A look back at some of the sports happenings during the week of March 29-April 4, 2026:

Last year on April 4, 2025: Texas fell 74-57 to defending national champion South Carolina in the women’s Final Four. One of Texas’ starters was junior Mwenentanda Ndjakalenga, a Sioux Falls Washington graduate. She became a late-season starter, starting 15 games for the 35-4 Longhorns, who defeated SDSU 103-57 earlier this season.

10 years ago on April 2, 2016: The USD women’s basketball team went 32-6 and won the Division I Women’s National Invitational Basketball Tournament. The Coyotes had to beat teams such as Creighton, Minnesota and Oregon to win the WNIT. Coach Amy Williams had several South Dakotans on the roster: Tia Hemiller (Watertown), Margaret McCloud (Rapid City Stevens), Caitlin Duffy (Rapid City St. Thomas More), Heidi Hoff (Brandon) and Kaitlyn Severyn (Pierre). Other key players included two seniors: Wisconsin native Kelly Stewart and Australian Nicole Seekamp.

20 years ago on March 29, 2006: The celebrations continue for Les Sigman of Sturgis. Earlier this month (March 11), he won his fourth straight national wrestling heavyweight title for Nebraska-Omaha at the NCAA DII Championships. UNO also won its third straight team title. Sigman, who finished with a career
record of 155-7, is only the fourth wrestler in NCAA DII history to win four national titles.

30 years ago on March 31, 1996: Northern State wrestlers Matt Skattum and Matthew Perrotto were named as All-American Academic wrestlers. So was Huron native and SDSU wrestler Pat Timm, who later became the Wolves’ wrestling coach.

40 years ago on April 2, 1986: First-team Class B all-state basketball members include Mark Rozell of Warner and Lee Goetz of Cresbard.

50 years ago on April 3, 1976: Gary Garrison of Cheyenne-Eagle Butte won the Class B 100 meters at the season-opening Dan Lennon Invitational in Vermillion.