athlete) semifinalist Hubert

SDSU Football has won the MVFC All-Academic Award every year it has competed in the league.

Opposite page: Chase Douglas Above: Zach Zenner

12 RABBIT TRACKS

FALL SPORTS RECAP

a unique picture because even though we’re not a baseball team, everybody loved it. If I used a calculus example, not everyone would have got it, me included.

“That was different because we always go 1-0, we don’t talk about the past nor what’s ahead,” he continued. “We were obviously saying we had to win four in a row. Yes, go 1-0 today but we’ve got to win four. Our guys responded. I think it wore on them a little bit, but they responded.”

Despite the success, Stiegelmeier said he will not change his approach for the 2014 season.

PlayoffsAfter Northern Arizona took a 7-0

lead, the first-round playoff game was all SDSU. Running back Zach Zenner, who ran for 249 yards, scored two touchdowns. The win was the program’s second-straight first-round playoff win.

“I sensed, when we went to Flagstaff, a great confidence that we were going to win the football game,” Stiegelmeier said. “We had the boost of making the playoffs. We were sitting here in the Dykhouse Center not knowing if we were going to be in. There weren’t any promises. Then, seeing your name come up, there was a huge amount of energy infused into our program. It was a ‘We did it; we made it; let’s go play our best ball.’”

After battling to a 14-14 first-half tie with Eastern Washington, the Jackrabbits saw the Eagles erupt for 27 second-half points.

Zenner became the second FCS running back to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season. After leading the FCS in 2012 with 2,044 rushing yards, Zenner ran for 2,015 yards in 2013. He could become the first to surpass the 2,000-yard mark in three-straight seasons.

“Making the playoffs two years in a row, that’s our business card,” said Stiegelmeier about the upcoming recruiting season. “You go out, you talk about chemistry, you talk about engineering, you talk about facilities, but guys want to compete for a national

WINTER 2014 13

championship. When we recruit against the MAC (Mid-American Conference) schools, or against smaller FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) programs, we talk about if they want to compete for a national championship or if they want to play in a lesser bowl on Dec. 23?”

FCS SuccessThe move to NCAA Division I status

has caused many changes not only in the athletics department but also on the SDSU campus. However, the change in the SDSU football program might be the biggest. The Jackrabbits had only participated in the 1979 NCAA Division II playoffs before making the move.

“We’re not surprised at where we’re at,” Stiegelmeier said. “I think there are a lot of people who feel we overachieve or something. I don’t think there is such a thing. You either achieve or underachieve. I think our guys achieve. They use so much of what they’re given. Our work ethic is phenomenal. That has produced the past two playoff seasons.”

“As an individual, I’m an optimist and a farm boy who thinks if you work your tail off, you’re going to have success,” he continued. “Truly, history was against us. When we went FCS or I-AA, I think there was a chance to rewrite what SDSU football was going to be remembered for. Those four

classes there (pointing to a grouping of pictures on the east wall in his office), they didn’t get to play in the playoffs. Those were the reclassification years. They didn’t leave. They didn’t go play Division II and try to win a title. They were told ‘You don’t get to play for a championship.’ They stuck it out and created the foundation for what we have. In my mind, all of those guys up there, they are part of this, too. They changed the face of SDSU football.”

MATT SCHMIDT

FALL SPORTS RECAP

Opposite page, clockwise from upper left: RC Kilgore brings down an NDSU running back. • Quarterback Austin Sumner set SDSU career records for passing completions, attempts and yards this past season. • Brandon Hubert makes one of his 33 pass receptions. • TJ Lally starts to bring down a Northern Iowa receiver in the Jacks’ 37-34 overtime win. • In addition to making this tackle, Dallas Brown also returned an interception 52 yards for a touchdown against Southeastern Louisiana. • Doug Peete records a sack as SDSU blanked Indiana State to close the 2013 home schedule.

Below: Head coach John Stiegelmeier guided SDSU to its second-straight NCAA postseason appearance and the Jacks’ eighth winning season in the past 10 years. He will enter the 2014 season with 111 career wins.

14 RABBIT TRACKS

A season birthed in an August tragedy grew into a November triumph for the SDSU men’s

cross country program.The tragedy occurred about noon

Aug. 8, 2013, when sophomore-to-be Phillip LaVallee died when he was struck by a van while he was running on the wide shoulders of County Road 19 near his home in Otsego, Minn. The van crossed two lanes of traffic and LaVallee died instantly.

Coach Rod DeHaven was unsure how his close knit and young team would respond to a teammate’s death.

“At the end of the season, largely the vibe was really positive,” DeHaven said. The women’s team finished second in the Summit League meet, its best showing since winning the title in 2008. The men won the Summit crown for the fourth time in five years and junior Trent Lusignan finished second at the Midwest Regional and 12th at nationals.

His regional finish was the highest placing for an SDSU runner at the Midwest Regional and the second-highest ever placing for an SDSU runner at the Division I nationals.

There was early discussion of dedicating the season to LaVallee, but DeHaven warned that such a move could prove more distraction than motivation. In the end, the athletes individually made their own statements, but it did make the student-athletes, “the women’s team, particularly, very mindful of the opportunity presented to them,” DeHaven said.

Lusignan said of LaVallee’s death, “Obviously, it was very tough on us a team. The chances of that happening are a million to one, especially crossing two lanes of traffic. It was hard on us. I’d go out and hammer runs (in August) that I probably shouldn’t have been doing.

“All of a sudden you’re running way too fast.”

Success follows Lusignan through season

Lusignan didn’t compete in the Jacks first two meets, but from then on he was the team’s first-place runner, and he finished first overall at the SDSU Classic and the Summit League Championship, an 8K (five-mile) race two weeks before the 10K Midwest Regional.

“It was a very exciting race, he ran tremendously smart and made the move when he had to break things up and secure himself a position,” DeHaven said of Lusignan’s second-place regional finish.

He ran a personal best of 30:30.3 while finishing just two seconds behind Tulsa senior Chris O’Hare.

Strategy pays off at nationalsEight days later, Nov. 23, he was on

the starting line of the NCAA Division I national championship at Terre Haute, Ind. It was a course that was shortened by 110 meters because of puddles at the original starting line at the LaVerne Gibson Cross Country Course.

Like at the regional meet, Lusignan held back in the early going.

“My race plan was to stay back for the first mile,” the junior from Shakopee, Minn., said. Workers had put sand in water puddles created by a heavy rain six days earlier, but that “made it like running at a beach,” he said.

While a beach run makes for good TV footage, it’s not the pathway to optimizing one’s time.

There were 255 runners. Early on, Lusignan found 150 runners ahead of him and he wondered how he could get past so many people. The crowd kind of took care of itself. “A lot of those guys went out too hard in the mud and fell back,” he said. At the 3K mark, he was in 60th place running a 4:39 per mile pace.

“I hopped on a group at 5K, and I was still there” when others dropped off. At the 5K mark he had moved to 31st place though his pace between 3 and 5K dropped to 5:07. For the next 3K, he cut his pace to 4:54 and had moved to 12th place by the 8K mark.

During the final 2K he ran a 4:56 pace and held onto 12th place.

To redshirt in 2014While Lusignan is proud of his race

and considers it “the most accomplished race I’ve even run, I wouldn’t consider it the best race I could run.” His placing gives him all-American status and his next goal is to finish in the top five or 10 nationally.

CROSS COUNTRYNational placer Lusignan paces men’s team

FALL SPORTS RECAP

Trent Lusignan heads toward the finish line at the Division I National Championship at Terre Haute, Ind., Nov. 23, 2013. He finished 12th, the second-highest placing ever for an SDSU runner at the Division I meet.

WINTER 2014 15

To achieve that, he will be redshirting this season’s indoor and outdoor track season as well as next year’s cross country season.

“I want to be at the peak of my fitness when I step out on the course as a senior,” said Lusignan, who is majoring in physical education. That decision was made before he crossed the finish line in Terre Haute. He and DeHaven had considered redshirting for the 2013 season.

However, because the regionals were in Ames, Iowa, with a climate similar to Brookings, the decision was made to compete this season.

Obviously, it was a good call. Lusignan’s second-place finish at regions caught observers off guard as did his 12th-place national finish. The weather at nationals — temperatures in the high 20s with a 15 mph north wind and a wet course — was a greater handicap to runners from more temperate climes.

“We thought those were the best conditions for me to place high. It was in my favor to run well and that’s what happened.”

DAVE GRAVES

F inishing fourth out of four teams at your home meet may not seem like an accomplishment, but for

the women’s cross country team, it was a turning point.

Minnesota, a perennial national contender, led the way with a perfect score of 15 and had the top 10 finishers. Runners from North Dakota State University filled four of the next six spots to easily place second. In the battle for third and fourth, the University of South Dakota edged SDSU by a point.

On paper, the Coyotes had a far more talented team than the Jackrabbits, SDSU coach Rod DeHaven said.

So the Jacks’ competitive finish on a cold, windy Edgebrook Golf Course at the Oct. 4 SDSU Classic changed the outlook of the team. “All of a sudden we finish a point behind USD. The belief (in ourselves) was really cemented that evening,” DeHaven said.

The Jackrabbits only had three seniors on their roster and their most competitive runners were sophomores and juniors.

“At times it was maybe a little bumpy without a senior rudder. That was probably one of the fears this year—without senior leadership, trying to reach our goal to finish second in the Summit League meet,” DeHaven said. But it was a goal obtained.

Fielding a team of two juniors, four sophomores and a freshman, SDSU finished with 47 points, well ahead of third-place USD at 66.

Bowers develops into top performer

In the meet between the SDSU Classic and the Nov. 2 Summit League Championship, 14 of 16 SDSU women set personal bests. “Everyone was excited about the next race,” the league meet, DeHaven said. “It’s really cool when you can harness the momentum at that point in the season.”

Leading the charge for the Jacks was Cheyanne Bowers, a sophomore from St. James, Minn.

She had a solid freshman season, but struggled during outdoor track and had a health issue that kept her out of this year’s first two meets. DeHaven wasn’t sure what to expect. “But she made adjustments and did very well,” the 10-year mentor said.

Bowers finished second at the Summit League meet and 40th at the Midwest Regionals in Ames, Iowa.

She opened her season at the Griak Invite in Minneapolis Sept. 28 with a

22:45 in the 6K. By the close of the year, she had cut well over a minute off her time (21:27 at Midwest Regionals). “Cheyanne’s Summit

League finish … a lot of people were surprised by that,” DeHaven said.

The core of the team wasn’t far behind, finishing sixth (sophomore Jessica Eibs), 12th (junior Courtney Neubert), 13th (sophomore Laura Lawton) and 14th (sophomore Jenna Grossenberg).

“Everybody’s pretty stoked for the next year and the next two years down the line if it doesn’t change,” DeHaven said.

DAVE GRAVES

FALL SPORTS RECAP

Top: SDSU’s Cheyanne Bowers (82) paces the lead pack at the Summit League Championship Nov. 2 at Hefner Soccer Complex, Fort Wayne, Ind. The sophomore ended up second to North Dakota State’s Brecca Wahlund (51) while NDSU’s Maddie McClellan (47) was third. SDSU finished second in the team race.

Bottom: Members of the SDSU women’s cross country team pose with the second-place plaque at the Summit League Championship Nov. 2 at Hefner Soccer Complex in Fort Wayne, Ind. Pictured, clockwise from lower left, are Courtney Neubert, Samantha Anderson, Kirsten Anderson, Cheyanne Bowers, Marissa Shady, Alexandria Suhr, Jessica Eibs and Laura Lawton.

Rabbit women pull out surprises

16 RABBIT TRACKS

T he SDSU women’s soccer team returned nine starters and 14 letterwinners from the 2012

team which finished 6-9-2. With that kind of returning core, head coach Lang Wedemeyer felt he had a chance to contend for a Summit League title.

The Jackrabbits did more than just contend for a title, they finished second in the regular season with a 6-1 mark. However, the season came to an end in the Summit League Championships semifinals.

“We felt like we were returning a lot of experience from last year,” said Wedemeyer, who was named the Summit League Coach of the Year. “In 2012, we had to deal with a number of injuries so we had a number of freshmen who were thrown into the starting lineup. They might not have been quite ready for that then, especially considering the difficulty of the schedule. But it gave them a lot of maturity and experience leading into this year. We felt really good.”

Those feelings got a jolt early when an injury cost SDSU its starting goalkeeper, Elisa Stamatakis, three days before the home opener. Stamatakis appeared in 16 matches in 2012, playing roughly 89 percent of the minutes.

“We lost a number of other players periodically through the season due to injuries. I was incredibly impressed with how a lot of young players stepped up this year and how players were able to come off the bench into starting roles and make a difference.”

One of those players was freshman Nicole Inskeep who stepped in and recorded 11 shutouts, tying the school record set in 2011 by Kat Donavan. Inskeep was named to

the Summit League All-Freshman Team and also was a second-team All-Summit League selection.

“Nicole Inskeep, she is where it really starts,” Wedemeyer said. “She had the mindset she was going to be the backup

this season and three days before we play Iowa State she’s in goal. She really exceeded our expectations.”

With Inskeep in net, SDSU had a streak of 521 minutes without allowing a goal. That shutout streak allowed the Jackrabbits to open Summit League play with a 5-0 start, a run that saw five different Jacks score game-winning

goals.“We certainly knew we had

to be tighter defensively this year,” Wedemeyer said. “It was something we worked on in the spring season leading up to the fall. It wasn’t necessarily our mindset. It was a collective effort from the team in that we were difficult to score on in a majority of the games.”

In addition to Inskeep, classmates McKenzie Wolf, Ashley Adams and Shelby Raper were named to the league’s all-freshman team.

“Both (Wolf and Adams) started on the outside backs and played a majority of the minutes the whole season. They did exceptional jobs,” Wedemeyer said. “And Shelby Raper, she earned a starting spot up front. Even though she didn’t score a lot of goals, she was very dangerous.”

Despite the loss of four seniors, including two—Caylee Costello and Darci Miller who earned All-Summit League honors—Wedemeyer likes his chances in 2014 as the Jackrabbits return the four freshmen as well as Dani Patterson, a first team All-Summit League pick

“We’re certainly going to miss our four seniors. You never really replace the players who leave your program,” he said. “We feel very excited about the quality of the returning players. And, as

young as we were, our expectations are even higher for next year.”

MATT SCHMIDT

SOCCER

FALL SPORTS RECAP

The Jackrabbits celebrate a win at the Fishback Soccer Park. SDSU went 6-3-1 at home this season on its way to an 11-5-2 overall record.

WINTER 2014 17

VOLLEYBALL

W ith a total of 11 freshmen and sophomores on the roster, the 2013 South Dakota State

volleyball coaching staff knew this season would have its ups and downs.

“As a coaching staff, what we were seeing in practice was a different team than we saw when we played matches. It wasn’t until the last two matches at home that our crowds got to see what we had been seeing the past six weeks of practices,” said head coach Phil McDaniel, noting the November wins over Omaha and Western Illinois. “They started putting things together and were putting those things together in a setting that wasn’t so comfortable for them like practice. As long as we continue to do that, we’ll be fine. It was frustrating for the coaching staff because we had been seeing positive play and positive strides in practice, but we just weren’t getting it to translate to match play.”

While the Jackrabbits posted a 5-22 overall record, there were several bright spots. Freshman Tiara Gibson was named to the Summit League All-Freshman team after leading the Jackrabbits with 69 total blocks. She was second on the team with 161 kills. Sophomore Wagner Larson led the team in kills (238), hitting percentage (.250) and service aces (19).

“Tiara had a great run for us this year but we’re going to expand her game,” said McDaniel. “We kept her role pretty limited, primarily because she had so much going on and we didn’t want to overload her. Now we’re going to be able to open up the playbook and get her going.”

The Jackrabbits will have someone different running the plays as senior Lexi Fowler ends her career with 2,615 set assists, the seventh-best total in SDSU history.

“Lexi has essentially been a starter for us for three years, and she learned a lot along the way,” McDaniel said. “If people saw her from her freshman year to now, they would have seen a lot of those growth changes our young ones are going through now.”

Freshman Brooke Leetham will be the setter going into the spring season and will be challenged by incoming freshman Jessi Henter. As a result, SDSU could run a 6-2 offense.

“Brooke is going to get all of attention at the setting position so she’s

going to have to set at least a million balls between now and spring break,” McDaniel said. “Brooke has to take those positive things that Lexi was doing this year and incorporate the things she already does well.”

In addition to the number of returnees, McDaniel will welcome back the services of Margit Hansing in 2014. Hansing, who recorded 203 kills in 2012, missed the 2013 season due to an injury.

“When she returns, we’ll have at least three people battling for two spots,” he said. “Margit’s a solid defender, she’s very good in serve receive and she was our most experienced attacker. Getting her back will certainly be a boost.”

McDaniel has his plans in place for 2014.

“Our freshmen need to have a million touches in the six-week span before we return to team practice this spring,” he said. “On the outside, we need to get confidence in learning new shots and confidence in hitting those shots. Our defensive specialists need to be confident in serve receive and our middles and rights needs to be more physical. Our focus this spring will be getting more confidence so those younger players can add confidence to the experience gained and come out as a polished player next fall.

“The biggest things for this year were one, we were real young and those younger players got some great experience; and two, we joked with people about this throughout the year, that every day we were in the gym was another day we got older, which is going to help us out down the road,” said McDaniel.

“Yes, there were mistakes made along the way, there were errors made, but all of those things are things that we can learn from,” he continued. “As long as we’re learning those lessons along the way, will see those changes translate to improved play on the court.”

MATT SCHMIDT

FALL SPORTS RECAP

Tiara Gibson (7) was named to the Summit League All-Freshman team after leading the Jackrabbits with 69 blocks. • Setter Lexi Fowler (9) posted 2,615 set assists—the seventh-highest figure in SDSU history. She was the Jacks’ lone senior in the 2013 season.

18 RABBIT TRACKS

COACH SPOTLIGHT

PHILMCDANIELMcDaniel comes full circle as Jacks’ volleyball coach

I t’s always beneficial to be in the right place at the right time and to know the right people.

That’s the chain of events in the life of Phil McDaniel, who recently completed his third year as SDSU’s head volleyball coach.

Prior to State, McDaniel was the head volleyball coach at Drake University for three years. And, before that, he was an assistant volleyball coach for three years at SDSU under former head coach Andrew Palileo.

So, why did McDaniel give up a head job at Drake to return to the Jackrabbits Nation?

“When this job opened up, I jumped at the chance and I’m certainly thrilled to come back,” he said. “When I left SDSU, I didn’t realize how much of an impact this school has on the state and how much recognition it has in the state. The connection to the community was a huge reason why I wanted to come back.”

Interestingly enough, for a guy who has led volleyball programs at the collegiate scene for six years, he wasn’t closely related to the sport in the beginning—in fact, it happened rather by accident.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at Culver-Stockton in Canton, Mo., in 1996, followed by a master’s degree in counseling education from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in 1998. Collegiately, he competed in soccer and tennis at Culver-Stockton and he also participated in some pickup volleyball action on the side.

McDaniel also enjoyed racquetball and he often played with Gene Hall, the school’s head volleyball coach. A friendship

soon developed, and McDaniel would occasionally stop by to watch volleyball practice when he was done with soccer practice.

“I really enjoyed my time with Gene,” said McDaniel. “I learned a lot from him. I knew people on the volleyball team and would sometimes help out now and then. I wasn’t a volunteer—more like a helper or ballshagger.”

With his heart initially set on going into law enforcement, student affairs came into his life while serving as a residence hall assistant at Culver-Stockton.

McDaniel also ran residence halls while pursing his master’s degree at UW-Platteville, where he recalled one time he was in the gym playing basketball with some friends and in the adjacent gym a men’s club volleyball team was practicing.

“My team happened to lose and I was sitting out, when a guy popped around the corner and inquired that they needed a couple more players if we were interested,” he said. “I went over to play and discovered that I had some volleyball skills, which apparently came from watching all those practices at Culver-Stockton.”

Rather than search for employment as a counselor upon completion of his master’s degree, McDaniel opted to stay in residential life so he went to East Carolina University where he was in charge of residence halls.

It was there when destiny spoke again. He got involved in a pickup volleyball match and one of the players was the head volleyball coach at J.H. Rose High School in Greenville, N.C.

“After some small talk, the coach said he needed an assistant and wanted to know if I could help out and so I did,” said McDaniel. “A year later, he left to take a coaching job in college and I took over as head coach.”

In three years at the high school, McDaniel directed the program to a 42-7 record and two coach of the year honors.

From the prep ranks, McDaniel was hired as an assistant volleyball coach at New Mexico State. After three years with the Aggies, McDaniel began his first stint at SDSU.

“It’s been a great journey, lots of fun,” said McDaniel. “I always tell people that I have one of the greatest jobs a person can have.”

McDaniel is married to the former Julie Sebring of Brookings. She graduated from SDSU in 1998 with a degree in animal science.

KYLE JOHNSON

McDaniel gives Tiara Gibson some pregame advice. Gibson was named to The Summit League All-Freshmen team in 2013.

WINTER 2014 19

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

BECKA FOERSTER

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

D uring her days as a member of the Jackrabbits cross country and track and field teams, Becka (Mansheim) Foerster ’07, ’11 was one of the most

accomplished student-athletes.In addition to winning six individual NCAA Division I

independent titles, she was one of 29 female student-athletes to be awarded a $7,500 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship in 2007. As a result of recording a 4.0 GPA in nursing, Mansheim was a three-time Academic All-District selection and was a two-time selection to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America team. She applied the postgraduate scholarship to receiving a master’s of science degree in nursing with the nurse educator specialization in 2011.

A Brookings native, Foerster has remained in her hometown. After spending five years working with the Brookings Health System, she is now in her second year teaching with the College of Nursing.

“I get the best of both worlds in that I get to practice in the clinical setting with my students and as an ER nurse,” said Foerster, noting she still works in the emergency room at Brookings Health when needed.

Competing when SDSU was in its NCAA Division I transition phase, she won 1,500-meter race three times in the outdoor track seasons and also won the 5,000-meter title in 2006, when she was named Track Athlete of the Meet at the Division I Independent Championships. In addition, she is the school record holder in three indoor events, as well as the 1,500 meters outdoors.

Her accomplishments carried over to cross country, too. She claimed individual titles at the Division I Independent Championships during the 2005 and 2006 campaigns, leading the Jackrabbits to the team title as a senior.

“Being a student-athlete, you don’t realize it at the time but you’re really, really busy,” she said. “I think you don’t realize it so much because you’re having fun doing it and there are always goals to reach for and toward and you have a lot of people around you supporting you. Those types of skills definitely propel you in your family life and professional life. It also helps you have a good base for the need to have exercise and wellness in your life, and how that is a good stress reliever. Now, it’s for wellness instead of competing … most of the time.”

Most of the time is key as Foerster and her former teammates have competed in the Jackrabbits’ home cross

country meet in 2012 and 2013. Foerster has also recently run a half marathon and various 5,000-meter road races.

“I still have that competitiveness in me so whatever I do, I like to do well. Just training for anything above 5k takes time,” she said. “I did do my first half-marathon in May in Fargo. I never thought I’d say this but I intend to do it again. It’s good to get me to work toward something and train for something. You lose that speed with age,” she said with a laugh.

Despite the possible loss of speed, Foerster keeps busy with her running, her classes and her family. She and her husband, Danny, have two children, Kalla, 3, and Jada, 1.

“I really like working with the students. I really like that,” she said. “I like the balance for my personal life, my family life, that teaching offers.”

Despite the numerous individual accolades, Foerster fondly recalls something else.

“What I remember most—beyond accomplishments and things like that—the biggest thing is teammates and that bond we had every day,” she said. “Not only were we working hard together running but we also had therapy sessions every day because we were together, able to run together and talk and get through college and have a lot of fun at that.”

MATT SCHMIDT

20 RABBIT TRACKS

W hen South Dakota State University met with Sanford Health in July 2012 about

a corporate sponsorship, the topic of discussions was more than just about the athletics department.

“It is support for athletics but it is very much support of the institution, support of shared research missions between our two campuses. I know (SDSU President) Dr. Chicoine was interested in the research connection between our institutions when we started talking about this project,” said Kevin Lampe, Sanford Health’s vice president of National Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.

After three furious weeks of work that month, an agreement was signed for Sanford Health to provide sports medicine services as well as orthopedic and primary care support prior to the 2012 fall athletics seasons. Sanford Health also agreed to provide $10 million over a 10-year period toward construction of the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex. In addition to serving as an indoor practice facility, the building will contain a human performance center that will provide a wide range of services, including athletic training, strength and conditioning, physical therapy and hydrotherapy. Chad Kurtenbach and Verle Valentine, who both work with Sanford, also serve as team physicians.

“The human performance center made good sense because we could connect nutrition, exercise physiology, bone health and sports concussions, in addition to providing the orthopedic and primary care services,” said Lampe. “All of that fit into a nice package of support from one of the state’s leading employers to one of the state’s leading educational institutions. It seemed to be a good fit that we would both be better if we found a way to make it work.”

Lampe and SDSU athletic director Justin Sell agree that both departments have already benefitted from the agreement.

“Any time you partner with a company like Sanford Health, you’re getting first-class or world-class services, research, doctors and people—those are the things that get you excited about what you can build for the future,” Sell said.

And the future should contain more benefits for both parties.

“I think we’re on just the edge of some unique stuff relative to the sports research pieces,” Lampe said. “The early conversations we’ve had with some of the researchers at SDSU will lead to other opportunities we don’t totally understand yet.”

While Sanford Health has sponsorships with other area colleges and universities, it understands the agreement with SDSU is more than just an athletic sponsorship.

“There are so many positives that I think have come from all of these relationships,” said Mike Begeman, Sanford’s chief of staff and vice president of public affairs. “Specifically in South Dakota State, we have a partner that is 50 miles up the road and I think we see the benefit almost every day. I know there are a lot of South Dakota State grads working for us now and potentially a lot more who could down the road.

“I know here at Sanford, we like to align ourselves with professional, top-notch, championship-type organizations,” he continued. “We really feel our partnership with South Dakota State has yielded all we anticipated and then some because they’ve been nothing but positive.”

Lampe agreed.“Nine years from now, when we look

at renewing this contract we’re in, we’ll be saying, was it a good trade? We’ll be able to point to a long list on the wall where both SDSU and Sanford will be saying this was good for us,” said Lampe. “When that happens, then my work is successful.”

MATT SCHMIDT

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT DE SMET FARM MUTUAL INSURANCESPONSOR SPOTLIGHT

Mike Begeman

Chad Kurtenbach

Kevin Lampe

Verle Valentine

SANFORDHEALTH

WINTER 2014 21

J ackson, a 1959 graduate in civil/environmental engineering, met his wife, Karen, when both were in a

one-act play. Jackson was busy in other activities, too. In addition to being a cheerleader, he was the 1958 Hobo Day chair and was a student manager for the 1959 track and field team.

“I so admired the track team and how hard they worked for so little recognition,” Jackson said. “It was really a treat to be around them. At the end of the year, coach Jim Emmerich gave me a gold letter jacket and a tie clasp with a track shoe on it. That was so great.

“I know I can never repay the school but I owe them so much,” he continued. “When you’re little, you hear that it’s better to give than receive. But at that age it’s a bunch of baloney. As you get older, you realize the joy of giving. You see all of these fresh faces on campus and maybe there’s another Karen and Roy out there who can enjoy some of the same things we accomplished during and after our time at State. It’d be neat to help them. That’s where the scholarship idea came from.”

He said his wife, who passed away in 2007, attended State on a scholarship

and, without that aid, she would not have been able to attend. While Roy did not get a scholarship, he did get advice.

“That school provided me a good education,” he said. “I was not ready for college and flunked out. I worked for a while, got drafted to go to Korea and then they allowed me back in.

“The civil engineering professors were so caring and hands on,” he continued. “I remember Dr. Harvey C. McKenzie in the math department told me to stay after class once. Between math and physics, those first two years of engineering were hard work. He said to me, ‘you don’t get it yet, do you? We’re here to prepare you for life, and unless you do your part—your homework and settle down—you’re wasting your time and my time. It was a lights-on moment for me. I wasn’t keeping up my end of the bargain and someone cared. I’m sure everyone’s had those moments but for me a lot of those people were at South Dakota State.”

Jackson’s first exposure to State was the Hobo Day football game in 1947, sitting in the west end zone. His sister, Cheryl Kjar, was going to start at State the following year and wanted to visit the campus. His father, Lawrence (Jack),

was a 1929 graduate from the College of Pharmacy while his mother, Hazel (Johnson), received a teacher’s certificate from what is now Northern State.

“That was the first time I saw the T formation,” Jackson recalled. “My memories … that’s the number one reason why I’m giving back. That and the students.

“For years, (the SDSU Athletics Department) got so much done with so little resources,” he continued. “The student-athletes devote so much of their lives working and preparing themselves to represent us. They deserved better. People like me waking up to the fact I can give back has really helped the program. Across the board, it’s nice to see the new facilities. When you think of track, football and the other outdoor sports, soon if the weather is bad they can go somewhere to practice. It’s nice to give those folks the tools so they can excel.”

MATT SCHMIDT

DONOR SPOTLIGHT

Above: Roy Jackson is pictured with Kolton Emery, the recipient of the Roy Jackson Scholarship in Athletics, at the SDSU athletic endowment dinner.

Jackson credits his time at South Dakota State for giving him everything in his life

ROYJACKSON

22 RABBIT TRACKS

F ollowing the Missouri State-South Dakota State University football game this past

October, SDSU athletic training students Michael Nordgren and Tanner Wolf were loading a bus in preparation of a return trip to Brookings.

Their normal postgame activities were interrupted when they were asked to help attend to someone in distress. Not knowing everything, they went to where this individual was and found him motionless on the ground.

“We ran over and didn’t know if someone broke a hip but we found out he was unconscious, didn’t have a pulse and wasn’t breathing,” said Nordgren, a senior from Sioux Falls.

Thinking the man might have suffered a heart attack, Wolf remembered that they had packed the automated external defibrillator, a portable medical device that automatically analyzes and detects cardiac arrhythmias of cardiac arrest patients and is able to produce a shock which stops the heart and allows it to return to a normal rhythm.

While Nordgren went to get the AED, Wolf said others contacted emergency medical services.

“We did what we are trained to do,” said Wolf, a senior from Pierre.

They checked the individual for a pulse then to see if he was breathing. They discovered he wasn’t doing either. Wolf then connected and operated the AED. Paramedics arrived shortly afterward.

The patient responded to the onsite treatment and was able to talk later that day with family members at a hospital in Missouri. He was released in late December and is doing well, according to Owen Stanley, ATC. Stanley is SDSU’s director of sports medicine.

“You learn from (this experience) that life can take unexpected turns within a matter of seconds and you have to react to it,” Wolf said. “You learn you (have) to react fast to it because this man’s life was within minutes. It’s important to act fast and do what is required to save this man’s life.

“It was a good sense of accomplishment knowing you potentially saved a human’s life,” Wolf continued. “It’s a good reward for your school, your program and yourself.”

Nordgren and Wolf will graduate in May and hope to continue in the athletic training field.

“With this experience, I think it makes me want to continue my education in athletic training even more just because you get the reward of helping somebody, helping a family when it was unexpected,” Wolf said. “It teaches you that you have to always be on your toes, expect anything and be ready for anything; be prepared for the worst and hope for the best.”

Nordgren agreed.“It taught me to be ready for

anything. In athletic training, you don’t necessarily think of heart attacks, but they can definitely happen,” he said.

MATT SCHMIDT

Michael Nordgren

Tanner Wolf

Athletic training students respond to a call for help

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